Ideas at the House
Talks and conversations from the Sydney Opera House featuring the world’s greatest minds and culture creators
From her breakthrough role as a VJ on Channel V in the early 2000s to her wildly popular podcasts and best-selling books, Yumi Stynes has been a pop culture fixture on Australian screens and airwaves for the past two decades. Here, she chats with Edwina Throsby about her rich and varied career: moving from country Victoria and into the media spotlight, the heady days of the early millennium music industry, and that time she called out Kerri-Anne Kennerley on national television. Buoyed by her hard work, fierce wit and sense of justice, Stynes emerges as an inspiration, whether it’s as a parent, podcaster, or someone who isn’t afraid to speak the truth to Australia’s racism.
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Entrepreneur, author, TV host, DJ, model, social media superstar: is there anything that Lillian Ahenkan can’t do? In this lively, inspiring conversation, Edwina Throsby speaks with Ahenkan – better known as Flex Mami – about her path to modern stardom, delving into her unique life philosophy, indomitable business smarts, and relationship to online celebrity. From her unlikely childhood as the daughter of single Ghanaian parent in Sydney’s mostly white Eastern Suburbs to her fearless, self-motivated rise through fashion, PR and the club scene on her way to building a social media fanbase, Ahenkan reveals the secrets behind her remarkable journey – and her thoughts on the future of social media’s influencer phenomenon.
Watch this talk on Stream. The new streaming service from the Sydney Opera House. Register for free now and start watching.
In this candid conversation, sex worker, activist and author, Tilly Lawless opens up about her often complex feelings towards sex work, her early childhood in coastal NSW, and negotiating her queer identity in a largely straight business model.
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A Generation X icon, actress Ione Skye has spent a lifetime inside the world of music and celebrity – and has the stories to show for it. Edwina Throsby sits down with the vibrant star of Say Anything, River’s Edge and Gas, Food, Lodging for a conversation about her life and career, including her unusual relationship with her father, the ’60s pop superstar Donovan, her rocky romances with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis and Beastie Boy Adam Horowitz, and her experience standing up to sexism as a young, aspiring performer in the industry. She also reflects on finding peace with her current partner, musician Ben Lee, raising her own children, and making Sydney her current home.
Watch this talk on Stream. The new streaming service from the Sydney Opera House. Register for free now and start watching.
Life is messy - especially during a pandemic. How do we survive? Our expert panellists are here to help us build a toolbox for mental wellbeing and a stronger, calmer life. Mary Hoang, psychologist, founder of The Indigo Project and journalist Christine Jackman bring us practical, real-life tips and insights into finding strength in times of hardship. Hosted by Linda Marigliano.
In this disarmingly funny chat Tilly Lawless, Jules Kim & Chantell Martin discus the complexities of a frequently misunderstood industry, and its place within the women's movement. From emotional and physical labour, economic realities, and the fight to protect sex workers' rights in the age of COVID, these voices need to be heard.
Join some of our most creative voices, brought together from across the country, as they share stories, memories and songs. Curated by Warlpiri woman Rachael Hocking; this is a night for dance and laughter, spirit and survival, community, creation and love. Welcome to country by Aunty Rhonda Dixon-Grovenor, music from DRMNGNOW, readings by poet Jeanine Leane and words from Uncle Vic Simms.
Isabel Allende's books centre female experience in all its joy and hardship. And at 78, the legendary Chilean has seen first-hand what feminism has accomplished in her lifetime. In this talk at All About Women in 2021, Allende muses on decades of writing and reflects on her marriages, sex, ageing, and the evolution of feminism.
Caitlin Moran | More Than A Woman
20 June 2021
Caitlin Moran is the UK’s funniest feminist. Her memoirs, columns and essays tackle all of the things we care about... sex, family, politics and dismantling the patriarchy. This event was recorded live at All About Women in 2021, where she joined us from London in a wild, occasionally angry, and extremely fun conversation with broadcaster, Yumi Stynes.
Kate Crawford | How Smart is Artificial Intelligence?
11 June 2021
We all know that Artificial Intelligence is here to stay. But how many of us know the full extent of what this means? What about the deeper issues, like the impacts on our legal systems, our politics, our economies and our environment?
This episode features an on stage discussion with Professor Kate Crawford, one of the world’s leading researchers into the social and political implications of AI. In conversation with Rae Johnston, as part of All About Women 2021.
Laura Bates | Men Who Hate Women
7 June 2021
This year, the All About Women festival took place amid a string of revelations involving women in Australian public life, including the poor treatment of assault survivor Brittney Higgins, and the emergence of historic rape allegations against the then Attorney General.
This timely conversation with British feminist Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and author of Men Who Hate Women, highlights the deadly dangers of extreme online misogyny. Laura appeared in the Joan Sutherland Theatre via video link in March 2021.
Bill Birtles, Yun Jiang & Richard Fidler | The China Puzzle
31 May 2021
Against the context of growing hostilities between President Xi Jinping's government and the west, nationalist agendas across the board, shocking stories about the abuse of the Uyghur population, trade wars and diplomatic flare-ups, this tightening of the flow of information sparked international alarm. But with unacceptable racism against Asians in the west on the rise, and China's global influence and economic power growing ever stronger, how do we think about the complicated China question? Listen to former ABC China correspondent Bill Birtles and China specialist Yun Jiang for this timely discussion recorded in the Playhouse and moderated by Richard Fidler.
Maria Ressa | Living for Journalism
24 May 2021
In 2012, Maria Ressa founded the social media network Rappler, in her home country of the Philippines, as a way for citizens to communicate and share news. Her high profile as a journalist, and her fearless reporting on her government, has led to her being the target of endless legal attacks. But also, the recipient of an extraordinary array of honors and awards. She was included in Time Magazine’s most influential people list in 2019, and more recently, she won the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize for 2021.
Azadeh Moaveni | Iran Awakening
17 May 2021
Working between two cultures is something that this weeks' guest has grown up with. Born in America to a family of refugees from the Iranian revolution, Azadeh Moaveni has split her life between the middle east and the west. As a journalist, she has worked for publications like Time Magazine and the LA Times in cities like Tehran and Cairo, and her books range from memoirs to deep investigations. In this episode, she shares her knowledge of the politics of the Arab world, especially as it pertains to women.
Melissa Lucashenko | Too Much Lip
10 May 2021
Indigenous writer Melissa Lukashenko has been writing poetry, essays and novels for decades. Her work has been nominated for pretty much every Australian literary prize there is. Most recently, she has won the Miles Franklin award for her novel Too Much Lip. In this conversation, she’s speaking with Benjamin Law.
Gina Rippon | Gendered Expectations
3 May 2021
Men are from Mars. Women are from Venus. Bet you’ve heard that before. The idea that men’s brains are wired for logic, while women’s brains excel at emotional intelligence is deeply culturally embedded. And, it’s complete garbage. Join Professor Gina Rippon in conversation with Edwina Throsby, as they dispel this cultural myth and discuss her latest book The Gendered Brain.
Tea Uglow | Pathology of Identity
26 Apr 2021
Tea Uglow has built her career exploring the space between technology and art, looking for unexpected ways they can interact. She has written about doubt, about being transgender and her book Loud and Proud is a collection of the most influential and inspiring LGBTQI speeches of all time. Listen to Tea, in conversation with Head of Talks and Ideas Edwina Throsby.
Shanna Whan | Getting Sober in the Country
19 Apr 2021
Shanna is the founder of national alcohol awareness charity 'Sober in the Country', a grassroots organisation designed to open up discussions in rural Australia about alcohol. When hospitalisation forced Shanna to acknowledge that her own drinking was out of control, she discovered that getting sober was no easy feat.
Shanna talks with Edwina Throsby about the way she transformed her life, and in the process, transformed the lives of countless others.
Clementine Ford | Becoming a Feminist Icon
12 Apr 2021
Clementine Ford has been writing columns and books about gender issues for more than a decade. Her books Fight Like a Girl and Boys Will Be Boys have become bestselling feminist bibles, and she has built a huge online community of women and girls who take inspiration and comfort from her honest and personal posts. In this conversation, she chats to Edwina Throsby about body image, sex, death and dating … all the big things.
Michael Pollan | How to Change Your Mind
6 Apr 2021
Michael Pollan is the author of six New York Times bestsellers, but it was his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which interrogated the way we eat and our food production systems, that really brought him to global attention.
More recently he has shifted his focus from food to psychedelics. In his latest book, How to Change your Mind, Pollan puts his body and brain on the line to properly explore their benefits and dangers of psychedlics. In conversation with Edwina Throsby.
Fintan O'Toole
29 Mar 2021
Dublin born and bred, Fintan O'Toole has written a twice-weekly column for the Irish Times since 1988. He has also written an astonishing fifty eight books about politics, poetry, philosophy, theatre and Irish culture. Here he is speaking with Edwina Throsby, Head of Talks and Ideas whilst appearing at ANTIDOTE in 2019.
Doomscrolling can convince us the world is full of bad news, but that is only part of the story. Curator and councillor Jess Scully's new book, Glimpses of Utopia, highlights stories from around the world where people respond to crises with hope and compassion. Dutch popular historian Rutger Bregman reveals that humans are not destructive and selfish, but innately communal and cooperative. What new possibilities can we imagine for our future? Enjoy this conversation between two radical optimists who look to a sustainable and inclusive future.
2020 was a chaotic and transformative year. Beginning with the catastrophic bushfires that incinerated any last doubts around the impacts of climate change, to international fury at structural and violent racism, to a devistating global pandemic; 2020 was a year like no other.
This panel, as part of Antidote, discusses what we hope to rebuild from the wreckage and the radical paradigm shifts that need to take place in order to move forward. Featuring Jefa Greenaway, Rebecca Huntley and Jessica Irvine. Hosted by Tom Tilley.
It's rare that a debut novel makes the sort of impact of Kiley Reid's book Such a Fun Age. It has quickly become a favourite of book clubs world wide, engendered much debate, and was longlisted for the Booker Prize. In this session as part of Antidote 2020, Kiley is joined by journalist and television presenter Jan Fran for a discussion about privilege, class and race in a world that is never black and white.
Darcey Steinke was furious nobody warned her about the true experience of menopause. Her book, Flash Count Diary, is a powerful exploration of the changing gender landscape and transforming desires of the post reproductive years of women's lives. Tune into this raw, honest and intelligent conversation, hosted by Jane Caro, as part of All About Women 2020.
What does it mean to be beautiful and how can we change our own definitions? Deep dive into how we think about appearance, beauty and the female body with critically-aclaimed author Bri Lee (Eggshell Skull, Beauty) and writer, speaker and appearance activist Carly Findlay, recorded at All About Women 2020. Hosted by Flex Mami.
In the 1970s, a group of women decamped to Amazon Acres in northern NSW, with a policy of no men, no meat, no machines. They were part of a global trend where women around the world were creating their own, idealistic societies. Take this rare opportunity for a glimpse into a sequestered world, as part of All About Women 2020.
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Talks & Ideas
Sydney Opera House Talks & Ideas presents ideas, conversation and debate from leading thinkers and culture creators, extending the reach of live events online with unique content.