Dust | DanceNorth
The dancers worked in a choreography that was reminiscent of robots or possessed creatures, it was creepily effective, heads and limbs askew, almost aggressively presenting an internal animosity, a struggle between self and a rogue body.
Umami Mermaids | Anna Straker
The perfect piece to wander across at a festival, in a dark corner where you think there be rainbows and friendly creatures of the deep, but there are only ghouls and destruction and wanton betrayal, and slighted ladies who smell of seaweed and ageing fishes, who bide their time until they can wreak their delicious vengeance.
Yummy | Yummy Productions
It’s a celebration of expression, a show-case of drag, and post-gender performance art all in one. It's not just for the boys, it's for everyone and every form of expression. Bring on the gender revolution led by Yummy.
Yothu Yindi and the Treaty Project & Yirrmal
This is truly political music. Music that heals. Music that challenges. Music to dance to. Music to rise up with
Biladurang | Joel Bray
The set is intimate. Obviously. The whole room is five meters by ten. We are offered terry-towelling robes and champagne. It is true, I have been to parties and illicit liaisons like this before, these same mundane walls, the art that becomes commonplace in these holding pens, these anonymous rooms where people stay when they are in-between places, meeting nameless others.
Hamnet | Dead Centre
Children. You cannot trust them. You cannot trust them to know the appropriate etiquette. They might ask you anything.
Ride | Backbone Ensemble
The nature of the tiny venues - the inside of a car - and the lively Saturday night timeslot - makes for an intimate confessional that has guest spilling secrets and demanding phone-jacks. The whole show has a feeling of risk, the kind of chance you take when you jump into a car with a stranger.
Love Letters to Fuckbois | Wightman & Stark
A simple premise: the two protagonists read out so-called love letters to men from their past, all the while discussed with just the right amount of wry humour as you would share over a bottle of cheap white with a girlfriend. The stories contain familiar faces and well-known archetypes we have ALL slipped into bed with. Regrets I've had a few, but maybe not so many as these lasses...
WHAM! BAM! Cabaret SLAM! | Ruckus Brisbane
And no, I’m not in the midst of a 90s flashback to Homebake, bleach blonde undercut, flanny and all. This is Brisbane’s newest scratch night - WHAM! BAM! Cabaret SLAM! Here, local artists of all shapes, sizes, modalities and talents levels will battle it out once a month for fortune ($100) and glory (the coveted and elusive full audience ‘Space NEEEEeeeddddllllleee’).
The Longest Minute | Robert Kronk & Nadine McDonald-Dowd
The show starts jovial, cheerful, giving a good Aussie ribbing to audience and players alike. But the skies are drawing in, and we are ultimately plunged into the deeply personal world of the Wright family, a tale of family life in the 80's and 90's, ever shaded by a dark cloud of racism and violence.
Wheel of Fortune | TAM Presents
The class commentary of the original remains firmly on the down low, and leaves you to make your judgements afterwards in the bar; the play sets the scene, but in this modern world of sexual promiscuity are there really any forbidden fruits to scandalize the punters?
Proximity | Kelsey Laura
Obviously the metaphor of the eggshells very apparent, very early on. I thought it was a very brave work. Really brave to pick such a challenging topic and put so much of yourself into it.
Invisible Things | Alex Mizzen
Invisible Things showcases all that is possible with New Circus – that circus can be used as a modality for telling complex and rich stories, not just for tricks and applause. Through intricately planned choreography and improvisation, Alex creates a world that is both deeply engaging and breathtaking to watch.
Poison | Lot Vekemans
They paved the stage with woodchip and paths of white quartz. From the first step, the first crunch of the lily-white stones, I am transported to the quiet paths of cemeteries up and down the country, the courtyards of crematoriums.
Dinopocalypse | Ruckus Slam
What if dinosaurs did not die out in a mass extinction 65 million years ago and instead went underground and evolved over tens of millions of years into a vaguely humanoid species not too dissimilar from ourselves? And what if a catastrophic event drove them out of their homes and forced them to seek safety in our own and our government sought to contain them, both for their safety and for our own? And what would you do if you got a chance to visit the facility that contains them, at the launch of their dinosaur integration program?
Pub Choir
So, what makes Pub Choir, so popular? A lot of it comes down to the able direction of Astrid and Guitar Wizard, Waverney Yasso, who live by the ethos that everybody can sing, and it’s their mission to prove it. Each month, they choose a song, break it down into harmonies and effortlessly guide the group through the song until they’re singing in glorious harmony. All in under 90 minutes.
Humans | Circa
The cast slowly walks towards us, occasionally alone, often bumping into each other, influencing each other’s journey. They help each other, hold each other back and knock each other down, pull each other off their paths, and for much of the time try to find their own way.
Dance: A Double Bill | Sarah Aiken & Rebecca Jensen
The show centres largely around disruption and discomfort, there is a building soundscape that peaks in shrill and panicky noise while our principal dancers explores her surroundings.
Wasteland | Flipside Circus
They tumble onto the stage, a gang of thieves, a motley crew, a pack of energetic youth, in a futuristic set that reminds me of shades of Tankgirl, or Waterworld, or even Mad Max – all films way too old for any of the performers to have ever seen!
Resting Bitch Face | Common Thread Circus
The four multi-talented circus and physical theatre performers of Common Thread Circus aim to tear down and tear apart stereotypes and archetypes of modern life, particularly those faced by women, while doing it all with a tongue firmly planted in cheek.