BitsFestival

Now that registration is OPEN, and we are starting to receive the registrations from some very early birds, we would like to set up a team of Volunteers to help coordinate the program and the artists at the various venues on the day.

If you would like to be involved, contact us via the website and put General Enquiry in the subject line.

Here is a bit of a taste of the vibe on the 1st day of the #BneFestival music is hot

Jeff Turpin ready to jazz it up at the Spiegeltent

Jos fills in his time creatively before the meeting begins

Can you place this fave haunt of Creatives?

Here’s a challenge for you. We’d like to create a Big Picture from all the magical Bits that make up the theatre and live performance scene in Brisbane.

Tweet a line from a show you’ve just seen, or a pic of part of the venue, or part of a poster, anything that interests you about theatre and live performance in Brisbane. We’ll post your tweets here on the blog, and see how well we all know our Bits.

The team at Powerhouse powering away to organise BitsFestival 2010

Left to Right: Heather, Shane, Robin and Jos

BitsF management team getting down to business round the kitchen table. Heather and Shane are on a roll.

Hello! Anybody there?

Yes, I’m back, and so is BITSF! It’s that time of the year, when the sun is bright and clear, but not too close, we’re all rugging up in our cardies and jumpers – well, alright, some of us are less hardy than others – and there is some GREAT theatre happening, and about to happen here in beautiful-one-day-I wish-it-could-be like-that-everyday Brisbane.

The Brisbane Festival is about to launch its program, check it out www.brisbanefestival.com.au and I’ve already booked my ticket for Sutra.

Metro Arts continues its fabulous Independents program, with andMoor Theatre’s debut performance, Tender on for another couple of weeks. You have two more chances to see The Chairs at The RoundHouse, and join in the debate – why is it done so well, but yet it doesn’t work? Check out a few blogs
Performing Arts Blog
Brisbane Critique

Meantime, watch this space – no seriously, do come back soon, there is movement at the BITSF station and you won’t want to miss out when the horses set off.

One of the aims of the recent bitsFestival was to open up new venues to local artists, to provide audience with experience of performance in unusual spaces.

So we are delighted to report that our ‘founding’ venue, Top Floor, has teamed up with one of our debut companies, Cradle, to present a new work straight off the back of the festival.

“Mad As Molly” Written and Performed By Cradle artistic director Eloise Maree will be presented at Top Floor next week. You may remember Cradle’s anarchic puppet play “Love and ToeJam” at the Fringe Bar, and the equally anarchic “Smarts of Conversation” at the Book Nook.

Prior to bitsFestival, Eloise had been hunting for an affordable space in which to produce this new work, and Top Floor had been sending out feelers to the theatre community to attract performance into the venue. With a bit of a nudge from bitsFestival Host extraordinaire, Brett Vaughan Smith, the two finally came together at the bitsFestival after party, hosted by Top Floor.

One week later, Eloise is heavily into the final stages of rehearsal, with the added advantage (as a genuinely ‘emerging’ artist, this being her first full length performance piece), of having Natasha and Amanda (team TopFloor) and myself as mentors.

“Mad as Molly” is a satirical journey through the life of one mad individual. Molly is an unsatisfied, lazy University student who longs to spend more time on Facebook and less on what she deems hard work. However after a chaotic birthday party, she is left with a massive job- cleaning the house. Join Molly as she works through the mess and mayhem of her life.

Pre-show entertainment will be provided by the hilariously sadistic “Twinkles the Clown” (Ross Lowe) – who premiered his latest one-man show “MacabreCadabre – Part 1″ at Top Floor on Saturday as part of the bitsFestival.

Tickets available through oztix or on the door

Moday 7th December- 7-9pm”Mad As Molly”- Preview ($5)

Wednesday 9th December – 7-9pm”Mad As Molly” – Opening Night ($7.50 Concession and $10 Full)

Thursday 10th December – 7-9pm “Mad As Molly” – Performance

Friday 11th December – 7-10pm”Mad As Molly” – Final Performance

and after party with two Brisbane bands “Tracy and the Shoemakers” and “Card Houses”

Now how cool is that?