A generous space: the strengths and challenges of experimental performance

Despite being under-resourced, the experimental and contemporary performance sector in Australia punches well above its weight.

Sarah Aiken and Rebecca Jensen’s Underworld. Photo credit: Tearlach Wales. Aiken and Jensen’s latest work, Airports, can be seen at Adhocracy 2018.

A loaded phrase, ‘experimental performance’ often conjures up difficult works situated at the most challenging end of the arts spectrum, while for proponents of the genre it’s a field that’s alive with creative possibilities. But what do we mean by ‘experimental’ or ‘contemporary’ performance, exactly?  

Unlock Padlock Icon

Unlock this content?

Access this content and more

Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts