As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples | Lachlan Driscoll
review Catherine Lawrence review Catherine Lawrence

As Told By The Boys Who Fed Me Apples | Lachlan Driscoll

There is so much to highlight from this excellent production—particularly the soundscape, acting, and production design/direction … Actors Robert Wainwright and Riley Finn Anderson communicate the fear and horrors of the journeys and battles, and build a real sense of the loving and trusting relationship established between each of the ‘boys’ and their horse.

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2024 Anywhere Festival Brisbane: Are you missing out?
article, festival Catherine Lawrence article, festival Catherine Lawrence

2024 Anywhere Festival Brisbane: Are you missing out?

Anywhere Festival is always a highlight of my personal year. The opportunity to visit unusual nooks and crannies across the city, and to see the imaginative ways in which local and visiting creatives transform each space.  Sadly, there is just the final weekend to go, so here are my top tips of what to see before the Festival ends this year.

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34 Scenes About the Weather | Lunch Friend & Anywhere Festival
review, theatre Virag Dombay review, theatre Virag Dombay

34 Scenes About the Weather | Lunch Friend & Anywhere Festival

Featuring 34 Playwrights including two of Brisvegas’s treasures David Burton and Claire Christian, each scene had a distinctive tone and voice, even if sometimes the content sometimes overlapped. Actors Eliza Allen, Harrison Paroz, Jordan Stott and Grace Teng all had their own unique presence on stage and acting prowess. Even off-stage, when they were manually creating weather sound effects – such a brilliant addition – they carried that presence and watchability with them.

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Recipe for Relativity | Here + There Productions & Anywhere Festival 
review, theatre Darcie Rae review, theatre Darcie Rae

Recipe for Relativity | Here + There Productions & Anywhere Festival 

The “escape” for this unique Anywhere Festival experience was to assist dimension hopping Hadley to leave our dimension before their DNA broke down from too much inter-dimensional exposure. To help them escape, we were asked to fix their traveling device, a meticulously crafted object that had multiple dials, lights, and doors to fiddle with made by show producer Regan Henry.

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Tipsy History | Glitter Martini & Anywhere Festival
review, circus Kristy Stanfield review, circus Kristy Stanfield

Tipsy History | Glitter Martini & Anywhere Festival

One thing I love about the Glitter Martini shows I’ve seen is they’re always audience participation heavy, which is great to keep the crowd entertained at changeovers between the acts. A particular crowd favourite this time was a modern spin on an Ancient Greek drinking game, which everyone got right into, and it really brought out their competitiveness. These interactive segments made the show intimate and that little more special and memorable for everyone.

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I'm Not Entirely Here | Vena Cava Productions & Anywhere Festival
review, theatre Kaylee Vera review, theatre Kaylee Vera

I'm Not Entirely Here | Vena Cava Productions & Anywhere Festival

While it was impossible to be present for every character interaction or read every scribbled note, I was able to create a complete understanding of the plot. The cast achieved this through moments where all present characters came together to move the plot along. As a result, everyone's experience at I'm not entirely here will be unique, but every experience will also be complete.

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13: The Play |  Legacy Ensemble & Anywhere Festival
review, theatre Virag Dombay review, theatre Virag Dombay

13: The Play | Legacy Ensemble & Anywhere Festival

Each of the thirteen performers seamlessly snapped between different set pieces and characters, sometimes even mid-sentence and didn’t miss a beat. In a split second, one actor could be a young child complaining to their parents and in the next breath, they were a gang member. Each transition was seamless as the last.

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ART | Staged Theatre Company & Anywhere Festival
review, theatre Kaylee Vera review, theatre Kaylee Vera

ART | Staged Theatre Company & Anywhere Festival

As part of the Anywhere Festival, this play was held in a screening room at the Institute of Modern Art. The small space allowed for an intimate performance, something uncommon in Brisbane theatre. All audience members were within meters of the actors, creating an engaging environment in which to enjoy the show.

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Queen and Friend | Grimes Productions & Anywhere Festival
review, comedy Kristy Stanfield review, comedy Kristy Stanfield

Queen and Friend | Grimes Productions & Anywhere Festival

With a complete lack of props, set or special effects, they crafted vivid worlds with just their voices and bodies, illustrating the different characters through changes in posture, voice and positioning. A real highlight, I have to say, was watching Imogen portray both the human-eating horse and human being eaten by the horse, both the consumer and the consumed, simultaneously. Bloody funny.

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Murder On The Not-So Orient Express | Mystify Events
theatre, review Darcie Rae theatre, review Darcie Rae

Murder On The Not-So Orient Express | Mystify Events

The story, written by Siobhan, had all the tangled storyline fun of a classic absurd crime mystery, with lots of crossovers with the pasts of the passengers, and a plot full of exciting twists and turns. Audience members were inserted into the show by the actors, taken out of their seats and placed right into the action. The cast were skilled at picking these people, and moving on quickly if someone seemed hesitant to be thrown into the spotlight.

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Friends of Dorothy | Ghostlight Theatre Co.
cabaret, review Virag Dombay cabaret, review Virag Dombay

Friends of Dorothy | Ghostlight Theatre Co.

What I loved the most about the show wasn’t the musical performances; it was that it didn’t stray away from the dark, oppressive and heartbreaking aspects of queer history and of identifying as queer even in our contemporary society. After Farmer-Trickett shared a personal story about a queer friend they had lost to suicide, there was a minute of silence held to remember all of those from the queer community who are no longer with us, which was such a generous way to reflect.

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Hello, Stranger! | The Drawer Productions
theatre, immersive, review Ads J theatre, immersive, review Ads J

Hello, Stranger! | The Drawer Productions

Wonderfully written and directed and full of beautiful, nuanced performances, Hello, Stranger showcases the incredible talents of The Drawer Productions. Moving, challenging, educative, funny and full it impactful moments that have stayed with me, it was another standout production from one of Meanjin’s companies to watch. It was certainly one of the standout shows of the 2022 Anywhere Festival for me.

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Disappearing Acts | Vulcana Circus
circus, review Darcie Rae circus, review Darcie Rae

Disappearing Acts | Vulcana Circus

Disappearing Acts was developed in collaboration with environmental scientist Ayesha Tulloch, evident in the many bird facts (some delightful, some sobering) woven throughout the performance. Birds facts and storytelling connected displays of a variety of circus skills including partner acrobatics, stilt walking, magic, and use of the framed picture of the forest for aerial work.

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7 Mortal Sins | Glitter Martini
circus, cabaret, review Kati Murphy circus, cabaret, review Kati Murphy

7 Mortal Sins | Glitter Martini

On a drizzly Saturday night, I found myself in a stunning church with steep gabled roof, stained glass windows and brickwork that is 119 years old, celebrating what it is to be mortal. And what better way to do it, than with an Atonement for our sins, Glitter Martini style? I’m talking a freestanding aerial rig center stage. Circus, burlesque, sideshow, and even a little magic. And seven sinfully good acts, administered by one very captivating master of Ceremonies, Priest Benedict.

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Oberon 11 | Inscape Assembly
immersive, review Virag Dombay immersive, review Virag Dombay

Oberon 11 | Inscape Assembly

The attention to detail by the designers was *chefs kiss*. It blew me away how fantastically rich the set was - every square inch had some hidden secret clue, either in plain sight or lurking behind the surface. The designers managed to transform a rather small space into a space that was brimming with personality, history, and stories just waiting to be discovered.

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If You Build It | High Tide Circus
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If You Build It | High Tide Circus

If You Build It was a raucous afternoon of entertainment, reminiscent of the renegade warehouse cabarets of the days of the Ice Cream Factory and Sean Young Studio. It was everything I love about live performance, high energy, slightly chaotic, unpredictable, a little bit loose and full of passionate carneys keen to entertain and show off their best stuff to the masses. You could definitely say they nailed it. Thank you, I’ll be here all week.

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Murder at the Bowlo | Impro Mafia
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Murder at the Bowlo | Impro Mafia

During the group scenes for the whole audience, the performers really leaned into the silliness of the theme and into interacting with the audience, which kept us giggling along. At times, Murder at the Bowlo almost felt like a pantomime in the best possible ways, with the audience booing, cheering and responding to every character as secrets and accusations flew around the room.

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