TOP 5 SHOWS AT ANYWHERE FESTIVAL

The Anywhere Festival is back again starting this Thursday until May 26. With nearly 500 performances to choose from, there’s a show for all tastes. Here, we share our picks for the annual festival that brings you theatre anywhere (except for in a theatre):

For lovers of powerful theatre

We love dogs and we love resilient women! This one-woman play is the story of Mot, who drives 4,500kms through the outback with only her dog by her side, searching for the heart that seems to have disappeared from her chest. Travelling through the broken-hearted landscape of central Australia, Mot meets a suite of characters both cruel and kind, all in search of their own missing pieces. A moving portrait of grief, human frailty and the power of resilience, Highway of Lost Hearts by Minola Theatre is our tip for those seeking a unique and powerful night of theatre.

If you want to have a belly laugh

Award-winning comedy director, Chris Martin, is bringing his stand-up show, Claw Machine, to Brisbane after a successful run at this year’s Adelaide Fringe Festival. In his 60-minute show, Martin tells hilarious stories and personal experiences to prove a relationship exists between people and the popular arcade claw machine. We loved it at the 2018 Bris Funny Fest, so we know you’ll love this funnier iteration. Our tip is to take a spare pair of undies because you might wet yourself laughing!

Looking for light entertainment? Last year, Edge Improv won an Anywhere Theatre Festival award for their improvised Shakespearean show A Midsummer Night’s Whatever, and they are back with a new improvised show Salty Sea Dogs of Tall Tale Harbour. During each show, three old sailors will recount and re-enact a unique watery saga of tragedy and hilarity – all based on a few words from the audience. So weigh anchor, batten the hatches, and sail straight into Tall Tale Harbour…and beyond.

For those who love interpreting weird and wonderful art Continuing from it's premiere season at Brisbane Powerhouse, Vulcana’s As If No-one Is Watching - the installation, is an all-encompassing performance event of circus, theatre and storytelling. Like walking through a gallery of artworks, or like private rooms in a house, each space is alive with performance and each performance has special stories to tell. Augmented by your smartphone as throughout the show you can unlock audio of stories about each performer and the things they really want to say.

Watch this if you want to influence a comedy show

Anywhere Award Winner 2017 & 2018 Big Fork Theatre bring to life the fun, excitement and just a few of the frustrations, of taking a road trip with family and friends in an improvised play. Featuring some of Brisbane’s funniest improvisers and rising talent, Road Trip takes an audience suggestion and delivers a fully improvised piece of comedy theatre. The improv company is also performing Dinner with Friends at this year’s festival.