Alexander Vogue Night, Mad Dance Festival | House of Alexander
The Alexander Vogue night was a re-birthing of belonging for me and I assume others present. To look around the room and not feel like I stood out due to my gender non-conformity. To see others like me giving me that knowing look like – yeah I’ve walked a similar path to you, I see you, you’re beautiful and resilient just like me.
This Time It’s Personal | Sam Evans
Evans came out strong and committed to character, bringing robots, dolls, and puppets to life amidst hectic high energy tricks in a very small space. It was a lot of fun. He is a strong comedic performer and commanded the audience early on with dance techniques you really need to see to believe.
In a show of his versatility, Evans also took us to his darkness and his quiet peace too, all the while holding space, manipulating it with his body… sometimes seemingly defying the laws of physics.
Rhythmology | Ty Goddard
I had the fortune of interviewing Ty beforehand and as often the case when creatives get together, rainbows appear. That time around I was left flabbergasted at the impact, pace and quality of this emerging production. Second time around I left feeling stunned at the slickness of choreography, the blending of multidisciplinary performance, timing, and POC excellence once again sheening in the spotlight
Betwixt | Pink Matter Culture
Every aspect of this work is deeply purposeful. The sequence of the stories speaks to the relationship between the elements. We see the water dance with the air, who in turn fuels the fire, who in turn cleanses the earth, before spirit comes and weaves them all together. Each story is so raw and specific to the performer it belongs to but is told in universal ways.
Distinct | Annikki Chand
I don’t open with ‘this show was created in four days’ as a way of lowering your expectations. In fact, quite the contrary; the fact that Annikki was able to create a work covering hefty themes of identity, culture and gender in such an entertaining way was nothing short of amazing.
Distinct | Annikki Chand
Utilising the energetic, powerful and sometimes aggressive dance moves of krump in conjunction with the fun, entertaining, dynamic bollywood dance style, Annikki took this dance lover on a journey as she fearlessly tapped into discovering her Indian and Finnish heritage, her roots.
The Last Five Years | La Boite
Director Darren Yap played so beautifully with the moments of looking, longing and near misses. In each song there was always a character longing for a glance, a look, a touch or an echo. And that glance, look, touch or echo was never received. There were some ‘ooo might it happen now’ which just made all the misses all the more painful.
9 to 5: The Musical | Jones Theatrical Group & QPAC
The Australian leads did a great job with their roles. Casey Donovan’s vocals were a standout, and if you like Donovan’s voice you are definitely going to enjoy the show. Donovan’s portrayal of the newly-divorced Judy Bernly was excellent—taking us on the journey from a gauche first day at work,through to the depiction of an empowered executive who really did not need her cheating husband back.
Friends of Dorothy | Ghostlight Theatre Co.
What I loved the most about the show wasn’t the musical performances; it was that it didn’t stray away from the dark, oppressive and heartbreaking aspects of queer history and of identifying as queer even in our contemporary society. After Farmer-Trickett shared a personal story about a queer friend they had lost to suicide, there was a minute of silence held to remember all of those from the queer community who are no longer with us, which was such a generous way to reflect.
Hello, Stranger! | The Drawer Productions
Wonderfully written and directed and full of beautiful, nuanced performances, Hello, Stranger showcases the incredible talents of The Drawer Productions. Moving, challenging, educative, funny and full it impactful moments that have stayed with me, it was another standout production from one of Meanjin’s companies to watch. It was certainly one of the standout shows of the 2022 Anywhere Festival for me.
Disappearing Acts | Vulcana Circus
Disappearing Acts was developed in collaboration with environmental scientist Ayesha Tulloch, evident in the many bird facts (some delightful, some sobering) woven throughout the performance. Birds facts and storytelling connected displays of a variety of circus skills including partner acrobatics, stilt walking, magic, and use of the framed picture of the forest for aerial work.
7 Mortal Sins | Glitter Martini
On a drizzly Saturday night, I found myself in a stunning church with steep gabled roof, stained glass windows and brickwork that is 119 years old, celebrating what it is to be mortal. And what better way to do it, than with an Atonement for our sins, Glitter Martini style? I’m talking a freestanding aerial rig center stage. Circus, burlesque, sideshow, and even a little magic. And seven sinfully good acts, administered by one very captivating master of Ceremonies, Priest Benedict.
Oberon 11 | Inscape Assembly
The attention to detail by the designers was *chefs kiss*. It blew me away how fantastically rich the set was - every square inch had some hidden secret clue, either in plain sight or lurking behind the surface. The designers managed to transform a rather small space into a space that was brimming with personality, history, and stories just waiting to be discovered.
If You Build It | High Tide Circus
If You Build It was a raucous afternoon of entertainment, reminiscent of the renegade warehouse cabarets of the days of the Ice Cream Factory and Sean Young Studio. It was everything I love about live performance, high energy, slightly chaotic, unpredictable, a little bit loose and full of passionate carneys keen to entertain and show off their best stuff to the masses. You could definitely say they nailed it. Thank you, I’ll be here all week.
La Serenata | Opera Queensland
Wang himself is charming in the humblest of ways. He captures us with his talent and endears himself to us immediately after with his sweet demeanour. This charm is enhanced immensely by his technical prowess. Wang sings with every fibre of his being.
Murder at the Bowlo | Impro Mafia
During the group scenes for the whole audience, the performers really leaned into the silliness of the theme and into interacting with the audience, which kept us giggling along. At times, Murder at the Bowlo almost felt like a pantomime in the best possible ways, with the audience booing, cheering and responding to every character as secrets and accusations flew around the room.
A Collection of Circus | Cluster Arts + Independent Artists
Cluster Arts, the company behind Brisbane’s newest festival CIRCFest Meanjin, commissioned three independent artists to present snippets of their solo works in development. I think it is a great initiative to show audiences works in different stages, giving us a sneak peak at new Queensland works to come.
The Virtuous Burglar | Xth Act
While the play was primarily blithe, it explored issues of adultery, madness and hypocrisy in marriages and relationships. It made me reflect on human’s behaviours by exposing and mocking the ugliness of lies, pretence and power in society. “Let love be without hypocrisy”.
In Melodiam | Here + There Productions
There was an impressive mix of physical puzzles, cyphers and even equations for us to solve throughout In Melodiam, most of which were linked to the story and the era that our Hero came from. Together, this helped to immerse us further into our Hero’s world. Kudos to the team for creating so many puzzles that both fit the era of our Hero and which helped us to better understand her story.