A citizen science group that attempts to contact alien life through the internet
“An artistic mentor of mine used to say ‘confront the materials’. I think this idea holds true with technology as well. You have to confront what the material of your show is, even if it is virtual. I am filled with a kind of dread about the power that is concentrating in the companies that connect us. Over recent years a hugely powerful force has been unleashed through social media, one that possesses us in strange ways and uses us for its own ends. It reminded me of movies like The Thing, it was like a monster has emerged in our world. So I took that genre and decided a shlock horror story would be a fun way to explore our feelings around surveillance capitalism, privacy and the power of big data and artificial intelligence.”
A solo performance-art ritual event where all who enter the space become participants
‘101 Ways to Stare at a Wall’, originally began as a provocative 8-minute performance event! It has actually been inspired by a particular piece of post-war avant-garde music, written by the iconic experimental US composer, John Cage. He liked to work with the Laws of Chance – ‘Indeterminancy’ - to help him compose his works, and I thought I might try that too! So, all stage directives have been worked out by the throwing of dice… And, it has now been expanded in layers, to fill approx. one hour!
It began when I almost lost my son, and he lost a year of his life to drugs
Drawing on elements of verbatim, physical and interactive theatre, this work will explore the myths and realities of motherhood from the highs to the lows and everything in between. The Monster's Mother is an open, honest and often moving portrayal of motherhood with verbatim contributions from mothers of all ages. It will be like nothing else you will see in the Festival.
TOME is not your average impro theatre; It is ordered chaos, a hurricane in a bottle.
What is your creative process like? In a word: Chaos. The question that I constantly get asked when going through rehearsal process is ‘how do you direct an impro show?’, and it’s a good question! Rehearsal for TOME is about developing trust and communication between improvisers, critiquing the technique that the performers use rather than the content of their scenes. During rehearsal process, there are hundreds of incredibly heartbreaking, chaotically funny, and spine-chillingly scary scenes that will never be seen by an outside eye, but after the hours of improvising, team building and technique learning, the quality of the work and comradery of the team is astounding, and every scene is as exciting and thrilling as the next.
It's Parisian salon culture of the 1920's but with an absurdist twist - Think ‘Midnight in Paris’ meets ‘Salvador Dali’.
If you enjoyed Midnight In Paris or The Great Gatsby but also love Back to the Future or Salvador Dali then you will feel right at home at the Time Travel Café. We believe that everyone deserves to feel special and at The Time Travel Café, everyone is.
Two absolute idiot characters bring-their-own pageant all over Australia, performing wherever they can
Beauty queen Victoria Beauvoir and her lifelong devotee Roger Seahorse are on a mission to bring children’s beauty pageants to every Australian town. The Beryls present this narratively driven, immersive sketch show that casts the audience as contestants and pushy showbiz parents as they satirise the pageant world. Leave your name, age and gender identity at the door because The Pageant is a world unto itself.
This show is for anyone who has loved, has lost, who has made a mistake, who has simply lived
Taking place over three years in fictional Brisbane pub, His Majesty’s, this play follows a blossoming new relationship, a young woman who struggles with addiction and a young man who finds himself suffering from a terminal illness. This play deals with love, loss and how we deal with these emotions.
Shanty Club | The Salty Sirens
There’s such a power to communal singing. When a large group of people can come together with a similar interest and sing in union, whether you think you’re a good singer or not, it feels special joining in on the choruses and sharing in the collective voice. Elyse and Kristy have that understanding and knew how to get the audience engaged as they built up to the final shanty which allowed members of the crowd to come up with their own lyrics for us all to sing along to.
‘Removable Objects’ will leave you re-considering your literal and metaphorical place in the world
I like to create a collection of stimulus and inspiration that I know leads or feeds into an idea. I create lists of tasks to do like skills or accents to learn, write large chunks of material to whittle down, and see how I can connect different disciplines. For example, this show had a theme of location and its connection to identity, so I wrote a fictional national anthem, inspired by Irish music my father plays. This led to learning how to program MIDI instruments so I could have orchestral instruments on a budget.
'The Pavarotti & The Diva' - A unique up-close personal celebration of the man himself
The Pavarotti & The Diva show is a unique up close and personal celebration of the man himself, the infectious character he was and was famous for, and the music he bought to the people around the world.
"We wanted the show to be as imaginative, wacky and ridiculous as possible."
Young at heart are going to love this show. It’s designed to send your imagination soaring, to make your belly hurt from laughter and to be a feast for the eyes and ears. This is a perfect light hearted, but incredibly entertaining production that will get your toes tapping!
A lavish fusion of sultry French cabaret with fiery Latin passion
It all starts with the spark of an idea to create a vibrant and effervescent, all-immersive world of art, music, dance and theatre. We love to play and create in the often-uncharted territory between various cultures and art forms. We are passionate about connecting artists to share their individual expertise but also create a safe space for an exchange of ideas, allowing opportunities for growth and leading to new and multidisciplinary forms of creative expression. Our creative mantra is to transcend cultural and artistic boundaries.
A first date which includes puppets, sourdough starter, music and plenty of new discoveries
This show is for LGBTIQIAP+ Brotherboy and Sistergirl communities and allies, it’s for young people, it’s for people who want to see authentic relationships on stage, people who want a light-hearted night and people who feel like they haven’t got everything figured out just yet. If you’re a lover of silliness and a bit of awkward sexiness, this is the show for you!
Stories of trepidation, trouble, and triumph of women in the tent cities of the 18th century goldfields
Golden Dreams sends audiences back to 1853 Melbourne to witness the stories of trepidation, trouble, and triumph that the women who braved the tent cities and goldfields faced. A fictional story based on true events, and rumours, Golden Dreams allows audiences to experience life through a lens that is often overlooked. This performance combines traditional theatrical conventions with dream sequences and physical theatre to explore the characters innermost fears and desires.
'If you love taking the mickey out of pompous buffoons, you will love this show.' - Natalie Bochenski on 'The Great Grandiosa'
The Great Grandiosa is a comedy spoof on the larger-than-life world of psychics, mystics, and other grifters. The Great Grandiosa believes she can offer spiritual succour, fortune telling and wisdom from the Other Worlds. Mostly she’s just got a lot of BS, some blindly devoted Acolytes and her catchphrase, “Success!”.
Strangeness, dislocation, complexity, displacement, belonging - real and imaginary stories of arrival and departure
Inspired by the stories of local migrants, EXODUS is a collectively-devised contemporary physical theatre performance that focuses on real and metaphorical migrations and raises the questions: what unites people who decide to leave their native land?
Authentic, improvised storytelling of the relationships, drama and struggles of high school students
The show takes place in the library of an actual school in Brisbane. The fact that the show is set in a school as well as being physically performed at a school allows the audience (and the performers) to immerse themselves in the stories of the characters and feel as if they are actually experiencing real life school drama unfold.
Sludge Bank | Chance Collective
It’s favourite kind of critique of the neo-corporate capitalist system. One that gives you a reminder to keep an eye on your consumer spending power and keep your ego in check, cause yes, if you are not part of the solution, you are most definitely part of the problem. Yes it’s kind of like your eccentric aunt is scolding you but with added songs and belly laughs and stupid jokes and weird puppets and strange voiceovers and homemade props and hilarious antics and cool hair. Ah art, it’s the best way to grow as a person.
Five Female Directors in Meanjin to Look Out For
One of my hobbies (and my jobs) is consuming theatre and I must say that I consume a lot of it. A lot of the theatre that I’ve consumed have been directed by some incredible women who have bedazzled me by the way they make, shape and form stories and worlds on stage. Here’s a few of them that you should keep your eyes peeled out for.
"One person’s loneliness is symptomatic of everyone’s problem." - Christopher Bryant on award-winning show, 'Intoxication'
Intoxication is a post-dramatic patchwork about queer millennial anxiety exploring how the intense fear of being alone rules modern society, and how one person’s loneliness is symptomatic of everyone’s problem.