Reviews

This Double Bill of One Act Operas was performed by WAAPA’s Classical Voice Students, beautifully accompanied on piano by Musical Director Tommaso Pollio. Both directed by Emma Matthews, they were simply presented but packed great entertainment value.

If you think your vote doesn’t make a difference, you need to find out about the Nadesalingam family – and this world premiere of a new Australian play for Brisbane Festival at QT is a good place to start. This is a story whose ending was uncertain right up until just weeks before opening night. Priya and Nades separately fled war-torn Sri Lanka and painful pasts, risking their lives to come to Australia as refugees. They married in Queensland country town, Biloela, settled into the community, made friends, and started a family.

WAAPA’s Final Year Acting Students, with WAAPA Production and Design Students, presented this classic play, in a vibrant and innovative production, adapted, directed and designed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, artistic directors of UK Theatre Company Cheek by Jowl. Playing at the State Theatre Centre, opposite WAAPA’s home from 2026, this production was a standing production, with the audience standing and moving around a central structure, and actors moving throughout the space. The audience become the Theban citizens, and actors speak to them directly.

What a perfect and uplifting way to start my Brisbane Festival adventure this week. Community Choir: The Musical is a homegrown musical by Brisbane choir leader, Emma Dean, and her community singing group Cheep Trill. The performance started with a beautiful Acknowledgement of Country song by Michelle Roberts. Simply stunning – and setting the scene for the fun show with an important message to follow. That is, this choir comes together to banish society’s negativity (and Donald Trump!) and find a space where people can be themselves and find their community.