JUST BE PUNK
In this ferocious, funny and unfiltered masterclass, John Cameron Mitchell invites you to ditch the mere performance of rebellion and step into the real thing. He sees punk as action: messy, collective and defiantly alive. He issues a call for a new generation, and those that may have forgotten, to “stop playing it safe”.
Punk isn’t (just) a look. It’s a refusal. A choice: community over clout, risk over reputation, noise over silence. It demands that you show up, speak out and sometimes get it wrong. Because change doesn’t happen quietly, and it never happens alone.
Expect to shut the fuck up and listen, and then participate in the conversation without fear of cancellation.
This session is made possible with the support of UNSW Centre for Ideas.
John Cameron Mitchell [USA]
John wrote/directed/starred in the musical/film Hedwig and the Angry Inch for which he won two Tony Awards, Best Director at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. He directed the films Shortbus (2006); Rabbit Hole (2010, Best Actress Oscar nomination for Nicole Kidman); and How to Talk to Girls at Parties (2017) starring Kidman and Elle Fanning. On Broadway, he’s also starred in Oh Mary!, The Secret Garden, Big River and Six Degrees of Separation. TV roles: Girls, Shrill, The Good Fight, The Sandman, Yellowjackets, City on Fire and as the “Tiger King” in Joe Vs Carole. His fictional podcast series are: Anthem: Homunculus starring Glenn Close and Cynthia Erivo and Cancellation Island starring Holly Hunter. He is developing a play about anti-Nazi artist Claude Cahun, feature films based on the lives of Allen Ginsberg and AIDS activist Peter Staley, and a memoir entitled A Heart Held Outside the Body.
Yumi Stynes
Yumi Stynes is an author and broadcaster. She hosts the hugely popular podcast Ladies, We Need to Talk, and can be heard talking about music and culture on Double J radio every weekend. Yumi’s books co-authored with Dr Melissa Kang include the 2024 ABIA Winner, Welcome to Sex and the newest in the series is just out called Welcome to Friendship. The Welcome to series of books have sold over a quarter of a million copies and been translated into 14 languages. When it all gets too stressful, Yumi has a food podcast called The 5 Minute Food Fix where she laughs and loves around the joys of cooking.
We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - the custodians of the country on which we meet - and acknowledge their Elders, past and present.
The views and opinions expressed by the Festival participants are not necessarily the views of The Ethics Centre and our partners.