The Saturday Quiz

Joining John to answer the questions on this episode of The Saturday Quiz is the director Bert LaBonté and one of the actors Ras-Samuel from the Pulitzer Prize winning play Topdog/Underdog, which is playing right now in the Lawler at Melbourne Theatre Company’s Southbank Theatre. The Suzan-Lori Parks play tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two down-on-their-luck brothers wrestling with the realities of the American Dream. The first play by an African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, it is playing right now until the 21st of September.Get your tickets to Topdog/Underdog here:https://www.mtc.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/season-2024/topdogunderdog/

Alexei Tolioppoulos and Lauren Bonner have both recently joined a real-life pub trivia team. But that doesn't mean they get all the questions correct on this episode.Alexei learns that no matter how good you are at your expert category, if the questions don't tend that way, you're in for a world of pain.

If you're a reader or listener of any of the Schwartz Media publications, you're sure to have encountered Erik Jensen and Michael Williams. Erik is the Editor in Chief at Schwartz and Michael is the Editor of The Monthly magazine, as well as hosting the podcast Read This. They're both intimidatingly intelligent, so it's no surprise that they do very well at the quiz on this episode. Apologies for some of the sound issues on this episode - my microphone seems to have been playing up.My thanks as ever to Cindy MacDonald for writing the questions in the quiz. Play along at home by going to https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/ where you can find every quiz from the paper all the way back to issue number one.This podcast is recorded on the lands belonging to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. I pay my respects to their elders past and present and acknowledge their traditions of sharing knowledge and stories for millennia on this land.

Runt is a brand new family movie in cinemas around the country from September 19, but if you’re in Melbourne, you can see it at MIFF on the 25th of August. Written by Craig Silvey, based on his book of the same name and directed by John Sheedy, Runt tells the story of Annie Shearer and her best friend, a stray dog called Runt. When her family's farm comes under threat from drought and a local landowner, Annie concocts a plan to save it: by putting Runt’s herding talents to good use in the Agility Course Grand Championships at the Krumpets Dog Show in London. Starring Jai Courtney, Celeste Barber, Deborah Mailman, Jack Thompson and Tom Budge, and introducing the wonderful Lily LaTorre as Annie.Runt also stars the guest on this episode, Matt Day, who, despite not finishing high school, does very well all by himself at the quiz.Get tickets to the final MIFF screening of Runt here:https://miff.com.au/program/film/runt

The Melbourne International Film Festival has just opened!On this episode of the quiz, the guests are MIFF programmer Kate Jinx and pop culture author and critic Brodie Lancaster.Jinx's MIFF list:Matt and Mara https://miff.com.au/program/film/matt-and-maraWelcome Space Brothershttps://miff.com.au/program/film/welcome-space-brothersThe World According to Allee Willishttps://miff.com.au/program/film/the-world-according-to-allee-willisJanet Planethttps://miff.com.au/program/film/janet-planetUniversal Languagehttps://miff.com.au/program/film/universal-languageConsuming Culture Talk with Brodie:https://miff.com.au/program/film/consuming-cultureTrivia with Alexei:https://miff.com.au/program/film/miff-trivia-presented-by-umbrella-entertainment#top

Gabbi Bolt and Maverick Newman are both extraordinarily multi-talented performers; They sing, they dance, they act, they even play classical piano in the hilarious parody musical Murder For Two, which is an outrageous blend of music, mayhem, and murder. In this hilarious 90-minute show, two performers play 13 roles – not to mention the piano – in a rip-roaring parody of classic murder mysteries.After twice selling out the Hayes Theatre in Sydney, this show is heading to Parramatta Riverside Theatre on the 9th and 10th of August, before a season in the Fairfax Studio in the Melbourne Arts Centre from the 15th to the 25th.Get your tickets here:https://riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/murder-for-two/Or here for the season in Melbourne:https://www.artscentremelbourne.com.au/whats-on/2024/comedy/murder-for-two

It is rare for a piece of independent theatre to earn itself a return season. Rarer still for that return season to be on the main stages and tour around the country. And even rarer yet for that piece of theatre to be a brand new play from a debut playwright. But that is exactly what has happened for actor and playwright Emmanuel Mattana and director Marni Mount.Trophy Boys is a queer black comedy and drag extravaganza about power, privilege, and high school debating.Performed by a female and non-binary cast in drag as the four members of the debating team from an elite private boys school as they prepare for their grand final debate against their sister school and forced to argue in the affirmative that "feminism has failed women".Trophy Boys takes a satirical look at insecure adolescent masculinity, entitlement and the ego of Australia's next generation of politicians and powerbrokers.

This special bonus episode is to make up for the episode missed a few weeks ago.The Canberra Theatre Centre has curated an electrifying performance series under the banner of “Valence”. Shows that will ignite the senses and challenge perceptions, made by artists exploring the now, pushing the boundaries of convention, and which invite viewers to confront uncomfortable truths and embrace the possibilities of transformation.The guests on this episode are one of the performers, Rebecca Massey and the director, Sheridan Harbridge of the first show in the Valence series “44 Sex Acts in One Week.”As one reviewer wrote of the show: “Brilliantly funny dialogue, sex positive, egalitarian, patriarchy-smashing, late-stage capitalism obliterating, empathic, relatable, and profound.”Get tickets to the show here:https://canberratheatrecentre.com.au/show/44-acts-2024/