Hard Boiled Dick | Edge Improv & Never Before Musical | Ho Hum
I rocked up on the first night of the festival to a line going out the door (and round the corner) of the Ron Hurley theatre. It seems Brisbane has been hungry for improv, and Big Fork Theatre are serving up a feast. I saw back-to-back shows of Hardboiled Dick (Edge Improv) and Never Before Musical (Ho Hum).
Same Penis Forever | Rebel Lyons
Having married and divorced at the age of 24, Rebel Lyons draws upon her own experience to paint a full picture of the discomfort of butting up against a life that has been laid out for you. What a power move. Same Penis Forever was raw, wild, and unapologetic, with a heavy dose of elevator music.
The Laramie Project | Ad Astra
For those who aren’t familiar with the script, the Laramie Project is a piece of verbatim theatre which is based on approximately 200 hours of interviews with residents of Laramie, Wyoming, following the kidnapping and murder of gay university student, Matthew Sheppard 1998. It’s quite frankly appalling how relevant the content, characters and messages in the play are in our contemporary society.
Hello, Gaz Rhumbo! | Lightning Bolt Creative & Willem Whitfield
A fascinating play, with a whole lot going on. Hello, Gaz Rhumbo is a bizarre and fun-filled trip into the life, and untimely death, of our title character. The entire affair is reminiscent of a slightly perturbed gameshow, wherein the contestant gets a short recap and then has to fumble his way through a series of zany questions he is woefully unprepared for.
Hello, Gaz Rhumbo! | Lightning Bolt Creative & Willem Whitfield
The show advertises itself as an absurdist comedy. The absurd element is spot on, with clever writing and joke props. A fully grown man in a diaper wails like a baby. A woman uploads information directly to her head and seems to orgasm. Frequently, the characters spoke in a voice from beyond their own experience, laying down exposition that felt simultaneously jarring and hilarious.
Moon with a View | Calum Johnston
Moon with a View has that classic B-Grade science fiction vibe to it, like something you might see on Mystery Science Theater 3000, however the story of losing a loved one never got lost in the comedic nature of the show. For me this is what made it special. Beyond the fun, silliness and at times absurd, there was still a beautiful heart-warming tale of a relationship between a grandson and his grandma that was inspired by Calum’s personal life.
Jingle Bells Sucks Baubles | Ad Astra
Jingle Bells Sucks Baubles is a show that will 110% get you in the Christmas cheer, but is definitely not one for the children. From hallucinogenic cacti, to in house workouts via a smart watch to silent marches in Chermside over the environmental impacts of Christmas, Pierce Gordon’s script has it all.
Flat Out Like A Lizard | Robert the Cat presents the play by Norman Price
Flat Out Like a Lizard is a play that will have you feeling, though you have to spend some time untangling what it is that you are feeling and why. Presented by Metro Arts and Robert the Cat, it is a confronting piece of theatre that is minimalist in its execution and leaves nothing in the way of performer connecting straight to audience.
Tales from the Colony | Voices of Colour & Skin Deep Collective
It’s hard to believe that it took only ten days for ‘Tales from the Colony’ to be created and then performed on stage. For a work that was complexed, multifaceted and spoke on deep themes and issues, it was suspiring to hear how quick it took for it all to come together, but that’s also a testament to the rawness that was on full display. And when the ending came, the audience on their feet standing, clapping and cheering on in praise: the emotional toll on six incredible performers was evident, and with that the realisation of what we had experienced was more than a show, but a journey of exposing truths, finding identity and baring trauma.
Tales from the Colony | Voices of Colour & Skindeep Collective
Escalating emotions aside, one of the many highlights of the night was sharing the same space with such a rich mix of people of colour from so many different ethnic backgrounds. This truly felt like being back home again. Besides the delivery of the original material, what impressed was the message of hope and reconciliation this conveyed. The youth of the performers belied the intensity and ferocity with which they boldly embraced their storytelling by speaking out about taboo subjects.
Can I Help? | Aaron Dora & Renee Dobbyn
It’s strange to think about how when the lockdowns initially began, I was filled with anxiety and fear around what would happen to me both physical and mentally; to now watching a reading of a play that delves into those fears and anxieties, but finding myself laughing at certain scenes and then being taken back to sadness when the emotional scenes hit. ‘Can I Help?’ does a really good job at weaving in the drama and the serious nature of its topic, while also providing laughs and a fun quality to it.
Smiley | Liam Burke, Sergio Ulloa Torres & Matt Young
Any intimate production lives and dies in its casting and luckily, Smiley is in good hands. Sergio Ulloa Torres and Matt Young effortlessly bring both the comedic chops and depth needed to charm the audience and make Smiley work.
Being Male Is | Jaycob Beven-Delaney & Eli Bunyoung
It was clear to me that these two young performers were drawing on emotional truth when performing this story. They were present with each other and they were present with us. Their dialogue was underpinned by dynamic movement pieces that conveyed an emotional intensity beyond words.
Cosi | THAT Production Company & Mira Ball
The cast was sublime. There was not one actor that was better than the other. Maybe that sounds cliché but it’s the truth. They were a tight knit ensemble, which was exactly what a play like Cosi needs.
That's What She Said | The Good Room
At multiple points during its runtime, The Good Room’s That’s What She Said leverages my literal words and memories to emphasise a certain theme or evoke a particular emotion for its audience. Sitting in that audience, such moments feel particularly surreal and surprising.
The Neighbourhood | La Boite & Multicultural Australia
Directed by La Boite’s Artistic Director Todd MacDonald, The Neighbourhood is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful forms of storytelling that I’ve witnessed both on and off the stage. Featuring seven storytellers (Amer Thabet, Naavi Karan, Matt Hsu, Aurora Liddle-Christie, Anisa Nandaula, Cieavash Arean, Nima Doostkhah), it is a devised work in which each actor shares their own stories, through music, dance, rap or song and by using the space and the set as their own creative playground.
That's What She Said | The Good Room
Once again in ‘That’s What She Said’, The Good Room asks their audience to bare witness to the often unheard storiesof Australians. This time, they seek to tell the stories of the women in ourlives, created as a salute to the grand old broad, Metro Arts before it closed for good on 15 February 2020.
Tower of Babel | Baran Theatre
Tower of Babel is the latest work created by Baran Theatre, an independent Australian-Iranian theatre company based in Brisbane whose works aim “to create social change transformational experiences for audiences”. Co-written by Nasim Khosravi and Greg Manning and directed by Nasim, Tower of Babel is a dense and ambitious piece that tells the stories of migrants and refugees who have come to Australia, what they bring with them and how this benefits our country, and what they risk to lose as they settle here.
Awesome Ocean Party | Giema Contini & Brisbane Powerhouse
Giema Contini is arguably one of the best and most reliable theatrical performers in Brisbane City’s creative community. Regardless of the stipulations of a role or production, she brings a profound generosity and openness to her work that lends everything around her a strange and gentle veracity – a heavy and playful sense of emotional honesty.
Regis Anima | Timothy McGowan and Metro Arts
Directed and written by Timothy McGowan, Regis Anima is a one-woman starring Tenielle Plunkett that explores five women unexpectedly connected, ranging from 9th Century Iceland to today.