STAGES Episode 610: DEBORAH JONES
From STAGES with Peter Eyers by Peter Eyers
March 14, 2026 · 57 min · Season 9 · Episode 609
About this episode
Deborah Jones discusses her extensive career in arts journalism and criticism in Australia.
Deborah Jones is one of Australia’s most respected arts journalists, with a career spanning more than 25 years as a writer, critic and editor at The Australian. She served as Arts Editor for a decade and also edited the paper’s influential Review section, later becoming Executive Editor for five years. Joining the Sydney bureau in 1987 as a sub-editor, Deborah rose through the ranks to become a leading national voice in arts criticism. In 2001 she was appointed Arts Editor, a position she held for nearly ten years, shaping coverage of theatre, dance, opera and music across the country. She subsequently became the paper’s national dance critic — a role she continues to hold — while also reviewing musical theatre and opera. Deborah holds an honours degree in drama from the University of Newcastle, completed part-time while working as a journalist. She later spent three years as a drama tutor at the university, grounding her criticism in both scholarship and practical understanding of performance. In addition to her work for The Australian , Deborah has been the Sydney correspondent for the London-based Opera Magazine for seven years, reviewing opera performances in Australia for an…
People in this episode
Host: Peter Eyers
Guest: Deborah Jones
Topics covered
- arts journalism
- theatre
- dance
- opera
- musical theatre
- criticism
Keywords
- arts journalism
- Deborah Jones
- The Australian
- theatre
- dance
- opera
- musical theatre
- criticism
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Australian, Opera Magazine, Sydney Theatre Awards
Places: Australia, Sydney, University of Newcastle
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