The House | The House of Alexander
The House to me spoke to Pasifika and Asian communities and the need for the creation of contemporary rituals, spaces and practice. Culture is a living thing. We need to evolve with the time and the needs of our people. In The House their cultural pride is on their sleeves and smiles, even from members who have been ousted by their families, still respectful of their roots. Work like this gives permission for all diaspora queer folk to know and believe that culture, gender and sexuality need not be mutually exclusive and can exist together in harmony, even in excellence.
Guttered | Restless Theatre
The company’s writings on the work mention “denial of the dignity of risk” as one of the central themes explored, a phrase which I hadn’t encountered before, but found so eloquently encapsulated through the metaphor of gutter guards and ramps. As a person without a disability, I felt myself reflecting on this idea of “well-intentioned help”, and the ways in which internalised ableism informs my everyday actions.
The Purple Rabbit | Strut & Fret
The five performers all brought wonderful energy and presence from the moment they came onto the stage, showcasing their wide variety of tricks and talents. Most surprising for me was the combination of a champagne bottle and vocal percussion from the beatboxing champion Gale, whose exquisite sonically complex acts made me wish I could have enjoyed his work on a dance floor.
Girl From the North Country | Conor McPherson & QPAC
The performances from the cast were terrific across the board. Kowitz was believable as an overworked hotel manager and family man who lacks the emotional capacity to do either job efficiently, Elijah Williams was equal parts charming and allusive as the convicted boxer, but McCune stood out for her layered portrayal of a woman battling a mental illness who still finds time for joy in her life.
Enemies of Grooviness Eat Sh!t | Betty Grumble
The way the content is presented you can’t help but talk about it, think about it and write about it. These conversations and thoughts are creating little ripples that are flowing out to the wider community. Every time Grumble performs another ripple is created. So perhaps a sex clown can save the world, one ripple at a time.
Manifesto | Stephanie Lake Company
Manifesto is a feast for many of the senses; a compelling show that offers ‘time away from time.’ Nine drumkits, nine chairs, nine talented drummers, nine dancers, three costume changes, and thirteen creatives combine to create one special 60 minute experience.
Mistero Buffo | Rhum & Clay
The old archetypes of the Fool and the foolish are threshed out and made fresh in this fantastical satire presented by Rhum and Clay. I had done a little reading in advance but I was unprepared for the sheer force of personality and the wildly physical performance from Julian Spooner. It’s a firecracker of a show.
Angel-Monster | Phluxus2 Dance Collective
As a trained dancer I went into this show expecting a high level of maturity through the choreography and storytelling techniques and I was blown away by the finished product. It is a clever way to have this conversation about such serious subject matter. I was moved to tears (Rare! I’m not usually one to cry); and I would go and see it again, next time sitting in a different part of the theatre to get an experience from another vantage point.
BlakWarehouse Party | Blak Social & Brisbane Serenades, Brisbane Festival
I was blown away by the music I was lucky enough to experience. Dameeeela, DJ Kritty, Sovblkpssy, and DJ PGZ provided the music, their tracklists were all unique, but all highlighted the best First Nations artists around the country with unique styles and remixes. Brisbane's First Nations dance music scene is deadly, and I am inspired to seek out more.
Slow Boat | Anna Yen
There is something about relating to characters on the stage that humanises stories so very much. We can read an article about the relentless inhumanity of the Australian government and the colonial importation of cheap Asian labour, but a depiction of a bloody and brutal desert scene and the rise and fall of pickaxes worms its way into your head in a much more effective way.
Tiddas | La Boite
There is a context to the play which must be remarked upon, which is the industry-wide dire lack of strong Aboriginal characters on our stage in general, and especially female Aboriginal characters. Despite the under-development of the characters, the actors performed the roles believably and naturally. It was truly delightful to see First Nations female characters on stage played by such fantastic calibre actors, and adapted from the book written by an Aboriginal author.
Aftermath | ADC
The score is complex, pushing us to travel realms and the most human of sounds, the rhythm of our heart beating and directing the audience towards the revelation of hope that is only short lived when nothing is what it should be in this world.
ZOOOM | Patch Theatre
The dialogue is minimal and almost non-existent, yet through the innovative exploration of technology, the children are hooked from start to finish. The marrying of technology, the use of the light and the immaculate soundscape, gave off the illusion that we, the audience, are witnessing magical unfold directly in front of our eyes.
Fourteen | shake & stir theatre co.
There is so much material included that is ripe for nuanced and fresh commentary about the Queer experience, especially in rural communities, but it is so often sprinkled over the top of a single scene and never interrogated again. This is not to say every narrative thread must be tied off neatly but when so few of them are, it begins to make the work feel incohesive.
Holding Achilles | Dead Puppet Society & Legs on the Wall
Morton’s Holding Achilles’ queer lens, and re-gendering/de-gendering of key roles, offers fascinating new insights into an old story. My two strongest ‘ah-ha’ moments connected with the themes of parent/child legacies, and about the true nature of heroism - are heroes those who have the short lives that are celebrated in epic tales, or those who seek the ordinary long lives that are celebrated on the warrior’s shield?
Brown Church | The Naavikaran Collective
It is not long before I find myself completely taken in by the artists who have now formed a circle of celebration, clapping their hands to time. Naavikaran’s white flowy skirt accented with silvery foil-like material has a life force of its own. The other performers look equally royal in their costumes, twirling, swirling, locking eyes with one another, immersing themselves in the beauty and safety of friendships they have forged amongst themselves. I smile so much at the unfolding of this dance sequence simply because it is unadulterated, unpretentious joy.
Sweatshop | Briefs Factory
A lot of the joy of Sweatshop is how engaged the performers are with the audience. Requests for cheers are met with enthusiasm from a crowd that is on their side from the moment they step on stage. This is the magic of Briefs: a group of performers doing unconventional things, presenting brightly and boldly to a room of people who are 100% there for every moment of it.
The Pillowman | Good Time Theatrics
Directors Hannah Boyd (who also played Arial) and Sophie Wickes (who played Katurian) chose to adapt this work with an all-female cast; having the two police officers dressed in bright pink, almost cyber-punk like jumpsuits and gender-swapping the storyteller Katurian and their brother Michal. As a director myself, I thought this was an intriguing concept that had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the inconsistency of direction resulted in this casting choice falling flat and undercutting the power of this award-winning text.
Homily | theatrePUNK co.
The painful journey of survival as young queer person in a distinctly hostile world is not one we can tire of hearing in all its variations, at least not until the damned trial of becoming ceases to be and our queer brethren can just live their lives as awkwardly and safely as everyone else.
Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella | Crossroads Live
Advertised as a “surprisingly contemporary take on the classic tale”*, this 2013 adaptation of Rogers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella fails to deliver any refreshing takes on the outdated traditional fairy tale. While there are certainly elements that are different from the well-known story—new characters, additional parties, expanded motivations for characters, and shoe things—the main problematic and patriarchal factors from the original plot remain intact.