Tardiness

The truth is, I managed to escape Sydney for the long weekend and spent four glorious days in Melbourne.

And no, I didn't see any theatre, hear any live music or go to a gallery. It was a pure and simple fiesta of drink, food and friends.

So I apologise for late blog deliveries, but coming up over the next few days is a long-overdue review of the brilliant Pillowman production on at Company B, as well as reviews on the new Bell Shakespeare Hamlet, Altar Boyz at the Seymour Centre and Miss Julie at B Sharp.

This will be swiftly followed by sneak peaks into the Sydney Film Festival which started last week and even more theatre openings after that - and there isn't a Hetty in sight.

It's actually a pretty jam packed month on all fronts. Keep your eye out for Chris Mead's latest essay to be published in Platform Papers where he asks the very simple question - Where are the stories by our ethnic writers?

Speaking of ethnicity (or lack of) in our theatre, my fellow blogger Ming Zhu Hii has penned her own response on the Lee Lewis Cross Racial Casting essay which also appeared in Platform Papers. Ming-Zhu's essay is actually one of a plethora of great articles in the most recent Real Time with coverage of emerging artists in Sydney and the current Brisbane Festival.

And I would encourage you to closely follow SAJ's dear friend John Wardle as he battles the political nightmare of Macquarie Street to get these new entertainment laws through both houses of State parliament. His Raise the Bar website has all the latest developments, changes and threats. His is a worthy cause that will do more for NSW than any arts grant could, so if you have time send him some support, moral or otherwise, click on http://www.raisethebar.org.au/