"Some people have likened impro to a drug because it is so addictive." Wade Robinson riffs on magic of impro and the upcoming Theatresport Grand Championships.
Sylvia spoke with show director Wade Robinson to find out more about impro and Theatresports. He also dishes on the upcoming Theatresports Grand Championships where the best improvisors from Brisbane and beyond will battle it out in the upcoming in a side-splitting showdown of quick wits, fast thinking and comedy clout.
"I make work that is reflective of my own experiences or a journey I am trying to take." Chelsea McGuffin on the creation of her new work, Hysteria.
I make work which is reflective of my own experiences or a journey I am trying to take. In Hysteria I feel like I am playing one of the physical storytellers. It feels very empowering to reflect my own experiences through someone else's story.
"People like the darkside, but they are afraid to show it." - Madeline Glasseater on making a feast out of occult and sideshow
A cult-theme sideshow but with burlesque, striptease, and danger. There’ll be lots of fire, sharp things, even a little bit of acrobatics which is a bit cute. Putting that all together will be like in a haunted mansion with paranormal activity. We wanted to do a really big theatre show for once and put it up on a big stage and use that to our advantage.
Grab a drink, bring a friend, and let everyone’s favourite Shaz get you back on your feet!
The Shazza Show: So… You’ve Hit Rock Bottom is an 18+ event. There is a content warning for adult themes, course language and sexual references. Shazza is a character that pushes boundaries and works as a piece of satire to make comments on societal issues. There is no intention to offend anyone directly, so if you are easily offended, this is not the show for you.
Be transported to an 'in-between' space in a cavernous and desolate warehouse for DISTURBO, a physical theatre piece exploring intimacy, alienation and connection.
DISTURBO takes place in a transitory space, somewhere ‘in-between’. Two characters inhabit the space, moving and merging, resisting and yielding. Their roles are blurred and the dynamics constantly shifting. Lights buzz, voices emerge: the space is taken up with more than just these two... It is full of potential. Pulsing between intimacy and alienation, what will they risk for connection? We use our relationship to our inner world and the space we are in to explore matters of connection and isolation through circus, dance, and lip-sync.
Who doesn't want to see a play about wizards and music in a village somewhere?
It's our take on the medieval fantasy genre – rather than focus on the princes and kings who go through a tremendous action-packed journey and touching character arc and all of their loves and losses, what about the people in the background, the people who just live non-adventurous lives in the village? The town baker has probably got some stories to tell. The two protagonists aren't even old proper wizards yet, they're teenagers who are wizard apprentices. It's the story that the non-playable characters never get to tell.
Watch a gig inspired by prehistoric birds, surrounded by giant fossils
If you’ve ever wondered what music about giant extinct birds might sound like, or whether violins and electronics can be friends, or how it feels to see a gig surrounded by fossils, then wonder no more! Archaeopteryx is an immersive musical performance by Nonsemble, an eclectic Brisbanebased indie-chamber ensemble. The music is inspired by prehistoric birds, with each movement named after a species.
A lovepoem made with circus, theatre and dark clowning
If you love dark clowning, random acts of senseless kindness, or mysterious and strange works of art that enliven the imagination and bravely go wherever they need to go, you will love this.
Create sacred temple spaces and wild ecstatic states of self-transcendence
Syren’s new live show 'Sacred Body' brings to life the mystical experience of her music with raw and powerful vocals as she performs original beats alongside majestic Harpist Cecilia Caleandro (Brisbane), and violin and flute player Caroline Trengove (Noosa). Together, they will create sacred temple spaces and wild ecstatic states of self-transcendence
Explore the search for connection, the beauty of vulnerability, and the awkwardness of first dates while laughing yourself silly
[Plucked] began with a casual conversation about how there were limited opportunities to play LGBTIQ+ roles. We started joking about writing our own. A few weeks later she’d written an awesome script, was accepted into the Anywhere Festival and before I knew it, I was knee deep in a gay rom-com.
Corpus Null explores the positioning of the body within capitalism as both its function and its evasion.
Corpus Null is a performance work that inhabits the intensity between the desiring and desired. Inspired by Deleuze and Guattari’s concept Body Without Organs, this work of butoh dance theatre reflects on the positioning of the body within capitalism as both its function and its evasion. This tension is mirrored in cycles of symbiotic genesis and extinction and attempts to exist between becoming and undoing, in the void of unattainable desire.
Come and be a part of the steering group of the real rulers of the world
This group of wannabee Bond Villains make Dr Evil look like Albert Einstein. Come and be part of their steering group to see what dastardly plans they have in store for you and all the world. “...witty, irreverent and very silly” on the sofa audience member. FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY
"I wish I had seen a play like this when I was 17, I think I would have reached a point of genuine empowerment within my femininity a lot quicker if I had ..."
We want everyone to see this play, naturally, as it discusses an important and current matter. The people who would love this event most, however, would be those young women who are in their final years of school or just graduating. I wish I had seen a play like this when I was 17, I think I would have reached a point of genuine empowerment within my femininity a lot quicker if I had, though I am grateful for the journey I have been on so far.
Immerse yourself into the inner world of fellow commuters with Transported by improv masters ImproMafia
The show seeks to explore the private world of people on public transport. In this space, the audience is invited to physically become part of the journey as fellow passengers, effectively blurring the line between audience and performance. The venue also works to evoke a sense of familiarity in the audience- we’ve all had to catch public transport before- but allows them the unfamiliar experience of getting a glimpse into the inner-world of their fellow commuters. Ryan hopes some audience members will leave the show with a sense of curiosity regarding their fellow man that carries over to their own interactions with public transport in the real world.
A story about broken women finding the resilience to tell their own stories and claim back their power.
Begotten is a drama that foregrounds the experiences of women over the past 100 years. It’s sometimes funny, often dark, and explores some confronting territory – mental illness, domestic violence, war, trauma, revenge. It’s not material for the faint-hearted. That being said, there are sparks of light to balance the darkness, and there is a real thread of optimism that emerges by the end of the play.
A night of gorgeous song by candlelight that pays respect to Irish songwriters old and new
Fly Little Sparrow presents, by candlelight in the cosy Farrier Bar, songs inspired by contemporary Irish singer-songwriters such as The Cranberries, Glenn Hansard, U2, Sinead O'Connor, Luka Bloom, Foy Vance, Mic Christopher and Damien Rice. The evening starts with traditional Irish tunes at the bar. Lisa Brennan and Lizzie Flynn come together as Fly Little Sparrow to sing harmonies that emulate riding on the wings of a strong-willed bird. Heading on a flight path of beautiful harmonic arrangements, their eclectic repertoire and commentary will take you on a journey from fragility to hope.
Let the Red Lady take you on a journey through relatable, darkly comic and stylised stories about human survival through the eyes of a Bouffon clown
Get Her Outta Here is a look at today’s society through the eyes of a Bouffon clown; Red Lady. It is a show made up of relatable, darkly comic and stylised stories about human survival. My Red Lady makes an unflinching, and richly poetic stand against being objectified and owned by the male gaze.
Interrogating control, grief and family, SHELTER will draw you in with its secrets, make you laugh with its warmth and break your heart with the truth.
Is there anything else we simply MUST know about the show?
“ART! ART! ART! Visual art is a big part of the world of SHELTER, for our characters and for the space. Part of the SHELTER experience is your ability to contribute to the art in the space. Want to leave your mark? Come along to the show.”
What happens to an already-fractured family when the patriarch dies suddenly at the Dawn Service?
‘Pieces of Tin’ explores what happens to an Australian family when the patriarch dies suddenly at the Dawn Service, Anzac Day. Matriarch Bea is devastated as are her four children and grandson. Unfortunately, the family has been fractured for some years, rarely seeing each other.
Get ready for 'Bard in the Yard', a down to earth experience that anyone can enjoy and immerse themselves in
This show has a strong and predominantly female cast, though all the actors possesses a high calibre of unique performance skills that have added new elements to this popular play. In particular, our male love-interest, Orlando will be played by a female against a female Rosalind to bend the traditional casting of the play while retaining the gender dynamic of the two main characters.