Cirrus@Austlit

Rodney Hall refutes a claim made by Alison Croggon in her article 'Theatre's New Stage'. Croggon stated that Hall had led a 'chorus of writers' in protesting against a change in direction when Playbox Theatre became the Malthouse Theatre in 2005. Hall says his complaint was not that 'the writer had been abandoned' in the change. His concern was 'the overwhelming percentage of public subsidy going to companies and orchestras catering for the top end of town, plus the desperate shortage of work for our actors'. Hall concludes his letter: 'Directors can produce whatever they choose. But I do believe that once the public purse is involved there needs to be a clear idea of the public benefit.'

Peter Craven notes that 2009 is the centenary of the birth of three of Australia's 'most brilliant performers': Chips Rafferty, Errol Flynn and Robert Helpmann.

A column canvassing current literary news including a brief report of the launch of Harbour City Poems: Sydney in Verse 1788-2008 by Virginia Judge, the Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts.

Simon de Burxelles reports that Nevil Shute's World War II invention, the Great Panjandrum, was re-created and detonated during British D-Day commemorations in June 2009.