For all Dan's Link's and more on The Men's Circle: https://linktr.ee/danbrophy

In The Name of The Diva is a theosophical discussion of queer icons...

My guest this week is Dino Dimitriadis—one of Australia’s most extraordinary theatre-makers. If you’ve seen one of their plays, you’ll know: you walk out changed. Their work is camp, dark, surreal, cinematic—lit and staged like nothing else.

Dino’s work has transcended Australian theatre from the mainstream to the fringes and back again.

I first saw Dino’s Metamorphoses at The Fitz, and since then I’ve chased down everything they’ve done. Recently, they’ve stepped into new worlds—like staging Nicol & Ford’s Sydney Fashion Week runway. And most recently that vision is turned towards the subversive deliciously palatable remounting of Hedwig and the Angry Inch starring Sean Miley Moore. (Hey diva, come on the show!)

But today, it’s all about divas. And the diva Dino adores above all others? Bette Midler.

I’ve loved Bette since I was four years old—thanks to Beaches. If you’re queer and haven’t seen it… fix that immediately. Call your best gays, grab popcorn and tissues, and prepare yourself.

But Bette’s legacy goes deeper: from The Divine Miss M to Hocus Pocus to The First Wives Club. She was there for the gays before it was cool—performing in New York bathhouses in the 70s, singing show tunes and cracking jokes as Bathhouse Betty. One of the greatest diva origin stories of all time.

That wit, that ferocity, that camp sensibility—it’s carried through everything she’s ever done. So much so that Patti LuPone literally played a Bette-inspired character in American Horror Story: NYC. Divas on divas.

Speaking of, there’s an undeniable activism - a sense of purpose and the intention of creating change that beautifully links Dino’s work and Bette’s - as her environmental activism is one of the most notable elements of her plume offscreen, and Dino, its the drive to transform societal narratives around queerness - and more recently and specifically, transness.

So when Dino—who is currently touring to tour Hedwig around Australia—chose Bette Midler as their diva, it feels nothing short of DIVINE.

This chat is an inspiration and an education to all those who need it. So get your notes app ready, because Dino is about to remind us why Bette Midler is one of the OG queer divas of the 20th century - who’s still doin’ it.

Here’s my deep dive with Dino Dimitriadis, on the diva they adore above all others: Bette Midler.

More on Dino: https://www.instagram.com/dino__dimitriadis/

For all Dan's Link's and more on The Men's Circle: https://linktr.ee/danbrophy