As with Perth Festival last month, a flying visit to a state mid-festival affords the opportunity to get a feel for the line-up and pick out any overarching themes and commonalities. But attending the following performances may have given just a taste of Ruth Mackenzie’s direction and intentions for the next couple of years, but not a big enough bite to really make any bold proclamations.
What we can say is that the use of projection is becoming so prevalent on our stages that the line is increasingly being blurred between the theatrical and film/video installations. (Is there someone we can thank/blame for this? Possibly Kip Williams and his recent productions, starting with The Picture of Dorian Gray, which utilised video and screen work to such remarkable effect?) This ever-increasing reliance on tech brilliance and innovation was certainly noticeable in the Festival line-up at the midpoint.
