Icons Alive! | Access Arts and The Undercover Artist Festival

Image: The Undercover Artist Festival

The Undercover Artist Festival is celebrating ten years. This year's theme Push It! encourages artists with a disability to embrace their power by not being afraid to push boundaries.

In line with the above and for just one mind-blowing afternoon, Access Arts presented Icons Alive! a performance showcase to commemorate iconic moments in pop culture featuring the talented Karen Lee Roberts as MC. Think of Karen as a disco ball on legs. This community showcase featured performances by DIDG (Deaf Indigenous Dance Group), MSDC (Madeline Stuart Dance Company), Screech Arts, Dance for Health (Queensland Ballet), Access Arts Singers and Access Arts Theatre & Dance Ensemble. 

I’ve witnessed firsthand the dynamic transformations of the Diane Cilento Theatre via the numerous excellent theatre productions that I’ve been privileged to attend. However, on this particular occasion, the theatre was devoid of any props except for a wide screen in the background that announced the individual performance groups and included intermittent video footage  – this sparse arrangement ensured that focus was centred on the performers. Members from Access Arts were already seated on chairs and on an array of sophisticated mobility devices as the eager audience filed into the space. 

The vibe oozed exuberance and the energy in the room was palpable! 

I’ve witnessed firsthand the dynamic transformations of the Diane Cilento Theatre via the numerous excellent theatre productions that I’ve been privileged to attend. However, on this particular occasion, the theatre was devoid of any props except for a wide screen in the background that announced the individual performance groups and included intermittent video footage  – this sparse arrangement ensured that focus was centred on the performers. Members from Access Arts were already seated on chairs and on an array of sophisticated mobility devices as the eager audience filed into the space. 

The vibe oozed exuberance and the energy in the room was palpable! 

Based in Cairns, DIDG

Based in Cairns, DIDG (Deaf Indigenous Dance Group) is a proud Deaf First Nations dance troupe. Four performers officially opened the showcase with the traditional ‘welcome to country’. The troupe was accompanied by an elder who played the didgeridoo and clapsticks. Two Auslan interpreters ‘signed’ the movements. In spite of their hearing loss, the dancers expressed their First Nations culture through a series of dynamic dance segments using facial expressions and body language to convey and enhance the storytelling. 

MC Karen Lee Roberts, resplendent in a sequinned black dress that sparkled unapologetically like Roberts herself, enthusiastically began the introductions and welcomed us to the show. 

MSDC (Madeline Stuart Dance Company) provides innovative, flexible creative opportunities for people with a disability. A group of ten performers from this well-established inclusive dance company entered the space, some rolling with others walking. The ensemble was brightly clad in frilly pink skirts worn over black tights and topped by black waistcoats. ‘Grease is the word’ was the highlight of their energetic dance routines as they emulated the moves from the hit movie with classics Greased Lightnin’, Summer Lovin’, Sha Na Na - Born to Hand Jive boosted by the audience’s toe-tapping and singalong. I mean, how could one not! Grease is such an iconic musical and this segment was made all the more enjoyable by the infectious energy of the skilled performers.  

Enter Screech Arts who provide training and performance opportunities via their inclusive performance and creative arts program. The attention grabbing blood red sneakers were an immediate hit! This diverse performance group dived straight into smashing pop and RnB hits with their confident and skilfully executed dance moves - (Let’s Dance) Put on your RED shoes by David Bowie ; As long as you Love Me by the Backstreet Boys ; Baby One More Time by Britney Spears ; I like to Move It Move It by Reel to Real - upbeat, tuned on and downright impressive. So much so that the urge to get up and dance was overwhelming for this wheelie!  

Access Arts Theatre & Dance Ensemble followed up with a hilarious convincing skit from the iconic TV series, The Love Boat which had the desired effect – non-stop giggles from the delighted audience! This was followed by an evocative lyrical Hip Hop dance piece – this segment being a brief teaser for what was yet to come… 

Queensland Ballet Dance for Health Program offers accessible health programs specifically targeted towards sharing the plethora of benefits for mental and physical health. A ballet mistress followed by her two mature aged pupils went through the motions of doing a warm up while seated. An accomplished keyboard player from Access Arts, who also happens to be visually impaired, accompanied the trio as they performed a simple ballet routine to Dancing Queen by the legendary Abba. This was immediately followed by Julie Andrews’ My Favourite Things, performed with a joyous, light-hearted approach.  

Then Access Arts Singers started performing and I was overcome with emotion! Guided by their expressive female conductor, the lyrics of each song was very deep and meaningful, and resonated with me on so many levels - A lovely Day by Bill Withers ; Let it Be by The Beatles ; Take me Home, Country Roads by John Denver ; I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who loves Me) by Whitney Houston ; Mama Mia by Abba ; Forever Young by Bob Dylan and the final touching song God only Knows by The Beach Boys - a smooth, harmonious, musical journey through time and pain, hopes and dreams.

If what went before was impressive then the encore performance by MSDC and Screech Arts slayed on every level. MSDC showed up decked out in ‘playing’ cards attached to their front and back. Each colourfully designed card represented a different character from Alice in Wonderland - the Mad Hatter, the twins Tweedledum & Tweedledee, Alice, Caterpillar, the Queen of Hearts - catapulting me straight back to my childhood. (Was I ever this young?). The synchronised lighting and captivating choreography was spellbinding and when Stuart, the ambassador / owner of MSDC,was gently lifted from her mobility device and paraded in the air, the audience went wild! 

Just when I thought we had reached the end, Screech Arts reappeared. This dance ensemble segment was led by Michael Doust, an outstanding performer whose musicality shines so brightly, the glare hurts! Sporting a noticeable blue tint, Doust wore a sequinned black top plus his trademark bright red sneakers and danced ‘like no one is watching’ in his mobility device to the beat of Lady Gaga’s uptempo Born this Way - Gaga doesn’t know this yet but she has a new rival in Doust. 

The finale involved the entire repertoire of performers ending the show on a real high, high note as they danced and sang their way through Bonnie Tyler’s I need a Hero… an apt way to end a magnificent afternoon where the actual heroes were already on that stage.

Icons Alive! is bold, demonstrative, expressive, warm, welcoming, emotional and downright brilliant. This multitalented and gifted cast of performers with disability excelled on every level in pushing boundaries, pushing buttons, but above all, pushing for change. Kudos to MC Karen Lee Roberts – her outrageously gorgeous costumes plus her ebullient onstage persona kept the adrenaline rush at full throttle. 

Differently abled never rang so true!

Icons Alive! played at Queensland Theatre’s Diane Cilento Studio on 20 September 2025 as part of the 2025 Undercover Artist Festival.