Zac Burns 29/8/21 Zac Burns 29/8/21

Echo | ADC

I found myself appreciating the way each [video] used the editing process to produce new kinds of performances not otherwise possible. I was taken to beaches and country sides, highways and bushland; with each passing car a single dancer became three, and elegant hands multiplied upon themselves becoming ghostly worm-like entanglements. One dancer could pause at the end of a sequence only to be replaced by the next in the same position, continuing the next phrase like an Olympic relay of choreography and movement.

Catherine Lawrence 28/8/21 Catherine Lawrence 28/8/21

Romeo & Juliet | Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble

If you haven’t seen ‘a Shakespeare,’ then the Queensland Shakespeare Ensemble’s (QSE) Romeo & Juliet is a highly-accessible doorway into the Bard’s work. Love at first sight ends badly for the star-crossed lovers, but results in the end of a long-standing feud between their waring families. Go along to experience the anguish of love and loss, with great fight scenes, tender romantic moments, youthful rebellion, live original music, and memorable comic interludes.

Nadia Jade 24/8/21 Nadia Jade 24/8/21

Titanic: The Movie, The Play | Act/React

A light-hearted riff on a pop-culture film particularly beloved by GenXers, this is a tonic for the tumultuous times we live in. In a time of near endless impositions and challenges to our mental health, it was just So Nice to watch something silly and welcoming and cheerful and performed with joy and gusto.

Georgia McKenzie 19/8/21 Georgia McKenzie 19/8/21

A Midnight Visit | Broad Encounters

What the creative team of A Midnight Visit have created is truly something wonderful that transported me into a world where my imagination could run wild. I felt childlike exploring the rooms and listening to the characters, as though I was romping around an exciting large playground for the first time.

Lauren Hale 15/8/21 Lauren Hale 15/8/21

Lucy & Me | Nicolas Angelosanto

Lucy & Me charmed me with the tale of man, Sphenn, and his bike, Lucy, trying to get home to Germany. We followed the two on wacky adventures as they tried to make money for a plane ticket. Sphenn was part trickster and part fool, an effeminate, romantic, simple-minded, European caricature. Nicolas brought enthusiasm, extremity and maintained his character well. I enjoyed his commitment to silliness, wiggling his whole body or licking the corners of a stamp feverishly until he got a laugh.

Virag Dombay 5/8/21 Virag Dombay 5/8/21

Caesar | La Boite

Caesar isn’t really an adaptation of Julius Caesar, it’s a show about actors putting on a play. In fact, it wasn’t really about putting on a play, but more so about the disputes and individual philosophies between the actors. It’s all very meta.

Kati Murphy 3/8/21 Kati Murphy 3/8/21

Seen But Not Her | Vulcana Circus

I felt like I was watching the inner workings of a glorious music box. The cogs in this microcosm represented by the musicians and their instruments, and the mathematics intrinsic to music generally, and more specifically in the complexity of a piano trio such as this. Also trapped in the music box, layered over these inner workings were the physical performers, who for me were like spirits or muses who represented the imperfect nature of creativity.

Ads J 30/7/21 Ads J 30/7/21

Chocolate Boxx Vs Charlie Love | Rumble

Haven’t heard of Rumble? Where have you been? This is the little game show that could. A night of performance shaken and stirred in all the best ways that’s been running monthly for three and a half years and counting, which just gets better with age having recently picked up best regular event at this year’s Queens Ball. Punters keep coming back month after month for the shenanigans and it always sells out. And nestled in The Outpost Bar, one of the Valley’s hidden gems, makes it all very Kit Kat Klub in all the right ways.

Kristy Stanfield 26/7/21 Kristy Stanfield 26/7/21

Lesbian Love Stories | The Local Lesbians

There really aren’t that many live shows around made by lesbians about lesbians for lesbians. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to make sense of your own story through hearing those of others, and to realise the commonalities of lesbian experiences in confrontation with homophobia, compulsory heterosexuality, the many layers of denial and the internal struggle between passion and fear. I was really impressed with the range of topics the 60 minute show managed to cover. It was well planned and well-written, unfolding in an entertaining and engaging way.

Ads J 22/7/21 Ads J 22/7/21

In the Arms of Morpheus | Robbie Curtis & ARC Circus

With In the Arms of Morpheus, Robbie Curtis not only solidifies himself as a performer to watch, he pushes the boundaries of storytelling in contemporary circus. Through outstanding skills and impressive staging, he showcases how well circus can tell moving and immersive narratives.

Dr Fed 19/7/21 Dr Fed 19/7/21

Collision | Casus Circus & Mad Dance House

I am an enthusiast of circus acrobatics and hip hop dance, but admittedly I never thought of these two next to one another. Both these physical practices involve impressive feats, but they engage bodies very differently. Bodies in circus acrobatics move vertically, and “slow” is the magic word. Hip hop relies on quick feet, isolations, and power moves. And while circus acrobatics and hip hop dance are so different, I was pleased to see how they were harmonised in Collision.

Ads J 4/7/21 Ads J 4/7/21

How to Survive a Zombie Apocalypse | Dark Stories, Brisbane

The team quickly established their very particular rules and statistics for surviving the undead hordes outside the building and reminded us to pay attention, because we’re about to be tested. And test us they do, as those of us who don’t follow their advice drop like flies over the course of the evening, until only a few remain. I, for one, definitely did not survive.

Virag Dombay 25/6/21 Virag Dombay 25/6/21

The End of Us | Rouge Theatre Co.

Full of sharp dialogue, witty exchanges and very episodic in nature, Fenton’s writing created a very surreal landscape which surprised and delighted. The thread that wove the scenes together was split into two, jumping between different stages in Meredith’s (Georgie Oulton) and Archie’s (Calum Johnston) plutonic marriage mandated by law.

Virag Dombay 23/6/21 Virag Dombay 23/6/21

Wanted for Murder | InsideOutside Theatre Company

In the second act of the show, the audience is handed a clue pack and have an opportunity to question each suspect about their whereabouts the night of the gruesome murder and their relationship to the suspect. It’s not every performance that you get thrown headfirst into the characters’ world and get an insight into their motivations and I enjoyed it immensely. Truth be told, I got quite a thrill putting my detective hat on. Maybe a little bit too much.

Virag Dombay 20/6/21 Virag Dombay 20/6/21

Undertow | Shock Therapy Productions

Using the conventions of Epic Theatre, Foster and Jones allowed us to see their transitions in and out of characters and setting in a blacked-out stage. This not only placed an onus on the writing but also connected the characters lives and conflicts, showing that the difference between humans might be a metaphorical change of hat.

Kati Murphy 10/6/21 Kati Murphy 10/6/21

Cinemata Circus [May 2021] | Vulcana Circus

Vulcana definitely challenges any stereotypical notions of superstars, or a hierarchy amongst the talent; and they often blur the lines of audience and performer too. These are all gaps once thought impossible to bridge; and just another of the reasons, Cinemata Circus is such an exciting addition to the regular arts scene. If you want to be among the stars for the night, this is definitely the wagon to hitch yourself to!

Virag Dombay 10/6/21 Virag Dombay 10/6/21

Comedy Course Showcase, June 2021 | The Humour Experiment

As MC Dorothy May (founder of The Humour Experiment) said in her welcome address, tonight was all about stand-up tragedy and boy did the performers deliver. From toilet analogies to discussions to the social lubricant of alcohol to bad santa stories, there was no waiting at the door for the jokes at the Humour Experiment’s Comedy Course Showcase.

Virag Dombay 10/6/21 Virag Dombay 10/6/21

Wrecked | Life Out Loud Storytelling

Last weekend I went to Brisbane’s hottest storytelling group, Life Out Loud Storytelling, for a night of storytelling fun. The night’s theme was wrecked: stories about rust and ruin, which was quite frankly what had drawn me to the event in the first place. I’ve been to many storytelling cabaret-esque themed nights when the theme has been very airy fairy, so it was quite nourishing to the soul to have a theme that had some grit to it.

Ads J 3/6/21 Ads J 3/6/21

Fertile Ground | Ashleigh Musk and Michael Smith

The dancers invite, cajole and even pleade with the audience to take part in the construction of the world at multiple times throughout the performance. With besser blocks involved, you can be guaranteed this isn’t your average audience participation. The interpreter guides us at times, showing us how we can contribute to the world being build around us. Not all audience members took up the offer play a part in the performance, but none of us could deny we had a role to play throughout. The wordless offers from the performers are deliberate, at times earnest or exhausted. We are invited help to build the world around us, or let others do the work, but we have to decide our role.

Jaydem Martin 31/5/21 Jaydem Martin 31/5/21

People of Colours | Naavikaran and Grace Edward

People of Colours is an important performance that has been created by BIPOC performers and creatives behind the scenes, allowing them a stage where they can express themselves and speak on various issues that impact marginalised voices and people of colour.