Backstage

• Mehhma Mahli and Fitz Happens

  In this episode, we dive into Fitz Happens — a bold new initiative by New Ghosts Theatre Company designed to launch and raise funds for their Playwright Fund. This unique monologue showcase, part of the company’s Mainstage program, brings together five original 10-minute monologues inspired by the haunting theme: “Home is Where the Haunt Is.” We explore how this project came to life, the creative risks involved, and the spirit of generosity that fuels it — from seasoned legends like Kate Mulvany, Louis Nowra, and Belinda Giblin, to emerging talents like Justin Li (making his Mainstage stage management debut) and Finlay Hogan (currently studying at NIDA while designing sound for the show). Mehhma Malhi, director of Fitz Happens, returns to Sydney from New York with a rich background in philosophy, bioethics, and journalism. With degrees from NYU and Columbia University, we explore how her academic lens informs her directorial approach — especially in a project that grapples with themes of memory, identity, and home.

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• Gabrielle Scawthorn and Matilda Ridgeway and The Edit

  In this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros speaks with Gabrielle Scawthorn, the writer and director of The Edit, and Matilda Ridgeway, one of its powerhouse performers. The Edit, now on stage at Belvoir, is a sharp, provocative work born from Gabrielle’s deep dive into the world of reality television. Drawing on countless interviews, the play explores the blurred lines between truth and performance, and what happens when our lives become content.

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• Joseph Althouse in Whitefella Yella Tree

  In this episode of Backstage, Regina Botros sits down with Joseph Althouse, the Pertame and Tiwi actor captivating audiences in the Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Whitefella Yella Tree by Dylan Van Den Berg. Set in the early 19th century, Whitefella Yella Tree is a tender and devastating love story between two young Aboriginal men, Ty and Neddy, from neighbouring mobs. Meeting under the branches of a lemon tree, their romance blooms just as the colonial world begins to encroach on their lives. Joseph plays Ty, a young man learning to be his mob’s storyteller, navigating the tension between tradition, love, and the looming threat of colonisation.   Sydney Theatre Company: Wharf 1 Theatre, until 18 October 2025

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• Alex McClintock - 24 Hours in Kings Cross

  Photographer Alex McClintock joins Regina Botros on Backstage to talk about his latest collaboration with audio documentarian Mike Williams: 24 Hours in Kings Cross, a genre-bending live documentary showing at Sydney Fringe Festival. Captured over a single sleepless day, the show is a gritty, glamorous tribute to Sydney’s infamous red-light district, blending McClintock’s evocative street photography with Williams’ immersive audio storytelling. Together, they shine a spotlight on the misfits, lovers, drag queens, tattoo artists, and party-goers who make the Cross pulse with life. From sunrise to sunrise, this multimedia experience is a love letter to a suburb that never sleeps.   📍 24 Hours in Kings Cross runs from September 10–20 at Sean & Dolly’s, as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival  .

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• Mayu Iwasaki and The Face of Jizo

  Regina Botros sits down with actor Mayu Iwasaki, who stars as Mitsue in The Face of Jizo at the Seymour Centre. This poignant play, written by Hisashi Inoue, explores the emotional aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing through the eyes of a young librarian and her father’s ghost. Mayu shares her journey into producing this play and the role, plus the emotional weight of portraying a survivor. Don't miss this one.  

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