Hayden Moon

It’s a chilly but beautiful winter’s night on Cadigal land as I walk towards the Sydney Opera House. The lights of Vivid Sydney paint the harbour with mesmerising displays, creating the perfect atmosphere in the lead up to seeing Bangarra Dance Theatre’s brand new production, Illume. While Vivid lights up the exterior of the iconic Opera House, Illume sets the stage alight from the inside.  An otherworldly spectacle, Illume is a collaboration between Mirning choreographer (and Bangarra’s visionary artistic director) Frances Rings and Goolarrgon Bard visual artist Darrell Sibosado. Sibosado, known for his innovative contemporary light installations, lends his talents to the set and stage design in a theatrical experience that pays tribute to the creation stories of the Bard and Jawi people and the cultural hero, Galaloong.  As the performance begins, audiences are immediately awestruck by a stunning display of the night sky – the dancers are enveloped by twinkling stars projected onto a sheer screen at the front of the stage and also on the back wall, with yet more lights darting around the stage providing an atmospheric glimmer. Elizabeth Gadsby’s costume design complements this, sparkly black dresses shimmer under the lights, alluding to the pristine beauty of land and sky untouched by environmental pollution. As the story progresses, and with each change in season, the costumes reflect the surroundings; shades of brown, red and beige are worn in the warmer and dry seasons.

As the audience enters the downstairs space at Belvoir St Theatre for the premiere of Snakeface, our eyes are immediately drawn to a large, pale rectangular object in the centre of the stage – whispers are exchanged, questioning what exactly it is. There is a black screen at the back of the stage, thin web-like material hangs from the lighting rigs, and a person (who we assume to be the titular Snakeface) is crouched to the right of the screen, shifting every few seconds from left to right.  This new one-person show presented by Fruit Box Theatre (Back to Birdy, Cruise) draws on the legend of Medusa, the famous snake-haired monster figure from Greek mythology, to tell a modern story of self discovery that grapples with overcoming sexual trauma, and the beauty and brutality of moving through white Australia in a queer Black body. Despite the heavy themes, writer/performer Aliyah Knight and director Bernadette Fam are able to balance elements light and dark well. The audience goes on a journey with Snakeface, a freshly dumped 23-year-old, as she rampages through the queer clubs and art studios of a slightly surreal Sydney, recounting relatably awkward high school experiences, and falling in love with her teenage bestie (an experience that’s all too relatable for those of us who grew up questioning our sexuality).  ...beautifully poetic, dancing steadily through the heavy moments as well as the lighter parts of the story Knight gives an incredibly powerful and emotive performan