The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac - in Mandurah!

"He's an unflinching witness to a host of society's ills... linked together by a gentle, impassioned humanity and a wry humour that can have you helpless with laughter, then overcome by an urge to weep - and ultimately left thinking, and wanting to make life better. For real, and not in some cyber-limbo."
Review of The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac by Mary Brennan in The Herald

"An intellectually arduous and beautifully realized piece about the dangers of homogeneity, and what happens to the soul when it forgoes the richness of the imagination."
Review of The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac by  Hilton Als, The New Yorker

Ohhhhhh that sounds like just what I need.  Lucky me this Sunday night I get to go and see  New York performer Taylor Mac in action.  TimeOut New York called him  "One of the most exciting theater artists of our time" and American Theater Magazine says, "Mac is one of this country’s most heroic and disarmingly funny playwrights."

Astonishingly enough he is performing right here in Mandurah at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre.  I've seen some great stuff there already but nothing quite like this!  I do hope Mandurah realises how lucky it is, local folk bring their open minds to the the party and that I'm not the only one there!

(All photos swiped from here.)

Filling our boots

A while back I read an article in the West Australian newspaper headed Culture still struggles in WA .  I showed the article to my partner wondering what he would make of it.  He just laughed and said they should "Wear it like a badge!"

Thankfully for those of us who do like a spot of arts participation there are plenty of arts events on offer in WA.  A highlight of the calendar is the annual Perth International Arts Festival which opened on Friday night.  Our whole household went up to Perth for the spectacular free outdoor opening show (above) then my partner and I continued to fill our boots all weekend.

We saw The Red Shoes,

Donka: A Letter to Chekhov,

new dance piece Human Interest Story,

and The Manganiyar Seduction.

I'm too knackered to do proper reviews but it was a fabulous weekend and I was very, very happy with our selections. The festival closes on 7th March and we're living on beans again this week as we plan to get to several more shows yet.  WA audiences do seem to get their act together when supporting this festival as a few shows I've been slack about booking for are long sold out.  Yes, Houston we have a no interactive Mission Control tickets left problem.

Never mind.  I'm sure we'll still get our fill.  Well done to outgoing Artistic Director Shelagh Magadza and her team.  Great to see from the excellent audiences and their enthusiastic responses that we are not alone in our appreciation of their efforts.

(All photos swiped from the Perth Festival website.)