Between Olas | NUDO
It was evident how dedicated the performers are at their craft. Each performer excelled in what they do, both bringing their own cultures to the stage, and performing in sync with each other, culminating in the dance routines coming off as flawless.
Club Extimacy | The Black Box Collective
Each character felt like a person I’d met in a club bathroom, or at least someone like them. The work was a revolving door of fleeting interactions, as the world of the club thumped just outside the piss-stained walls. A hilariously authentic depiction of the bathroom chats and antics that many of us know all too well, this show accurately captured the liminality of club bathrooms.
Carnival of Animals | CIRCA
Carnival of The Animals has been performed many times (almost 300) since its premiere in 2014, and for this season Circa redid and added sections of the show to include an ensemble of local children. These kids took part in group acrobatics with the Circa ensemble and with each other. It was a sweet addition that suited the show, and many of these kids clearly have a strong acrobatic foundation in which to grow into. It might be them in the professional Circa ensemble in a decade or so.
The Time Travel Café | Spacefold Technology
Each of the five players were extremely talented in their own right, and they worked brilliantly as a team. When their timelines crossed it felt like the magical realism of an epic Doctor Who episode, when all your favourite companions come back to save the day.
Murder On The Not-So Orient Express | Mystify Events
The story, written by Siobhan, had all the tangled storyline fun of a classic absurd crime mystery, with lots of crossovers with the pasts of the passengers, and a plot full of exciting twists and turns. Audience members were inserted into the show by the actors, taken out of their seats and placed right into the action. The cast were skilled at picking these people, and moving on quickly if someone seemed hesitant to be thrown into the spotlight.
STOP THAT NONSENSE | Nicholas ‘Prince’ Milverton & IMA
In spite of its brevity, STOP THAT NONSENSE managed to touch on what it takes for a young black man to excel with the loving support of his adoring parents and set within the context of race, privilege and perception underpinned by colonialism. I look forward to the playwright expanding STOP THAT NONSENSE into a full-length work where the many levels of black excellence can be explored in greater depth.
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.