Dr. Nicola Forrest, AO, is a powerhouse. As one of Australia’s most visible and respected philanthropists, her impact on the arts sector throughout Australia has been one of the most enduring, vital support systems ever designed to elevate Australian culture. From humble beginnings in country New South Wales to her role as co-founder of Minderoo Foundation and owner and director of Tattarang, one of Australia’s largest private investment groups, Dr. Forrest has a unique view on what makes the arts so important, and discusses her role in helping it thrive.

Show notes

Dr. Nicola Forrest, AO: https://forrestresearch.org.au/members/dr-nicola-forrest/

On Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Forrest

Andrew Baker: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-baker-55075430/

Minderoo Foundation: https://www.minderoo.org/

Philanthropy: https://www.philanthropy.org.au/news-and-stories/helping-others-is-the-most-satisfying-thing-you-can-do-in-life-nicola-forrest/

Black Swan State Theatre Company: https://blackswantheatre.com.au/

Sculpture by the Sea: https://sculpturebythesea.com/

WAAPA and Minderoo: https://www.minderoo.org/stories/ecu-waapa-facilities/

Perth Symphony Orchestra: https://perthsymphony.com/

Bourby Webster: https://bourby.com/about/

PICA: https://pica.org.au/

Fremantle Press: https://fremantlepress.com.au/ [https://fremantlepress.com.au/?srsltid=AfmBOopbdPrlqQgNG4dTypZVZcW9D2aVAwa96KzkZLLyyQFdnHdjSQYD]

Fremantle Biennale: https://fremantlebiennale.com.au/

Season 2, Episode 10: Why the Arts Matter with Dr. Nicola Forrest, AO and Guest Interviewer Andrew Baker

It takes an incredible amount of work to generate art: even more so when you strive to create work that is meaningful, impactful, and memorable. As Artistic Director of the Perth Festival, Anna Reece carries a heavy responsibility in delivering unforgettable Festivals, one after the next, and chats with Vernon Guest (Ten Days on the Island) about the challenges and rewards of this vital position.

Show Notes

Anna Reece: https://www.perthfestival.com.au/news-stories/2025/meet-artistic-director-anna-reece

Perth Festival: https://www.perthfestival.com.au [https://www.perthfestival.com.au/]

Vernon Guest: https://tendays.org.au/about/vernon-guest/

Vernon on Here Goes Nothing, Episode 3: https://heregoesnothingpod.substack.com/p/episode-3-talking-festivals-with

10 Days on the Island: https://tendays.org.au/

John Curtin College for the Arts: https://www.jc.wa.edu.au/

NIDA: https://www.nida.edu.au/

Season 2, Episode 9: How we get it done with Anna Reece and Guest Interviewer Vernon Guest

Finding space to create art can be at best an annoyance and at worst an existential threat. Renowned multidisciplinary artist and inaugural winner of the PAWA Ripple Effect Award James Berlyn is taking on this challenge by considering how space may be offered and how this leads to cultivating artists, and in turn audiences, with a bold vision for the future. James is joined in conversation by prolific director, dramaturg, and performer Jeffrey Jay Fowler, for a lively conversation on how these challenges might be met.

Show notes

James on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimbohbee/

Apply for the Ripple Effect Residency at the West Berlyn Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/westberlynspace/

Jeffrey Jay Fowler at The Last Great Hunt: https://www.thelastgreathunt.com/aboutus

Tawdry Heartburn’s Manic Cures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am-25FWeUnk

Dragon I: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-10/dragon-i-tackles-ai-theatre-perth-festival/106421822

Nuit Blanche Paris: https://www.paris.fr/evenements/nuit-blanche-2026-et-si-c-etait-votre-tour-de-creer-109440

ARCO Sr/Jr: https://performinglines.org.au/projects/arco/

The Velvet Sundown - AI generated band https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/14/an-ai-generated-band-got-1m-plays-on-spotify-now-music-insiders-say-listeners-should-be-warned

Proximity Festival: https://proximityfestival.com/

Season 2, Episode 8: Creation Space with James Berlyn and Guest Interviewer Jeffrey Jay Fowler

When chronic illness means a physical theatre artist can no longer move, does that damage their ability to create art? Performer Sarah Nelson has created art across Australia and throughout the world, using her body to create art through mask, circus, physicality, puppetry, and curious exploration, but her greatest challenge came when she was hit with a case of Long Covid that was so serious her family thought she might not make it. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Sarah used this experience to create a new, award-winning artwork, and energised her purpose to advocate against artist burnout, mental distress, performing while injured, and the debilitating relentless cycle of project funding.

SHOW NOTES

Sarah Nelson: https://www.sarahnelson.net/about

Sarah on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nelsroad/?hl=en

Kelli McCluskey: https://pvicollective.com/people/kelli-mccluskey/

Kelli on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pvikelli/

PVI Collective: https://pvicollective.com/

Koramburra giant earthworm: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gippslandhistory/posts/3638890809674253/

Prue Vermay: https://www.thegazette.com.au/20150812arts-doyenne-is-saluted-by-peers/

Annie Stainer: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/jul/04/annie-stainer-obituary

Suitcase Circus: https://www.suitcasecircus.com/

Spare Parts Puppet Theatre: https://sppt.com.au/

DADAA: https://www.dadaa.org.au/

Sarah’s Projects: https://www.sarahnelson.net/projects

Into the Fog: https://pica.org.au/whats-on/sarah-nelson-hyper-local-artist-in-residence/

The Georgia Malone Artist Prize: “The Georgia Malone Prize will be awarded to one recipient from the yearly cohort who has shown resilience, innovation and courage in delivering their Artist Fund project and in their approach to sustaining a career in the arts.” https://www.minderoo.org/media/wa-composer-wins-50-000-minderoo-prize-for-groundbreaking-album-exploring-the-sounds-of-motherhood/

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVsg8imjrPu/?hl=en&img_index=1

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40605929/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl#synopsis

Season 2, Episode 7: Chronic Illness and Art with Sarah Nelson and Guest Interviewer Kelli McCluskey

Following a circuitous, serendipitous path, Hannah Mathews has forged a career in the contemporary arts through strong relationships, trust, and the support to be experimental. As general manager of Western Australia’s iconic Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Hannah has developed a mandate focused on collaboration, openness, and the ability to eschew modesty to properly celebrate the incredible work that is happening in the Perth arts scene. In this conversation with Ricky Arnold, Hannah discusses how boundaries can be broken, how the Perth Cultural Centre is a misunderstood precinct containing magic, and how the long, magnetic force of PICA brought her to a place where the arts can be given room to thrive and support an artist throughout their entire careers. From arts intern to general manager, Hannah Mathews demonstrates how persistence and curiosity can lead to great things.

SHOW NOTES:

Hannah Mathews: https://2023.pica.org.au/pica-welcomes-new-ceo/

Ricky Arnold: https://artonthemove.art/projects/touring-strategy-meet-the-team/

There were so many references in this episode, that they did not fit within this box: for the rest, visit this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lomt0dW2OF9gj1MSWCR_CyCuvii30jBv4EhEy4AbPk8/edit?usp=sharing

Season 2, Episode 6: Hannah Mathews and the Place of Contemporary Arts, with guest interviewer Ricky Arnold

Most of us find the arts as children, whether it be through witnessing a fabulous performance, or an introduction from a cultured relative, or discovering the joys of getting lost in a good book. Many of us can pinpoint the exact moment in childhood when the arts bug bit us: for fourteen year old Bridie Malone, that moment was a little more recent. Bridie is joined by her grandmother, Jo Malone, in a meeting of the generations that proves that a love for culture can definitely be passed along.

Season 2, Episode 5: Arts and the Teenager, with Bridie Malone, and Guest Interviewer Jo Malone

The theatre has a way of presenting stories in a way no other medium can capture: the immediacy and liveness create a bond between performer and audience as a shared experience, a moment in time, a visceral connection. Both Rebecca Davis and Stuart Halusz have been mainstays of the West Australian arts scene for decades, but have reached new heights through their company Theatre 180, performing local stories in familiar settings for appreciative audiences around the country. On this month’s episode of Georgia Malone’s Here Goes Nothing, join us for an intimate chat between one of Australia’s great power teams as they talk about the serendipity that brought them to these new frontiers.

SHOW NOTES

Rebecca Davis: https://theatre180.com.au/person/rebecca-davis-2/

Stuart Halusz: https://theatre180.com.au/person/stuart-halusz-3/

Theatre 180: https://theatre180.com.au/

Agelink Theatre: https://theatre180.com.au/about-us/agelink_community_access_and_education_programs/

Midnite Youth Theatre Company: https://midnite.ccgs.wa.edu.au/

Season 2, Episode 4: Telling Our Stories, with Rebecca Davis and Guest Interviewer Stuart Halusz

Stories bring us together, show us where we’ve been, and link us with people from a wide diversity of backgrounds in ways we might not have expected. Join Caroline Wood and guest interviewer Sisonke Msimang for a lively discussion of the importance of storytelling, the impact of Australia’s growing diversity, and learn how to identify what a good story sounds like, as cultivated in Perth’s beloved Centre for Stories.

Season 2, Episode 3: Diversity in Storytelling with Caroline Wood with Guest Interviewer Sisonke Msimang

There are few genres that elicit so polarising an opinion amongst casual and passionate theatregoers as musical theatre, but it's hard to deny that when you get amongst a group of passionate musical lovers, the energy is infectious. Join Andrew Baker and Claire Nichols as they discuss how musicals changed them, the importance of community theatre, pre-show sherry, positive artificiality, and buying CDs at "That's Entertainment" in Old Theatre Lane. From touring shows to venue challenges to jukebox musicals to the gateway drug that is Andrew Lloyd Webber, get ready to have a good "theatre cry" and consider what happens when you have just enough talent for it to be a problem.

SHOW NOTES (links live on show page)

 * Claire Nichols [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/claire-nichols/6531350?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * The Book Show [https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/the-book-show?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Andrew Baker [https://www.minderoo.org/stories/context-waapa/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Minderoo [https://www.minderoo.org/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * The Premiere Collection [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Premiere_Collection:_The_Best_of_Andrew_Lloyd_Webber?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * WAAPA [https://www.waapa.ecu.edu.au/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Western Sky Projects [https://www.westernskyprojects.com.au/]

Named Musicals (selected)

 * Les Mis [https://lesmis.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * JCS [https://open.spotify.com/album/2utlHy2K3j4lpaVauM1aUU?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Oliver! [https://oliverthemusical.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Joseph [https://www.josephthemusical.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Chess [https://chessbroadway.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Rent [https://broadway.fandom.com/wiki/Rent?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Pacific Overtures [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Overtures?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Hello Again [https://broadwaylicensing.com/shows/off-broadway/hello-again/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Anything Goes [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMov1bG10nY&utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Evita [https://www.evitathemusical.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * The Book of Mormon [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of5cgecGIhg&utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Matilda [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Et3NoVWkaA&utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Cats [https://www.catsthemusical.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]
 * Miss Westralia [https://www.westernskyprojects.com.au/work/miss-westralia]
 * Tony Galati [https://www.westernskyprojects.com.au/work/tony-galati]
 * Bat Boy: The Musical [https://www.nycitycenter.org/pdps/2025-2026/bat-boy-the-musical/]
 * Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence [https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/lady-macbeth-played-wing-defence]



Season 2, Episode 2: Musical Theatre with Andrew Baker and Guest Interviewer Claire Nichols

Comedy, whether stand-up, comedic plays, improvisation, sketch, or burlesque, is an omnipresent genre: universally beloved, indispensable, and… underestimated? The second season of Georgia Malone’s Here Goes Nothing launches with comedy stalwart Libby Klysz in conversation with Big Hoo Haa! founder Sam Longley to discuss why the Trojan Horse of comedy is so important and brave, despite the lack of respect it’s constantly afforded. From court jesters to COVID, from punching up to fart jokes, from ego to gender politics, this is an episode that covers the lot! Yes, And!

Show Links:

TheatreSports Australia: https://www.facebook.com/theatresportsoz/about/?_rdr

The Big Hoo Haa!: https://thebighoohaa.com.au/

Chuck the Hoo Haa a follow: https://www.instagram.com/thebighoohaa/

The Hoo Haa on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBigHooHaa

Bindjareb Pinjarra: https://www.ilbijerri.com.au/event/bindjareb-pinjarra/

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo: https://trockadero.org/

YUCK Circus: https://yuckcircus.com/

For enquiries, suggestions, or bookings, email; tobypmalone at gmail dot com.

Season 2, Episode 1: Comedy with Libby Klysz and Guest Interviewer Sam Longley

Created by Georgia Malone; presented by Georgia Malone (episodes 1-10); guest presenters (episodes 11-on).

Taking a dive into the impact of arts and creativity.

What is it that makes us human, what 

Georgia Malone's Here Goes Nothing · Zencastr

Georgia Malone's Here Goes Nothing

Created by Georgia Malone; presented by Georgia Malone (episodes 1-10); guest presenters (episodes 11-on).

Taking a dive into the impact of arts and creativity.

What is it that makes us human, what makes us unique, and what adds value to your life? Often the answer to all of these questions can be traced back to our connection to arts, culture and creativity. The ‘Arts’ is often seen as a high brow endeavour that only some enjoy and partake in but it is in everyone’s lives, in some way. We all listen to music, read books, watch movies and connect with creativity for our enjoyment or mental health. This podcast gets to the heart of what the arts is and what it means. It will explore different topics with people who have devoted their lives to the arts in some way, to understand what drives them and how they connect with the arts on a personal level.

Discussions will include the importance of a good play, how jazz can penetrate your soul, the role artists play in society, what compels people to leave their money to the local art gallery, why festivals just hit different, and how feminist sci-fi is a gateway drug.

Interesting people with interesting ideas join me for interesting conversations.