This morning, we’ll be talking about The Shadow King, an explosive Indigenous reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, King Lear.

A powerful melding of Shakespearian pathos with Aboriginal language, music and dance, The Shadow King recasts King Lear as a sprawling, blood-soaked tale of two Indigenous families in Australia’s north.

Read our writers' reviews and join the discussion around The Shadow King on this website.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning, we’ll be talking about <a href="http://www.melbournefestival.com.au/program/genre/the-shadow-king.html">The Shadow King</a>, an explosive Indigenous reinterpretation of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy, King Lear.
A powerful melding of Shakespearian pathos with Aboriginal language, music and dance, The Shadow King recasts King Lear as a sprawling, blood-soaked tale of two Indigenous families in Australia’s north.
Read our writers' reviews and join the discussion around The Shadow King on <a href="http://wheelercentre.com/projects/criticism-now/the-morning-after-the-shadow-king">this website</a>.See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.

Between the rise of new media and the shrinking of the old, arts criticism is evolving fast.  While blogs and online forums have opened the conversation to anyone with a keyboard and an internet connection, professional critics fiercely guard their status as informed arbiters of art. What’s the difference between opinion and criticism? Does it really matter?

Criticism Now

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The Morning After - The Shadow King

An unmissable episode for Slow Horses fans, writer Mick Herron unveils the next instalment in his phenomenally successful Slough House series with host Jason Steger. 

Originally presented on Thursday 21 May 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University.

Spies lie. They betray. It is what they do. Readers were first introduced to Jackson Lamb and his team of misbegotten secret service agents in Slow Horses, an offbeat spy story filled with biting satire, murky morality and political prescience.

In Clown Town, the latest instalment of the series, the ugly side of state security threatens to come to light as the disappearance of a mysterious book and the death of a sadistic former IRA informant has secret agent River Cartwright asking some uncomfortable questions. Filled with blackmail, covert operations and cover-ups that go all the way to the top, this page-turner sees the slow horses embroiled in their most high-stakes spy games yet.

An unmissable episode for Slow Horses fans, writer Mick Herron unveils the next instalment in his phenomenally successful Slough House series with host Jason Steger.&nbsp; Originally presented on Thursday 21 May 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University. Spies lie. They betray. It is what they do. Readers were first introduced to Jackson Lamb and his team of misbegotten secret service agents in Slow Horses, an offbeat spy story filled with biting satire, murky morality and political prescience. In Clown Town, the latest instalment of the series, the ugly side of state security threatens to come to light as the disappearance of a mysterious book and the death of a sadistic former IRA informant has secret agent River Cartwright asking some uncomfortable questions. Filled with blackmail, covert operations and cover-ups that go all the way to the top, this page-turner sees the slow horses embroiled in their most high-stakes spy games yet.

Mick Herron:  Slough House and Slow Horses

Hear from acclaimed author and broadcaster Stan Grant in this special edition of The Fifth Estate as he reflects on the fragility of words and why contemplation and philosophy matter in an era of increasing division, with host Sally Warhaft.

Originally presented on Tuesday 16 July 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University.

Drawing wisdom from an array of thinkers and artists, including Plato, Simone Weil, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Aquinas and even Radiohead, Stan Grant’s expansive and philosophical new book When Words Fail Us invites readers to reconsider the meaning and necessity of silence in an age of noise, speed and relentless distraction.

Written after stepping away from public life, the book explores how words can fail to meet the moment in the context of Australia’s history, identity and political division. Grant offers a rare insight into how the power of listening can lead to connection, compassion and love.

Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.

The official bookseller was Hill of Content.

Hear from acclaimed author and broadcaster Stan Grant in this special edition of The Fifth Estate as he reflects on the fragility of words and why contemplation and philosophy matter in an era of increasing division, with host Sally Warhaft.
Originally presented on Tuesday 16 July 2026 by The Wheeler Centre in partnership with RMIT University.
Drawing wisdom from an array of thinkers and artists, including Plato, Simone Weil, Cormac McCarthy, Thomas Aquinas and even Radiohead, Stan Grant&rsquo;s expansive and philosophical new book When Words Fail Us invites readers to reconsider the meaning and necessity of silence in an age of noise, speed and relentless distraction.
Written after stepping away from public life, the book explores how words can fail to meet the moment in the context of Australia&rsquo;s history, identity and political division. Grant offers a rare insight into how the power of listening can lead to connection, compassion and love.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.
The official bookseller was Hill of Content.

Stan Grant: When Words Fail Us

Ed Coper explains how angertainment has co-opted our social media feeds and taken over our lives, in conversation with Sushi Das.

Originally presented on Wednesday 24 June 2026 by The Wheeler Centre and supported by RMIT University.

Social media is no longer a platform for connection – it’s a gladiatorial arena powered by an addictive mix of anger and entertainment. As a result, we’re being driven apart: our politics more extreme and empathy on the decline, while those who know how to game the outrage economy for clicks only become more powerful and influential.

In this illuminating in-conversation, pioneer communications expert and the strategist behind GetUp! – Australia's first major online political movement – Ed Coper sits down to unmask the architects of this new power. From manosphere gurus and tech oligarchs to political demagogues and corporate giants, he reveals how social media has evolved into an outrage machine that feeds on scandals, spectacle, extremism and notoriety to bait us into constant engagement.

Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.

Ed Coper explains how angertainment has co-opted our social media feeds and taken over our lives, in conversation with Sushi Das. Originally presented on Wednesday 24 June 2026 by The Wheeler Centre and supported by RMIT University.
Social media is no longer a platform for connection &ndash; it&rsquo;s a gladiatorial arena powered by an addictive mix of anger and entertainment. As a result, we&rsquo;re being driven apart: our politics more extreme and empathy on the decline, while those who know how to game the outrage economy for clicks only become more powerful and influential.
In this illuminating in-conversation, pioneer communications expert and the strategist behind GetUp! &ndash; Australia's first major online political movement &ndash; Ed Coper sits down to unmask the architects of this new power. From manosphere gurus and tech oligarchs to political demagogues and corporate giants, he reveals how social media has evolved into an outrage machine that feeds on scandals, spectacle, extremism and notoriety to bait us into constant engagement.
Featured music is 'Different Days' by Chill Cole.

The Morning After - The Shadow King

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