Face to Face | Emily Wells & Playlab Theatre
Growing up in an Indigenous community, many of the issues that impact our mob happen so frequently that I personally found and still find it difficult to properly process a lot of the grief and my own trauma. Sitting in the crowd and watching the characters speak gave me some time to truly reflect and allowed me to be vulnerable as they expressed their own vulnerability.
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
Play wright Jasmine Lee Jones explores a range of issues in this creation. Issues we face in this society as women of colour with working through the trickiness of white-privilege, attraction and body-shaming, the male gaze, sexual assault, sexuality, colourism and the deep dive discord of social media. It reminds us all the social media can be a dark space and it’s easy to lose yourself in it. And also, how much our privacy is abolished in our absent minded engagement in it. How many times have you felt the pang of reaction / non-reaction to a post you share? We all do it. And it’s crazy!
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
Under the direction of Shari Sebbens, the way the actors express their inner rhythm was so captivating. I read along to witty and vibrant UK accents interpreting tweets layered with gifs, emojis, memes and internet slang - the pair are so on point they hit each word on beat like a follower hits the love button. You like it, but then it’s not quite enough and you have to give it ‘another one, another one, another one.’
Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner | Darlinghurst Theatre Company & Green Door Theatre
In a lot of ways I see the internet as a fun ball and chain attached to my ankle. There are so many more ways to connect, but also so many more ways to have expectations placed on you, and whether you love it or hate it, there feels like there's a kind of an inevitability to it. 7 Methods captures that feeling so well. Even when the actors devolve into the frankly stupid overuse of memes and abbreviations in their real-life speech, it still felt right to me. It felt authentic. That sense of authenticity contributed to a near constant stream of laughter from me and the rest of the audience.
“We give a platform to the best improv and comedy shows.” Rosa Sottile on Big Fork Theatre’s dedicated comedy theatre
There are so many great shows on. Every week we have totally new improv shows and also regular stand-up and variety shows! If you want to see improv for the first time I would recommend our classic improv format, ‘Cool Story Bro’ on Friday nights. It’s Big Fork’s flagship show. True stories inspire hilarious improv scenes! Some other particularly exciting shows coming up are the BrisAsia Festival shows – ‘BrisAsia Stands Up’ and ‘Wer Ya From’. We also have some great Brisbane regular shows coming to the theatre like ‘Stand Up vs Improviser’ and ‘Freak Box’, and our first show making a comeback ‘Get It Inya’, an experimental comedy show!
A fundamental guide to bullet proofing your grant process
Grants are something that are not for the faint of heart. They take grit, commitment, self-confidence, honesty and passion. I was not expecting it to become something that I really enjoy doing, like I love the learning, the process, the people and the projects and that’s why many writers do it. Although we are few and far between, we share commonalities and have similar experiences. There are definitely dos and don’ts along the way – for how we engage with you and how you engage with us.
Cab Suave | Sparkle Society
Cab Suave is both a fresh and flirty take on circus cabarets and well needed reimagining of film noir for the modern era. Packed with all the circus you could need, a script full of zingers, and whole lot of charm, it’s the perfect piece of escapism for the virus that shall not be named.
"If you're looking for a bit of an escape, Cab Suave is the place to go!" Abby Kelso on Sparkle Society's reimagining of film noir with a circus twist
Cab Suave isn't just a cabaret, it has a full storyline that will have you engaged and wanting to know what happens next, and interesting characters with personality and charm. Combining circus with live music and theatre, it's cheesy and funny and doesn't take itself too seriously. If you're looking for a bit of an escape after the last few years, Cab Suave is the place to go!
Circus in a Teacup | Vulcana Circus
The stories that the women told were deeply personal, and yet they were evocative of the experiences of many women. I thought of my mother, my sister, my best friends, and the many women who touched my life. I thought about the shared experiences, the coping mechanisms, and the healing processes. I was reminded of how resilient women can be.
NONSTOP | Dots+Loops
The ebb and flow between classic and future sounds was so well balanced the similarities between the two became more apparent as the festival progressed. Almost as if we were guided through a showroom full of refurbished antiques and new things that had been aged so well, we could not tell the difference.
Die Hard: The Movie, The Play | Act React
It was really great to be part of the live audience. I enjoyed the laughter (including watching some audience members almost in tears, as they were laughing so hard)… and it was wonderful to spend a whole hour in 1988 (a world away from the challenges of 2021.
Leotard | Boyle & Waters
Gorgeous leotards adorn the walls of the set. Leotards with hand-sewn sequins, with tinsel wrapped into tutus, with spangles and silk and cheap organza and above all else, lycra. Leotards with contrasting spandex panels. Leotards which costs hundreds, and leotards that are worth pennies. Leotards you wished you had owned, then, and now.
Songs of Love & War | Opera Queensland & Chrysalis Projects
Opera is not the snooze-fest many think it to be. It possesses the same drama, romance, and impassioned violence of the modern soap or young-adult drama. Imagine a Riverdale musical episode but if the singing was superb and the show was well-written. If held regularly, intimate and more financially accessible events like this might help improve my generations’ perception of this delicious artform.
"We were looking for ways and spaces where all our different musical pursuits could coexist and combine…" Connor D’Netto on NONSTOP
It’s easy for people to assume certain types of music to exist in a certain place, presented in a certain way, and maybe even listened to by certain people. That’s so limiting on every level. It limits the kind of art artists feel comfortable (or are even allowed) to create; it limits whether people feel comfortable in certain spaces and therefore whether they are able to experience different kinds of art; it limits how people are able to come together, connect and interact.
Cirque Bon Bon | JACs Entertainment
Cirque Bon Bon does not hold back and offers a rich circus experience. It features a very talented crew of artists who perform the most iconic circus acts including acrobatic archery, aerials, juggling, hoop dance, unicycle, acrobatic skating, and roue cyr.
Locked In | Shock Therapy Productions
A masterclass in restraint, there is abundant space in this performance, with much unusual and interesting to muse upon. A highlight is the mixed stage vocabulary of acting, physical movement, dance and projection, creating a highly watchable storytelling mechanism.
Absolute Trash | Glitter Martini
Filthy by the Scissor Sisters plays and the acts roll out from side stage. The first few acts consist of beautiful women dressed in hazmat suits, a wheelie bin scene with a bin chicken, a gorgeous garbage bag dress, and burlesque skits all connected by the ever-present rubbish that lives all around us, that we keep continuing to create!
Maddie is the new Karen | Madeleine Border & Madeline Römcke
The pace of the show is dynamic. The exercise bike, the treadmill all relevant props in the wake of a life in the day of a typical white woman in her 20’s, privileged and living in the inner-city landscape. The muffin is eaten and referred to as part of what it means to bake consciously. I was hoping they might sit on it, but that’s another show.
The Unspoken Word is ‘Joe’ | The Reaction Theory
This production showcased some incredible young talent in Meanjin | Brisbane and was a true delight to watch. The script was clever, witty, and fast. Meanjin needs more theatre like this and every comedy I see following this will have a very high bar to live up to.
"It automatically places people in this space of physicality that builds trust." Vulcana Circus on elevating the voices of those less heard
In this interview, co-directors and facilitators Celia White (Vulcana Circus’ Artistic Director) and Michelle Grant-Iramu discuss the process of enabling and empowering a large ensemble of a recently acquainted cohort, the imperative for access to art-making for people with experiences of trauma, truth-telling with a view to elevate the ordinary and making it extraordinary, and how circus is a perfect vessel for transformative art-making.