Hope One 25/9/21 Hope One 25/9/21

Right To Party | Babushka

Large colourful blow up props sit comfortably within the set, bright and bold objects scattered neatly around the three microphones that accommodate the stellar trio. Add some big hair, fishnets and big socks to top off the vibrancy the cast portrays and a dance party worthy lighting show. The production was kaleidoscopic.

Saskia Sassen 24/9/21 Saskia Sassen 24/9/21

Forgery | ADC

All of the instructions are random, which makes each transition hilarious but also breathtaking. My eyes dart from each side of the stage as they transition and morph into many different shapes and movements.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.