Brisbane Festival: What's it all about?
Posted July 20th, 2010 by debritz
The big question about the Brisbane Festival is: who is it for? As I said on 612ABC this morning (the audio is here), there is plenty for people who like contemporary dance but not a lot of breadth or depth to the "high arts" program, and precious little for the Average Joe or Jo (apart, of course, from Riverfire). The community section seems to be targetted more at the community that creates art than the communities who might want to consume it, and there's not much in the way of family entertainment. A lot of this year's program was obviously put in place by former artistic director Lyndon Teraccini; the challenge for the new AD, Noel Staunton, is to decide what the festival is all about and put his own stamp on it. Hopefully, he will decide that it's not just for elites; that it should include some truly popular entertainment that will engage the entire Brisbane community. As I've said before, I'd love to see the return of a Warana-style community parade, built from the grassroots up, and we definitely need an Edinburgh-style fringe festival to inject a little fun into proceedings.
PS: This is a personal thing, but I think the new logo is amateruish; remiscent of the rush of wacky typography we saw when computer users discovered the likes of ComicSans.
Finally Brett,
Do you really think Brisbane is ready for a Fringe Festival of its own?, when Girl Glumsy is saying no one attended the Carnivals Edge last year?
Firstly Kuttsywood are you sure Riverfire was beaten in the ratings? last thing I heard it was a huge ratings puller.
Brett I have never been a huge fan of Brisbane Festival, however I think this years new look and feel is a exciting change! In-line with how Brisbane and its people are developing.
I couldn’t wait to get the program and I do agree with you there is allot of dance. But Brisbane’s fascination and fondness of dance is growing day by day, proven by the return of Expression Dance in to the Playhouse at QPAC
Girl Clumsy says
There's not that many local acts (again), and there certainly isn't an atmosphere of TRUE experimentation and fun, and of a city finding its artistic/comedic/dramatic nature.
Girl Glumsy the whole West End Live program is Brisbane related and highly focused on local acts. Under The Radar is all about experimentation, from both here and overseas and the tickets are dirt cheap allowing any one to see shows.
Brett I would like to draw your attention to theatrical show Are we There Yet by which all account sounds like a family show and is traveling to 10 suburbs around Brisbane, some of which have probably never had access to any kind of theatre or art.
And in terms of high-end art or at least good art. One of the worlds best photography is coming to Brisbane and only Brisbane – Douglas Kirkland
And we haven’t even started on the outside theatre at the Powerhouse!
BrisFan said:
"Girl Glumsy the whole West End Live program is Brisbane related and highly focused on local acts. Under The Radar is all about experimentation, from both here and overseas and the tickets are dirt cheap allowing any one to see shows."
Well, BrisFan, I can tell you that Under the Radar certainly has more "experimental" theatre types, but I can tell you it's stuff that has been done before. I submitted an application on behalf of my company to perform a show, and the feedback was that we didn't have enough physical proof (photos, videos) for the committee to select us. They want experimental acts, but they want stuff that has been proven to "work" or even to "offend" or "get people talking" elsewhere.
I would argue they're not taking TRUE risks.
Also - the West End Live event is one day. One day out of a festival.
The Carnival's Edge program ran EVERY DAY for three weeks.
I would argue there's a substantial difference in helping achieve
And I believe the reason people didn't attend the Carnival's Edge as much as they could have done (and I'm not saying it did poorly, it's just that in other cities such events would probably fare better), is that it wasn't marketed as well as it could have been.
Getting rid of it is not the answer. Retaining some element like that and properly promoting it IS the answer.
Cheers, Girl Clumsy.
I agree about Are We There Yet (the combination of Scott Witt, Bridget Boyle and Adam Couper sounds very good indeed) and the Powerhouse program, especially Macbeth. But really that's not a lot for general audiences. I can't see much else that would encourage csomebody who has never been to the theatre or any other kind of arts event to decide now's the time. And surely that's one of the functions of a festival. Then again, is it? As I've been saying, nobody seems to know exactly what the Brisbane Festival is all about. I'd love to see a poll undertaken during the festival. I bet most people in the burbs won't even be aware that it's on.
Exactly. Riverfire is the only event the community associates with Brisbane Festival, even then, it is a stepchild, from the once proud Brisbane Riverfestival.
I'd rather see the arts festival kept (returning to it's former winter date), and Riverfire spun off in 2011, alongside other things like a birdman rally (something Riverfestival should have tried), and a rubber duck race alongside other events (Riversymposium, a parade, dining on the Victoria Bridge etc.) as part of a new incarnation of Warana and Riverfestival: combining elements of both, with a public contest to name the event.
Oh my word, I definitely have ranty things to say on this topic.
Overall Brett I agree with you - while it doesn't trip my trigger, I can see your reasoning for the Warana parade.
Unfortunately, the BEST element about last year's festival has disappeared. The Carnival's Edge was a dedicated little set of venues set up outside QPAC under the big wheel. It had a bar and some food service, and lots of different shows on every night. You could hang out there for an evening and see one show, or two, or three, even four (or more). It was a brilliant concept - but marketed poorly.
I had several friends in the program, who put on fantastic shows, but just didn't draw the massive audiences such a program would get elsewhere. None of them seemed overly keen to get back; even though they admitted Brisbane was a growing festival and would probably improve.
Of course, not being a festival people want to come back to doesn't really help in the long run. It seems that it's for the people in Brisbane who moved here from Melbourne and Sydney and desperately want us to be seen as sophisticated as they are. So there's tons of weird dance and weird shows and off-the-wall stuff and experimental stuff and just plain ODD stuff.
There's not that many local acts (again), and there certainly isn't an atmosphere of TRUE experimentation and fun, and of a city finding its artistic/comedic/dramatic nature.
It makes me angry that you essentially have to be so-called "arty wankers" to get in. It just ALIENATES those who don't like art/drama/"culture" even more. Frankly, I am into the arts and theatre and it alienates me.
BF needs a serious rethink. Let's make things and enjoy them, not import them and stand around pretending to appreciate them because that's what they do in Melbourne.
I guess the decision to give Nine back the sponsorship now makes more sense, Brett.
I reckon Brisbane Major Festivals, knew that Riverfire last year was beaten in the ratings by football, and wanted to move the date to avoid any conflicts with the NRL.
I have said to friends that I'd love to find out why Seven lost the sponsorship.