Dear Adults | Virag Dombay and Harry Fritsch
Dear Adults is a verbatim piece performed by children that explores different dynamics they have with adults and provides a stage for their questions and concerns to be heard. It’s the kind of show that I wished I would’ve had access to as a child, especially with growing up in a rural town and the difficulties that arose there. To be able to have those honest discussions with the adults in my life is something I yearned for when I was younger and still do to some extent.
As You Like It | ThunderBear Productions
A classic Shakespearian comedy, As You Like It is a drama that throws a big stick in the spokes of gender norms, what with a cast of characters that wander off the path on ill-conceived adventures, that fall in love quicker than you or I can drink a luke-warm latte, and are inclined to cross-dress without so much as a by-your-leave. It’s quite satisfying then, to see this contemporary staging heavily weighted with women, when once it would have been entirely performed by men.
The Great Grandiosa | Act React
If you have ever wanted to know what the winning lottery number is going to be, or what riches are coming in your future, then you might not find that at The Great Grandiosa. What you are guaranteed though is a fun night of hilarious comedy and a peek into what might’ve happened in our past lives as you are swept away by The Great Grandiosa’s psychic charm, tarot card readings and a deep delve into horoscopes.
I am King. I am Queen | Roýmata Holmes & Room to Play
It is still very rare to see the stories of queer people of colour on the stage and screen, especially Pacifika peoples, that celebrate their joy and the importance of ongoing connection to culture in their lives. It was a joy to see Roýmata share these experiences as a part of the showing and I particularly loved the passion that they showed sharing the stories of their family and the dances from The Cook Islands.
Rat Dog Double Bill | Esther Dougherty & Siobhan Gibbs
Surrealist, and dripping with symbolism, the show was ludicrously, awkwardly funny, a philosopher’s treat. A complex tangle, perplexing and challenging perhaps for anyone looking for a fluffy night out. But perhaps not.
The Shelter | Here + There Productions
Trapped in a random person’s garage with a group of strangers and limited time to get out may not be everyone’s cup of tea or idea of a fun night out. For many, this probably sounds tantamount to volunteering yourself for torture. If you’re in that category, bear with me, because I’m going to convince you getting yourself trapped will be a highlight of your Anywhere Festival.
Begotten | Minola Theatre
We see the relationships the women have with men unravel from healthy and supportive to dysfunctional and abusive. We see these women losing their identities and finding themselves, embracing motherhood and running away from it and either fighting against or succumbing to the hardships in their lives.
A Bed of Roses | Arbour Theatre Company
The five improv actors were so good I kept forgetting they were acting. They did an incredible job of staying in character despite so much distraction around them, while also handling the crowd through the scene changes.
Starter Boyfriend | Squirt Productions
We ventured into the mythical but very real ‘Virginity Store’ where the performers broke into song and synchronised dancing, listing some of the many ways to define sex. They drew focus away from traditional hetero-centric ideas of penis-in-vagina virginity and celebrated all the different ways to have sex, and thus virginities to be lost. It honestly got me excited for more first times in my life. There is such a big deal made over that one first time that often we forget to celebrate the others.
SHELTER | The Drawer Productions
SHELTER is a powerful and moving performance. I’d encourage anyone interested in immersive theatre to check it out if it gets the opportunity to run again. There’s a lot more to it than what I have touched on, but a big part of the experience is going in not knowing much and watching the mystery unfold, interacting with the bunker and following the Chapman family around as their complex relationships with each other are played out for us in a close and personal way.
Cluedo! The New Suspects | Brisbane Immersive Ensemble
Across the venue, blackmail, flirtations, arguments, and even a broom closet triste were playing out between the six key figures. While a number of confrontations played out in front of large gatherings of the audiences, many punters had taken to chasing after the characters who took their interest to try to catch a sliver of gossip or accusation to piece together the story. Gasps, cheers and accusations from the punters fill the space as each new twist and turn unfolded.
Intoxication | Before Shot
At its core, the show is about love and relationships and the anxiety, self-doubt, self-loathing, and questions of worth that can come along with it. Christopher addressed audience members as if they were people in his life, people he admired, desired, despised. The audience became participants, watching and being watched in the circle.
Sex, Lies & Betrayal – Memoirs of a Hollywood Star | JTM Productions
As we enter the room, we are soon introduced to Miss Nightingale, played by the talented Karla Hillam. Immediately I was captivated and engaged, with the intimacy of the setting it made you feel at times like a fly on the wall of something real. Karla brought the confidence required to play a charismatic Hollywood Legend, along with the elegance of a Grace Kelly, and the depth to show the struggle, pain, and haunting memories.
Sludge Bank | Chance Collective
It’s favourite kind of critique of the neo-corporate capitalist system. One that gives you a reminder to keep an eye on your consumer spending power and keep your ego in check, cause yes, if you are not part of the solution, you are most definitely part of the problem. Yes it’s kind of like your eccentric aunt is scolding you but with added songs and belly laughs and stupid jokes and weird puppets and strange voiceovers and homemade props and hilarious antics and cool hair. Ah art, it’s the best way to grow as a person.
The Realistic Joneses | Ad Astra
The Joneses truly are realistic and aren’t afraid to speak their minds about subjects that society deems taboo or overshare intimate details. The tension this creates makes us laugh, but it also makes us reflect on what society governs as a respectable conversation and whether we should repress or embrace our awkward reactions.
Conviction | The Hive Collective
Beginning in darkness, four figures barely visible on stage, the tension is palpable. Together they deliver the one punchy monologue, setting the scene inside the wandering and turbulent creative mind of our protagonist, a self-critical independent writer. When the lights switch on, the characters launch into action in the writer’s latest play and we watch the action unfold seemingly as it is being written, edited, unwritten, and changed.
The Revolutionists | The Curators
The play is a comedy set in Paris during the late-1700s “reign of terror” … At first glance this all seems historical and far-away, but we are brought to the here and now through a comedic exploration of real and present themes: colonial oppression, women’s rights, and the intersectional beneficiaries (and lack thereof) of revolutionary movements.
The Revolutionists | The Curators
The Revolutionists is a hefty two-acter, coming in at over two hours, and Gunderson’s text is dense and full of witty one-liners and dialogue that hit you in the feels. To do the script justice, it requires a cast that can balance an impeccable comic timing with pathos and poignancy, and who are able to build the tension of the looming threat of Madame La Guillotine. All four members of the class meet the high bar set by Gunderson with ease, to the point that I don’t think the smile left my face for most of the first act.
Elektra/Orestes | The Hive Collective
To me, Elektra/Orestes highlighted complex family relations, and in particular fraught mother-daughter relations. After all, Sophocles’ Electra inspired Carl Jung’s Electra complex, a psychoanalytical term to describe a girl’s attachment to the mother marked by a sense of competition over the father’s love and attention. The play also made me reflect on the dangers of self-righteousness and the malaise caused by the inability to put oneself in the shoes of others.
Cattle | Kate Coates and Cale Bain
As per many improv shows, Kate and Cale set up their scenarios with prompts from an audience member. What sets them apart is that some of the best laughs of the set came from in depth discussions with an audience member that followed the prompt. The duo’s natural responses to people’s (over) sharing that came from a place genuine surprise, curiosity and the right amount of gentle teasing was a joy to watch. When they received a response too sincere and moving even for them, they could only respond with, “We can’t mock that!”