"It’s the weird house party of your dreams." - Dots+Loops bring forth their latest art mash-up
It’s the weird house party of your dreams! Picture a big party at your best mate’s Queenslander, add three awesome adventurous musical duos, and make it about 10% weirder than you currently have in mind. We have bulk drums, we have synths galore, we have a clothesline, it’s all there!
"We are here to say yes to your ideas and to help bring them to life" - Katherine Quigley on a new era for Backbone Arts
“It takes a village to raise a child - and Backbone is just one part of that village for many children of all ages, we are here to say yes to your ideas and to help bring them to life. We are here to inspire creation. We are here to make sure that no matter what’s going on in your life, you have a place to call home, where you are loved and accepted for the complex and wonderful person you are."
Five Places to Get Your ‘Acting On’ In Brisbane
When I tell people that I work as an actor, they often go ‘I’ve always wanted to try acting’ or ‘that sounds so fun, I wish I could do it too’. If you are one of those people who have always wanted to get into acting, then guess what? There is a plethora of acting schools in Brisbane that offer weekly/monthly/term based acting classes for adults at both beginning, emerging and established levels of performance. Here’s five amazing independent training spaces.
"We want our patrons to value live art." - DARKWORLD Festival set to tantalise this weekend
“We want to erase the blurred lines between these individual industries that often operate, and are mostly considered as separate. What’s exciting is the opportunity for demographics to collide under one roof, and new potential friendships to develop across the line-up.”
Five Independent Performance Venues to put on your 2021 Bucket List
Brisbane has a wild independent arts scene - don’t miss out on all the incredible fabulosity taking place all around you.
Hot Mess Comedy: "There are no scripts, no protective gear and nothing is off limits. "
There are no scripts, no protective gear and nothing is off limits. The comedians cannot rely on pre-rehearsed sets and have to push themselves to come up with jokes on the spot. The acts are fantastic and every show is different because as audiences, you decide the topics, and only the funniest survive."
The first Brisbane Improv Festival: "Those heightened stakes inspire some of the wildest leaps, connections and ideas."
From the 18-21 Feb 2021, you can expect to spend a hilarious long-weekend celebrating all things improvised comedy at the Brisbane Improv Festival. Over the four days there are a range of shows from local and interstate crews, workshops where you can skill up, and even a special family friendly event on the Saturday afternoon.
"There was a tangible sense of what “live” really meant, and to feel and see the energy feedback loop between performers and audience members was incredible"
David Carberry reflects on programming Sideshow West End Fringe and providing a platform for local artists to get back in front of audiences after the COVID-19 lockdown. “The first event we had on July 31st, just a week after restrictions had lifted was incredible … I think everyone was feeling it, and pretty much all of our events were sold out from July onwards. I feel like generally people missed it, and there was a renewed sense of appreciation, and I sincerely hope it can continue.”
Note this interview was completed before the Sideshow needed to cancel the events of the closing weekend of the Fringe Program due to ongoing noise complaints.
"The artists should be at the centre" - Anywhere Festival widens it's scope for 2021
No other festival in Brisbane (Queensland? Australia?) is so supportive of indie artists, from facilitating production, to teaching marketing skills, to opening access to unseen corners of our city, to streamlining the festival administration to truly create an equitable access opportunity for independent creators. The end result? A line-up of fresh, innovative, and utterly original works performed by artists from absolute first timers to seasoned stars, presented across the length and breadth of Meanjin, extending up to the Sunny Coast. And we are pleased to find out, that this year the festival will extend into Ipswich and Moreton Bay as we
Three Unmissable Acts at Yonder
Following its successful debut in 2019, Yonder Festival is back for another glorious weekend of art, theatre, music, dance and workshops. This year the line-up is rich with fresh independent acts, grown right here in our own backyard. To help you navigate your way through the program, here are three promising performance picks to point your peepers at.
Fun times for bouncy kids at the Flipside Circus pop-up space!
On the morning I visit, there are a bunch of energetic small bodies bounding over an obstacle course made of foam blocks and gym equipment. The kids shriek with joy as they tackle the course, and their parents laugh delightedly as they help the smallest ones along. The biggest ones go in full tilt! It truly is a unique opportunity to blow off steam and develop great physical skills for the 200+ youngsters that pass through the space every week.
Wynnum is getting a Fringe Festival. Right. Now.
Lots of artists found themselves at a loose end during lockdown. In spite of the extreme neglect from the powers that be, artists are restless beasts, and there are plenty of inspired projects coming to the foreground. And the fore-shore. Meet Tom, the founder and Artistic Director of Wynnum Fringe.
Yes, the bayside suburb of Wynnum is about to host a beautifully exciting festival, a Fringe Festival no less, with street shows and public concerts and roving performers and buildings turned into venues and a program of over 50 shows.
Pay the Dancers: Brisbane's Dance Community Takes on the AFL
“On average, I receive calls or email requests once a week asking for 'free' dancers in lieu of exposure. I understand they don't get it and it is my job to educate them,” notes Meg Cooper, CEO of Mad Dance House in Brisbane.
“For me if there is no budget, it's simple. It's a no. I don't want to be known as giving cheap gigs to the dancers. I am a proud advocate for dancers and I want them to be treated as professionals.”
Into the Unknown: Three Brisbane projects born in Lockdown
There was a period of time where the vibrant city of Brisbane lay still, hiding from the oncoming pandemic like Alan Grant trembling in front of a T-Rex, exclaiming ‘It can’t see us if we don’t move’. Many folks took to new hobbies in valiant attempts to combat the dread and disconnect that arose from a city in Lockdown. Here are three Brisbane creatives who dove headfirst into new projects during lockdown.
Five Brissie bops to get you bouncing
I don’t know about you, but I love listening to music. Especially when it’s music produced, written, performed (and sometimes all three) by local Brissy artists. So, I thought I’d compile a list of the latest Brisbane bops I’ve been listening to. Vee goes looking for the best local sounds.
Three Brisbane Zines for a Literary Lover
Why seek greener pastures when there is a mossy cornucopia of content right here in your own backyard? Here are three local zine-makers who are bringing you the latest art, literature, and poetry from Brisbane.
Another parliamentary inquiry into the arts, or, who gives a f*ck about your opinion?
Public opinion is a significant force in the political realm. And whilst public opinion may not always markedly influence the nitty gritty details of public policy, it certainly shapes the boundaries that limit it. Like an artist whose prior experience and choice of tools influence the sculpting of a block of clay into something more meaningful, in Australia, a democratic nation, public opinion shapes government action to fashion public policy.
For my sins I live in Brisbane
Many a time a stranger to our sundrenched plains has cried, ‘but nothing ever happens in Brisbane!’ And I say woe unto you, for you are not getting invited to the right parties.