2026 Festival

Speaker Profile

Michael Cathcart

Michael Cathcart has worked as a teacher, university lecturer and theatre director and presented ABC radio and television programs. He has written several books, including Defending the National Tuckshop and The Water Dreamers.

War Secrets: Three authors discuss their WW2 discoveries

Friday April 24
Portsea Village
10.30am / 60 mins

Diana Thorp, Tom Trumble and Nadia Wheatley with Michael Cathcart

Under The Skin: How biographers cope with living someone else’s life

Saturday April 25
Sorrento Bowls Club
1.00pm / 60 mins

Peter FitzSimons, Jock Serong and Helen Trinca with Michael Cathcart

Inside the Rehearsal Room

Saturday April 25
Ellen Grant Hall
5.30pm / 60 mins

with Emily Sheehan and the Red Stitch Theatre Company and Michael Cathcart

A read-through and workshopping of playwright Emily Sheehan’s new work - see how a new play and its characters evolve. Emily will be joined by actors from Red Stitch Theatre Company with Michael Cathcart as host. This play reading workshop is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Trust and staged in memory of respected Melbourne actor and director Malcom Robertson who died in 2016. 

This session is supported by Malcolm Robertson Trust