Ofa Fanaika 20/9/21 Ofa Fanaika 20/9/21

Brown Church | Naavikaran

“Brown Church is a work in progress”, declares Naavikaran, and it’s clear that they have much to say. Thank those Gods within Naavi that they have created a space to share this. The very clearly rehearsed and intentional poetry recited is of considerable expertise, sheening the POC queer space into the light.

Katie Rasch 20/9/21 Katie Rasch 20/9/21

Of Mice & Men | Ad Astra

It wasn’t just like watching a room full of men speak through clenched teeth at each other and then break out into violence, it was like being in a room full of men about to break out into a fight which truly verged on unpleasant for me. It definitely kept me deeply invested but it also kind of made me want to hide.

Hope One 20/9/21 Hope One 20/9/21

Nerve | Lauren Watson

The display of sheer strength and determination shone through this work brilliantly, as Lauren lifts her body onto the Lyra, in which she cleverly pulls from one of the disassembled wheelchairs on set and performs a superhuman aerial routine with impressive shapes as the haze floats peacefully on the surface floor and the mood lighting stunningly highlights her willpower.

Tristan Niemi 20/9/21 Tristan Niemi 20/9/21

I Liked it.... But | Joel Bray

The work did feel a little self-congratulatory on Bray’s part from time to time, but this was very well balanced against the ‘tongue firmly in cheek’ tone of the night. As someone with contemporary dance training I found the jokes made at the form’s expense accurate and hilarious.

Lauren Hale 18/9/21 Lauren Hale 18/9/21

Boy Swallows Universe | Trent Dalton

Watching Boy Swallows Universe, I felt connected to my city and curious about Brisbane’s thick history of corruption and crime. The show was quintessentially Australian and seems fit to become a staple in high school drama curriculums. I was astonished by Queensland Theatre’s ability to bring Dalton’s world to life.

Catherine Lawrence 17/9/21 Catherine Lawrence 17/9/21

Street Serenades | Brisbane Festival

I seem to have spent quite a bit of the last week lurking around Brisbane parks (and even a council pool). Don’t worry; I was waiting to see circus, dance, theatre, sword-swallowing, and to catch some local bands. And I wasn’t alone, as I was in the company of a few other hardy souls, as we waited for the latest Brisbane Festival Street Serenade.

Ofa Fanaika 14/9/21 Ofa Fanaika 14/9/21

Piano Burning | Room40

On one hand it’s a beautiful display of the tangible becoming intangible, the materiality of this world being shown before us as temporary structures, our feelings of attachment and worship of an inanimate object being torn apart before our eyes, while the other hand is pulling me to leave this machine for what it’s designed for.

Catherine Lawrence 13/9/21 Catherine Lawrence 13/9/21

For Honeyman Street | Sean Sennett & Band

Having six female vocalists to call upon meant that Sennett was able to craft a set that touched on a different aspects of love, and embraced a variety of musical styles. From country to rock, from Bowie influences through to a Beatles vibe, and from funkier pieces through to soft rock. Not at all bad for just one hour.

Kian Dillon 11/9/21 Kian Dillon 11/9/21

Same Penis Forever | Rebel Lyons

Same Penis Forever treads this fine line between a shout and a whisper, between displays of the intimate and of the public. It was the epitome of a Hen’s Night at its core, where the bride reigns supreme and those who’ve come to celebrate are privy to the drunken divulgence of secrets and hesitations.

Tristan Niemi 11/9/21 Tristan Niemi 11/9/21

Red | Dancenorth

The voyeuristic tone was set from the moment I entered the warehouse. A separate audience bank on the opposite side of the bubble along with the bubble itself were constantly there to remind me I was watching. That I was invading the privacy of the individuals contained within. What could have been read as an invasive observation of an endangered species’ mating dance very quickly became an allegory for the final members of a species scrambling to preserve their world as it collapses around them.

Katie Rasch 11/9/21 Katie Rasch 11/9/21

Ishmael | Dead Puppet Society

Dead Puppet Society has created something truly spectacular with Ishmael. It captured my inner child and had a wonderful sense of play in its sets and puppets, and paired it with some really grounded critiques of capitalism and the false security presented by constant competition.

Saskia Sassen 11/9/21 Saskia Sassen 11/9/21

Auntie's Fiafia Night | Casus Circus

Imagine two powerful women with vibrant flower covered moomoos, fanning themselves with woven fans, and big palm leaf plant beside them, laughing and gesturing as the performers take turns trying to earn a smile from them all night long. This shows just how respected elders and women are in Pasifika culture and that was an amazing take away for those who may not be of that background/culture.

Fliss Morton 10/9/21 Fliss Morton 10/9/21

Same Penis Forever | Rebel Lyons

Humanising the different agents of social conditioning demonstrated that people make traditions, and traditions aren’t these immovable structures that must be obeyed at all costs. Traditions make culture, so if the diamond engagement ring was something some marketing mogul came up with to sell more diamonds, then why the hell do we take this ‘tradition’ so seriously.

Saskia Sassen 10/9/21 Saskia Sassen 10/9/21

Demolition | Polytoxic

When arriving at my seat a wave of proud brown girl joy makes its way through my spirit as the demolition work site sets the scene for what is going to be one of the most memorable shows that I've witnessed. I was about to undergo a unravelling of identity and I was more than ready!

Katie Rasch 9/9/21 Katie Rasch 9/9/21

Demolition | Polytoxic

The importance of solidarity really stuck with me and I felt like I was being shown an inclusive version of sisterhood that I could really relate to. This was no highly sanitised mainstream girlboss sisterhood, but the kind of solidarity that can be difficult and gritty and requires you to show up for other people and do the work.

Virag Dombay 9/9/21 Virag Dombay 9/9/21

Dirty Laundry | Briefs Factory

Briefs Factory’s Dirty Laundry is sexy but it also has a lot of heart and soul. It’s a show that not only dazzles but is also about connection and finding joy and pleasure in moments of uncertainty. It’s a show that will make you wolf-whistle, stomp your feet and leave you thirsty for more.

Ofa Fanaika 9/9/21 Ofa Fanaika 9/9/21

Demolition | Polytoxic

Polytoxic’s show Demolition is not only a staggering showcasing of Circus and Theatre, it is a moving and uplifting Call-To-Arms. The effortless shift of scenes drew my senses in and catapulted me from issue to issue that many women in this world face on a daily basis.

Hope One 9/9/21 Hope One 9/9/21

Demolition | Polytoxic

This work left me feeling seen on so many levels - as a Queer non-binary person struggling to fit the status quo, as a Maori woman who wasn’t raised on her Marae or Ancestral lands, as a Mother realising the importance of embracing culture for your children’s future, as a woman being surrounded by the constant pressures of living up to the patriarchal structure and never feeling good enough. I felt uplifted, hopeful, powerful and full of rage.

Jaydem Martin 8/9/21 Jaydem Martin 8/9/21

First Nations Fashion: Walking in Two Worlds | Grace Lillian Lee

Ultimately, First Nations Fashion: Walking in Two Worlds succeeds in creating something that stirs emotions, restores power, speaks truth, celebrates culture while displaying First Nations fashion labels. It decolonises an industry that is ripe with racism, classism, and sexism, and replaces it with a sense of hope and harmony.

Dr Fed 7/9/21 Dr Fed 7/9/21

Weredingo | Karul Projects

“Are you coming as a human or as an animal tonight?” a well-dressed guy asked us as we descended into New Benner Theatre at Metro Arts on Saturday night. “Animal!” I said without giving myself the time to process the question.