Looking back and looking forward: Reflecting on the Meanjin arts scene in 2022
2022 was a massive year for the live arts scene in Meanjin / Brisbane. Art had helped the city cope with so much during the pandemic, and as the city emerged from COVID bubbles and restrictions last year, the arts scene returned to their old stomping grounds and creatives launched new shows, new venues, new festivals and a whole lot of excellent art. As the arts scene kicks into gear for 2023, the NEHIB team reflects on the stand-out moments they experienced in 2022 that gave them hope for the live art scene in Meanjin this year and what they think you should keep on your radar in the year ahead.
Nadia
Reflecting on the highlights of 2022 is not an easy task. It was another hard slog in a cluster of tough battles for many. In between a litany of environmental disasters across the country we had a sector that is exhausted and frayed, recovering from some very intense years, still reeling from the endless and ongoing stream of lockdowns, illnesses, audiences that are prioritizing the health risks of venturing out and and looking at an uncertain financial climate. Australians going overseas for holidays and not many tourists coming in. Even us, the artists and artsworkers, we were tired and choosing where to spend our last spoons and stay afloat.
In spite of this, the highlight for me was being a part of so many incredible arts communities in Brisbane that operate with family ethos. The circus community, joyfully pushing through and launching a new circus festival CircFEST Meanjin, and celebrating the rise of Flipside Circus' new Brisbane Circus Centre. (Imagine opening a venue or launching a festival in 2022!! So shout out to Big Fork Theatre!) The poetry scene, of which I personally most often visit the gorgeous chaos that is Ruckus Slam, is much more than just a home for lovers of fine poetry as it is also a community touchpoint and place of emancipation. The burlesque scene is filled with some of the darndest nicest babes who spend their time at each other's gigs and on each other's socials dripping compliments like candy, a sweet treat for everyone.
I could go on. I'm sure you have your two or three pockets of wild street dancers or passionate thespians or ballroom babes that you hang when you need to fill your cup. It's nice. You're all so nice. It's a real blessing to have these little clusters of artsy lovebombs, even in, especially in, a tough and trying and uncertain time.
Harmonie
2022 was a slow awkward dance back and we were all bent out of shape. I figuratively woke up after what felt like the zombie apocalypse minus a few comrades and festivals having jumped off or drowned with the sinking ship. With half a brain still working and some unflexed creative muscles needing a little TLC, I was unsure about who wanted to play and whether it would result in the odd school yard brawl, whether we'd lose momentum and forget the whole thing or miraculously pull something off. The sun rose like an underused stadium light complete with a few cobwebs and we limped into the comeback year. Some may day shout outs from organisers for help were issued surrounding the increased costs with audiences reticent in the uptake of purchasing ticket sales early thanks to numerous cancellations, a number of surprising legacy works from a couple of years of hibernation were birthed whilst the quiet achievers pushed through alongside the bigger personalities getting high simply off performing again. The biggest hope I saw was a sector that didn't give up and made great art the whole time. My hat goes off to anyone who managed to deliver or star in an event or show and a heartfelt thank you to our beautiful, sexy and gutsy arts community who gave us these experiences whilst providing space to catch up and hug, laugh and cry with mates. Art is life.
A few months into 2023 and touring is back, we'll see a lot more international acts with opus magnums yet to be seen here, bringing a tidal wave of fresh talent with stories to share from the past 2 years. We'll be in for a supreme treat in the months to come. I'm super excited about seeing weird and eclectic collaborations where unusual mixes of backgrounds, genders and languages do something totally wild together. I'm loving cultural fusions where people are connecting in new ways and doing it in for feels in person without Zoom. I believe we'll bear witness to something entirely new now that we've all shed a skin or three. Bring it on!
Kaylee
In 2022 art seemed to fill all spaces within Brisbane. More and more creatives are seeking to redefine the areas we normally consume art within. In the past year I saw shows in alley ways, in warehouses, on boats, and in whole buildings. Creatives that produce art for these unique locations are required to come up with unique and innovative practices. Seeing a space come alive with creativity always gives me a new perspective on how spaces can and should be utilised. The Brisbane art scene is determined to bring art into the streets. I love living in a city that is teeming with creativity, you never know where you will find a group of performers, or a mural being made. I hope that we keep pushing the boundaries of where creative practices can take place, and I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us.
Gloriana
In 2022, I had the privilege to experience live art scenes at several different events. It never occurred to me that I could experience so much in a year, especially something so close to my heart. One moment that stood out to me was my participation in Stafford Community Dance Hall organised by Brisbane Festival.
There is a tendency for live art performances to be performed by artists who are skilled at their crafts. Community dance halls, however, offered everyone in Meanjin the opportunity to attend free creative workshops and participate in the performance. Those who had never performed on stage were able to take part in the art scenery for the first time. The evening consisted of music, cabaret, dance and circus acts. The hall was full of people from all ages and backgrounds. I even invited a stranger audience member to watch the show.
It was truly pleasing to see everyone bring something unique, bringing their ‘plate’ to the live art scene. The whole community celebrated self-expression and fun through live art in an inclusive environment. This moment gives me hope for the future of arts in Brisbane.
Catherine
2022.. three things….
Every Anywhere Festival includes shows that entertain, inspire, and challenge. The Drawer Productions’ 2022 sold-out Hello Stranger was such a special production. Great individual and ensemble performances, where Ada Lukin’s placing of the work in the West End House Conspiracy building worked so incredibly well. The Queenslander house was a prompt to memories of events and occasions—and audience members were literally taken ‘inside’ the frightening experience of loss of memory and self, as individual spaces within the building became the places of individual sufferers’ elusive memories. Hello Stranger provoked discussions about dementia care, in particular, the support of victims and carers. I was particularly impressed by the teasing out of connections between memory, place and self, as this production of Hello Stranger was one of the few occasions where the building acted as a ‘character’ in the show. Looking ahead to the rest of 2023, I am really looking forward to Brisbane’s Anywhere Festival (4-21 May, 2023), and will be keeping a close eye out for The Drawer Productions’ 2023 program (or any show with Indiah Morris in the cast).
2022 was also a special year for festivals in Brisbane, as the team behind Anywhere Festival launched Fringe Brisbane (‘a new project driven by local artists & venues,’ 14 October – 6 November 2022). Congratulations to everyone who participated in the inaugural program … I’m really looking forward to see what local artists and producers bring to Fringe Brisbane 2023!
Finally… on the subject of 2022 inspirations and my ‘I can’t wait’ list for 2023…. Flipside Circus moved into their new home at the end of 2022. The Brisbane Circus Centre looks amazing, and is sure to inspire future generations of circus performers. I can’t wait to see what the Flipside Circus team showcase in 2023.
Virag
I had to sit on this question for a while. There were so many moments last year when our Brisbane indie sector flourished - including Fringe Brisbane and Backbone Festival. 2022 was the birth of new independent venues including Pip Theatre and Big Fork Theatre. It birthed the foundation of many new works and collectives - professional and semi-professional. But for me, the real highlight of 2022 - aside from me touring two of my original works across SEQ - was the sense of community and camaraderie it brought in the Brisvegas arts scene.
Maybe it was because we’d suddenly come out of lockdown and we were all craving connection and conversation. Maybe it was because working in the arts in 2021-22 post covid has been the most stressful environment in a number of aspects (especially getting bums on seats), but I found that I was connecting with other artists at opening nights and online whom I hadn’t had that opportunity to before. I had artists checking up on me and me on them. I had artists come and champion my work; artists support me to take bolder risks. To keep going down my path, to keep interrogating my voice as a youth arts practitioner. It was a gorgeous feeling and it still is.
Ads J
Meanjin has been a hub and a haven for independent art and artists throughout COVID and 2022 showcased what they can achieve when venues reopened and their communities and punters come together to support them.
As a carnie from way back, it would be remiss of me to not mention two big events that continued to grow our internationally recognised Circus Scene (despite it being still criminally underappreciated locally). The first was the launch of CircFest Meanjin 2022, our city's first dedicated circus festival. Meanjin has been the unofficial hub of circus in the southern hemisphere and a place for circus folks to hone their skills, launch new works and build their collectives. CircFest Meanjin was a two week celebration of this amazing history and talent organised by Cluster Arts. Despite floods and threats of COVID, our city finally took note and it was a roaring success, so expect more big things in the local circus scene to build from this in 2023.
The second was the launch of the Brisbane Circus Centre in Hamilton. Flipside Circus has created a beautiful new space on the river in Hamilton that is custom designed for all things circus, both as a training space and a theatre. Make sure to check out the space this year. Flipside's first show in the new space, From Little Things … has been developed with internationally renowned circus troupe, Casus Creations, and is playing there until 12 March.
Did you know that Meanjin is also the hub of some of the best improv comedy in the country? Another company that continues to grow themselves and their community is Big Fork Theatre. To launch both an international Improv Comedy festival AND a new venue all during COVID blows my mind. Their venue was crowd funded by the improv community and is a space to see some of our best improv, sketch and stand-up comedy each and every week. And late July this year will be their 3rd annual Brisbane Improv Festival. Big Fork Theatre are one of our great success stories and the perfect escape from the seriousnous of our times. Get behind them.
We’re also the hub of some of the best street dance talent in the nation, so if you haven’t had a chance to check out the scene yet, make sure to do it in 2023. There’s so much talent in town, but couple of good places to start are Mad Dance House, led by one of our faves, Meg Cooper, who run classes, events and shows regularly around town, Pink Matter (fingers crossed they bring back their epic multi-award winning show Betwixt soon), the high energy, high fun, high hype GoldenCoastline Crew, Caetlyn Watson, whose show Drenched blew us away, and the truly unique choreographer and composer Thv Flood.
Ballroom was everywhere in 2022, with our pioneering ballroom house, The House of Alexander, leading the way. The House headlined countless events around town, debuted their first full length show at BrisFest, The House, saw the launch of their documentary The Alexander Ball'on SBS and hosted their first international ball since COVID. 2023 will surely see their stars continue to rise as a family and individually. One of the House's many movements to keep an eye on will be Father Alexander, Joshua Taliani, as the 2023 Artist-in-Residence at Metro Arts.
Broad Encounters set up shop in Meanjin during COVID and solidified their place as one of the country's leading producers of Immersive Theatre. They brought their first production, A Midnight Visit, here during lockdowns and defied expectations among the local community about what was possible with immersive theatre and somehow avoided a major COVID breakout in 2021. But it was their epic show Love Lust Lost that really got people's attention, with Broad Encounters creating a world and a narrative that kept the audience coming back again and again. After creating two international-level immersive shows, we can't wait to see what they come up with in 2023 and beyond.
Finally, one new trend that was negative and rattled more than a few nerves in 2022 was ticket sales. The risk of events being canceled or punters getting COVID led to ticket sales flagging right up until the last minute. Many of us got in the habit of buying tickets on the night, at the door, surely increasing the blood pressure of artists and producers alike. If there's anything I could recommend to punters for 2023 is to support creatives and help lower their stress by buying tickets and buying them early!
