Explain Normal | Daniele Constance
Created by Daniele Constance in collaboration with Aha Ensemble and Phluxus2 Dance Collective, Explain Normal is a post-dramatic physical theatre work which explores the notion of what makes us normal and whether or not ‘normal’ truly exists.
Yang Liping’s Rite of Spring | Peacock Contemporary Dance Company
Surely, it’s one of the most illustrious and unpredictable experiences any audience-member will have in a theatre. It lurches from the patient, meditative opening to moments of almost pure anarchy. Golden light gives way to pure darkness. Dancers attack and exhaust themselves – euphoric and terrified. It’s a lot.
But, throughout, I kept returning to the ideas of Rite of Spring. That question.
What’s the impact?
Bighouse Dreaming | Declan Furber Gillick
Bighouse Dreaming is the type of work that reminds one of the simple, devastating power of a well-crafted drama … a work that leaves you gasping for breath through sheer storytelling and performance craft.
Giantess | Cassie Workman
[Giantess] is neither scandalous nor tragic, although it offers poignant memories as punctuation to the tale of a little girl, kidnapped by a troll, who will not be released until she finds all the answers, and faces up to her fears. And the answer is revealed through a beautiful show presented as a comedy, but actually a more nuanced performance with storytelling, spoken word, and a fluctuating line of parable.
Daddy | Joel Bray
Joel is a master of charming and working a crowd, but we are never allowed to get comfortable in Daddy. Presented promenade style, Joel weaves and dances around and through us and speaks to us directly throughout … He invites us to get involved and it’s always clear that we can opt out, but this may not be the show for you if you prefer to enjoy live theatre separated from the performer in the comfort of your seat.
You & I | Casus Circus
You & I is a gorgeous piece of new circus from Casus. It’s not just about the breathtaking circus we expect from this Brisbane-based troupe, but a joyous celebration of the love, partnership and commitment between two men. It’s something my teenage self would have craved, and something that made my heart sing.
The Bluebird Mechanicals | Too Close To The Sun
The Bluebird Mechanicals may be one of the tightest, most considered and deliberate works I’ve ever seen. There isn’t an inch of the show that doesn’t feel like it’s been refined and distilled to its purest, most impactful essence. It knows exactly what it wants to say and exactly how to say it. But, the work’s choice of vocabulary and materials in articulating its ideas are so removed from the norm that, again, it can only easily be described as weird.
Tyrone and Lesley in a Spot | David Megarrity & Nathan Sibthorpe
A co-production with Metro Arts and Brisbane Festival, David Megarrity and Nathan Sibthorpe’s Tyrone and Lesley In A Spot is a ukulele-led dance of screen and song that transports you on a whimsical journey of small discoveries through laughter.
Common People Dance Eisteddfod | Common People Dance Project
Through sheer force of will and an encyclopedic knowledge of 80s choreography, Neridah has created the impossible – the dance off to end all dance offs that citizens from all sides of river and all walks of life could enjoy. Comprising of at least seven choreographed routines, three celebrity judges, over 100 performers and a competition where cheating is encouraged, it became the hottest ticket in town.
TRUTHMACHINE | Counterpilot
Each audience member had to vote first on questions relating to what truth means to them personally, before assessing whether or not they thought I was telling the truth under investigation. The whole idea of truth was under investigation. And the audience was forced to ask themselves, does this even matter anymore?
Cirquetry | Vulcana
Cirquetry’s 30min work in development showing at the 2019 Queensland Poetry Festival,is a gorgeous blend of circus and spoken word. It showcases the possibilitiesof how mixing them together can bring new depth and meaning to each art form,which begs to be explored further. I look forward to seeing how thiscollaboration develops.
How to Spell Love | Anisa Nandaula & Queensland Poetry Festival
Anisa Nandaula’s poetry (which, again, is the heart of the work) is deeply confronting and evocative – challenging and documenting the crimes of colonialism, toxic relationships, racism, capitalism and the many unpleasant intersections thereof.
The Tempest | Zen Zen Zo
The Tempest is a play in which none of the narratives have much substance. Instead, the focus is on the complexities of being human and the consequences of our actions. On the surface, the play appears like a world of magic, love and loss, but Bradley asks us to look beneath the surface.
100 Years of the History of Dance | Joseph Simons
In Jacob, the team have created a unique guide through the last 100 yearsof dance. Joseph plays Jacob with the right combination of effortless charm,youthful exuberance, flamboyance, vulnerability and boundless energy to balanceout his know-it-all nature.
Conviction | Dots+Loops
It’s hypnotic, beautiful and, in a strangely weightless way, gripping. The kind of performance that could easily open the minds of more populistly inclined audiences to the brilliance of opera and medieval art music. Which, when considered as a feat independent of the specific performance context, feels almost miraculous.
La Silhouette | Sui Ensemble
The central recurring theme of the piece seems to be compassion. This, along with the work’s larger context of appearing in a queer performance festival and explicit preoccupation with marginalised communities, is why its insensitivity and hurt is the framework of this critique.
Collab Works 2019: Recipe | Shari Indriani & QUT Technical Production
Overall, it’s a work that engenders an excitement for the future of Brisbane’s theatrical community. The script itself is obscenely strong, the performers uniformly excellent and the developing talent involved are seemingly already cultivating excellent instincts. Hopefully, Brisbane will be seeing more of all involved.
Nautical but Nice | Ruckus Slam
Yo ho ho and a barrel of fun. Ruckus Slam, purveyors of poetry, cabaret and alt-arts for the indie kids of Brisbane, have delivered another sterling production in their most ambitious venue to date.
Magpie | Elise Grieg
Mordecai, played by Barb Lowing, was utterly convincing, a character we have all met at an airport, or in a busy city bistro. Blustering her way through life, with a mouth like a sailor and a welt of unresolved issues, her fractious relationship with her daughter only serves to highlight her disconnect with her former home.