‘Basking in the Limelight’ - Arts Journalist; Jo Litson

STAGES with Peter Eyers

Jo Litson has been one of the Nation’s treasured Arts Journalists for some 37 years. She is the Print Editor of Limelight; the magazine that celebrates music, arts and culture. Jo originally joined Limelight magazine as Deputy Editor in August 2016 after more than 25 years working as a freelance arts writer for publications including The Australian, Limelight magazine, The Bulletin, the Qantas magazine, POL Oxygen, the Sydney Theatre Company’s Backstage magazine, and the Sunday Telegraph where she had been the arts writer/theatre reviewer since 2006.

Fascinated by the magic of theatre from a young age, she sought and navigated a career in the performing arts in a range of roles. In tertiary study, Jo completed a BA (Hons) in English/Drama from Birmingham University in the UK. And so the adventure begun.

After working front of house in several West End theatres, and as an Assistant Organiser in the Theatre Department at British Actors’ Equity, she moved to Australia in 1982. Initially based in Melbourne, she worked as an Assistant Publicist and Front of House Manager for Melbourne’s Playbox Theatre Company, and as an usher and then Box Office Manager at Her Majesty’s Theatre. She was also a dresser on several musicals including La Cage Aux Folles and Guys and Dolls.

In 1986, she moved to Sydney and managed the Halftix Booth before embarking on a career in arts journalism. Jo was Arts Editor of Vogue Australia in the late 1980s and an on-screen reporter for the ABC-TV arts magazine programme Review. From 1998 – 2000, she edited the Australia Council magazine Artforce.

Jo has written the extended labels for the Archibald Prize for the Art Gallery of NSW for over 20 years and wrote the programmes and media kits for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 15th Asian Games in Doha in 2006.
Her appreciation of all arts is extensive, informed by a life-time working in and around stages. How fortunate we are to have Jo celebrating performance, investigating craft and shining the light.
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