Brisbane Festival 2023

The Brisbane Festival is gearing up to wow Meanjin audiences once again with a phenomenal program for 2023.

To see what’s on check out the Brisbane Festival Program: HERE

Here are some of our top picks!

Salamander (Dance)

Conceieved by Maxine Doyle and Es Devlin

1-4 September

A promenade dance-theatre work, Salamander sees a warehouse at Northshore, Brisbane transformed into a fully immersive, climate-fiction dream-like world through light, sound, design, and movement. Es Devlin’s labyrinthian and kinetic sculptures live within a flooded landscape which is inhabited by characters desperate to make a change before it’s too late.

Maxine Doyle – together with a dynamic ensemble of international, national and local dancers, including Brisbane’s Australasian Dance Collective, with extraordinary Australian composer and singer Rachael Dease – will bring this world to life with visceral dance, and haunting melodies.

With lighting by Ben Hughes and costumes by Bruce McKinven, Salamander is a transformative performance experience set in an epic installation created by the legendary Es Devlin.

Tae Tae in the Land of Yaas (Theatre)

By Shake & Stir Theatre Co

25 Aug – 17 September

Inspired by the true story of Estee Lee and written by her sister shake & stir’s Nelle Lee, Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! is a confronting, honest, heart-warming retelling of Tae’s journey from heartbreaking loss to a life top full of adventure, success and love. All bolstered by the support of a phenomenal family and a loving community – and a fabulously flawed Drag Queen.

Paralysed at six years old in a car accident, Tae struggles to come to terms with her readjusted reality. Lying in her hospital bed after yet another spinal surgery, she questions what the future holds for her and her family.

Resigned to let go of her futile fantasies, Tae’s world is suddenly flipped upside down by the loud and proud arrival of her fabulous Fairy Godmother – magic dust at the ready and poised to rewrite the narrative.

Together, they embark on a glittery adventure that challenges outdated notions of happily ever after and proves that true joy and fulfilment can be found in the most unexpected – and FABULOUS – of places.

Featuring internationally renowned Drag Queen Maxi Shield (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and introducing Maya Dove as Tae, supported by a cast of QLD favourites, Tae Tae in the Land of Yaaas! is a magical, camp, song and dance fairy tale of epic proportions with a heart of glittery gold.

10,000 Kazoos (Family)

23 September,  5:10pm

Take a deep breath, join as one and release an almighty chorus of kazoos! Come and join the world’s biggest, kazaniest orchestra ever – 10,000 kazoos-strong.

Have no musical ability or training? No problem. Simply stick a kazoo in your mouth, with the pointy end at the world, and send some do-do-dos down that tube!

Kuramanunya (Culture)

Thomas E.S. Kelly

13-16 September

Remembering the stories that remain unwritten and unspoken, returned to the earth and stars that they arrived from. Acknowledging that First Nations people are descendants of those who fought for land, family and identity. Not everyone continued to walk this physical world, many returned to the spirit world.

Kuramanunya honours them. Kuramanunya. The story is told.

Thomas E.S.Kelly’s (Minjungbal – Yugambeh/ Wiradjuri/ Ni-Vanuatu) new solo dance theatre work pays homage to the thousands of First Nation lives that were lost during colonisation. Don’t miss this world premiere from the makers of Festival hits SILENCE and Weredingo.

Eternity (Circus)

Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble

13-16 September 

In Eternity, these talented circus artists explore powerful emotions and delve into profound themes such as love, death, loss, hope and wonder. Through their breath taking acrobatics and awe-inspiring feats, they express the human experience in a way that will touch your heart.

This show goes beyond the physical capabilities of the human body, pushing the boundaries of what we can see and understand. It poses the question: can circus grapple with the mysteries that lie outside the visible realm?

Eternity is a show that immerses you in a state of rapture, featuring two monumental works of contemporary spiritual music by Arvo Pärt: Tabula Rasa and Fratres. As these captivating melodies fill the air, you’ll be surrounded by stunning architecture, creating an atmosphere that transports you to another world.

Camerata Cinamatheque (Music)

Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra

15 September (Camerata Cinametheque)

Building on Camerata’s hugely successful 2015 series Things that Go Bump in the Night, this spooky and surreal family-friendly concert features specially commissioned short films by the Oscar-nominated and Brisbane-born filmmaker, Anthony Lucas, with a live orchestra score performed by Camerata.

These bespoke films by Anthony Lucas traverse the impossible to the surreal, with lots of humour and a hint of the fantastic. Accompanied by a soundtrack of the suspenseful and dramatic, from works such as Bernard Hermann’s Psycho and Camille Saint–Saens’ Danse Macabre, this spooky and mysterious evening will keep you on the edge of your seat.

From gripping moments to laugh-out-loud comedy, Camerata perfectly complements the on-screen elements through music that will spook and delight.