We decided to sit at the back row and even then the sound was fantastic.  The ‘visual’ (ie setting, actors..) hyperreal, maybe it was the lighting?  Or maybe it was the juxtaposition of the everyday – the man jogging along New Farm Park, or the CityCat rolling by, or the occasional airplane in the sky.  Or maybe it was because it was held out in the open so the sky becomes your ceiling and the Brisbane Powerhouse walls transforms (like during the Launch) into a unique backdrop for the play.  Not sure if ‘hyperreal’ is even a proper or real word (it was the first and only thing to come up) to describe it.  Again, you will need to watch a show to see what I mean.

Michael Gow opened the event.  I like Marcus Graham’s voice – it’s very suited to the character of Macbeth.  Lady Macbeth is fierce.  There’s blood and swords and glittering jewellery and…better not say more, you will need to see it.

It was my first dress rehearsal for Macbeth and I would love to attend their final show just to see how the actors settle into their characters.

The Goodwill Bridge was transformed this morning into a whole new world – imagine getting off the South Bank Parklands or near QUT into a bridge filled with people (some even decked out in all things French), French food, cafe style seating, artists on pianos or with chalks creating scenes on the bridge itself.  It was a great way to start the morning after QBE Riverfire and a nice way to start Brisbane Festival.

A Close Knit was also there and I was kitted out with a mini knitted badge in French colours.  Very chic!

Jazz on Sunday

After Sunsuper Riverbreakfast, I made my way through QPAC’s Cascade Court which was buzzing with activity.  I don’t usually go through this area during the weekend, and if I do it’s usually during the night, so it was a nice surprise.  Later on was the first Jazz on Sunday session with the Bassboy Band, Chris Poulson Trio and the Frank Zappa Big Band!  Starting from $15 you can appreciate three hours of jazz music at the Spiegeltent.  Even though it was raining (it was raining most of the day), people got into it and it was quiet easy to do so because of the unique venue and the jazz.  I especially enjoyed Frank Zappa Big Band!

Cantina

Wow, first of all – I think that it is amazing that they are playing every night except for Monday and for that I appreciate them in terms of their endurance and physical skill.

We waiting in the rain for about half an hour to get in but soon immersed ourselves into this new world of Cantina – where a doll twists and turns her limbs to make sense of her surroundings, passion and violence interchange together between two performers, audience members gasp loudly, clap, shriek out, laugh, giggle, eyes turned up to the ceiling in anticipating…the audience are very much into it.

I’m wanting to head along for another night of Cantina!

First off, there is something wrong with the name of this article.  Since when did trust equate to being paid?  If I come across a paid salesman, does that mean that I immediately trust him or her?  Similarly, I have come across numerous volunteers who can be trusted to the right thing.  Indeed, absolutely wrong for the author to equate trust with paid or unpaid.

Another line that I have an issue with, “everyone is a critic these days” – well, I agree and I disagree at the same time.  I think that it is easy to publish – whether it is a blog, a tweet, a YouTube video – but there are still elements that separate and these are unique.  There is reputation – what are other people saying about you.  There is passion – why are you putting this amount of effort/money into your own work.  There is networks.  There is personal history and experience.  There is more to the separation of ‘wheat’ and ‘chaff’ beyond the name of the publication and beyond how much (if they are getting paid) there is involved in terms of writing.

I shudder at the whole “they are just a blogger” thing (from a blogger perspective) but at the same time I can understand why some are asking for media accreditation (from the events perspective).  It seems to be a case by case scenario – the sheer vastness of Edinburg Fringe is different to a two hour local conference which means that there is less grabs for tickets at the local conference compared to the numerous desireable shows at a popular, huge fringe festival.

My personal stance is – see the shows that you want to see, work with those who want to work with you, write what you think needs to be written and publish what you think needs to be published.

First and foremost, you have to believe in your work.  You need to be the first person to believe in your work at the very least.

Rant aside, there is a quiet important question posed – should amateur reviewers be more ‘organised’ (ie a formal code of practice).  I think that there is room for such, such as an industry body or even an association, but I don’t think there is a huge value in this other than that feeling of belonging to a group.

What do you think?

The format of Ignite is interesting in the way that you are basically not allowed to talk about YOUR company or business.  You pick a topic that you want to talk about, send a presentation pitch to the organisers and confirmed presenters need to get up on the night to speak.  Oh, and each slide must change at a set time (I think 20 or 30 seconds) and you have no control over this!

It’s almost like a fun game…unless you’re scared of public speaking…

This event is FREE however ticket registration is a must.

The Australia Business Arts Foundation Award is on at the same night but will be heading off to The Edge after this finishes.

The lineup for this month is stellar:

Luke Steele, Samsung Australia, Partner Manager

Luke Steele, Samsung Australia’s Partner Manager is going to talk about bada, Samsung’s new mobile operating system. Luke’s going to talk through Samsung’s investment strategy for bada, showcase the bada application market and ecosystem, and of course show off Samsung’s first bada-equipped handset, the Samsung Wave.

Rhys Cooper, Doo Phone

Rhys Cooper, from Doo Mobile, will be talking on the challenges of providing accessible solutions for people with disabilities in the mobile market. In particular, his Doo Phone interface – how and why it came about, and the amount of impact something so simple can have on someone’s life.

then finally…

Hannah Suarez, Online Marketing Coordinator, Brisbane Festival