From Monday to Thursday on ABC Radio Melbourne’s Afternoons, host Jacinta Parsons speaks to the best and brightest from diverse fields including the arts, science and health. Afternoons is a show for an audience of curious minds, just like Parsons—so we asked her to apply that curiosity to our first festival program and share her top five festival picks.

“I don’t think I’ve been more excited about a festival for a long time. RISING is bold, innovative, and thoroughly exciting. Us Melburnians love a bit of culture and this festival challenges us to explore our city and its artists in a brand-new way—which makes picking a top five nearly impossible. But here goes.”

Back to Back Theatre: Retrospective

"Back to Back Theatre is one of the country’s most enduring and creative theatre companies—they’re also out of Geelong which makes them very cool. They are delivering a retrospective of their work spanning 16 years—presenting three pieces that are not to be missed—small metal object, Food Court and Ganesh Versus the Third Reich. Back to Back Theatre is theatre at its best."

The Rivers Sing

"Our rivers will speak to us through one of our great treasures, Deborah Cheetham AO, in this new sonic artwork. It’s free and will get you out of bed early to hear it at 7.25AM and then as you’re wandering home, again at 5.15PM. The Deborah Cheetham, Byron J Scullin and Thomas Supple collaboration is one that I’m really looking forward to hearing."

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The Wilds

"You had me at ice skating, but in addition to ice skating under a giant moon is the enticement of what a transformation of the Sidney Myer Music Bowl into a wonderland of exploration will look like. Bamboo forest, tunnels that take us through mirrored fields and roaring fires—yes please."

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Wurukur Djuanduk Balag—Ancestors Are Calling

"Dr Lou Bennett AM has composed a multi-language song-based work that asserts that objects stuck behind glass in museums are not static, but instead have a life, an energy and are calling for their families to take them back home. Bennett has provided a soundtrack for a generation with her work with the Black Arm Band and the music of Tiddas and will do so again with this collaboration with some of our great vocalists—Emma Donovan and Deline Briscoe to name just two."

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PENDULUM

"Sneaking into the upper level of the NGV is where we go to experience the tolling of bells, human movement and an exciting creative collaboration by percussive artist Matthias Schack-Arnott and acclaimed Australian choreographer Lucy Guerin. Merging sound artists and choreographers is my idea of a fun night out!"

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