Local and international acts to shine in most ambitious Brisbane Festival yet

4 Jul 2019

Sought-after international productions will share the spotlight with some of Queensland’s most talented performers at an unmissable Brisbane Festival this September.

Today saw the launch of the 2019 program for Brisbane Festival, one of Australia’s premiere arts events that contributes enormously to the state’s economy. Brisbane Festival 2019 is set to be a show stopping three weeks, featuring 84 works, including five world premieres and 12 Australian premieres. 

Last year’s festival smashed box office records, with more than one million people injecting over $38 million into Queensland’s economy.

Each year the Brisbane Festival gives us a chance to tell the stories of our city and our state, while bringing the stories of the world to our shores.

A major highlight will be the landmark international production Invisible Cities, a vast and ambitious production by some of the world’s best arts practitioners, coming to the festival directly after its world premiere at Manchester International Festival. Not only is this multi-artform production set to captivate audiences with its artistry and scale, it offers exciting opportunities for local artists to collaborate with global leaders in their fields through a professional development program.

Other program highlights include dynamic Queensland productions such as Communal Table by Dancenorth, You and I by circus sensations Casus, and Eurovision star Kate Miller-Heidke in concert. There are also major international works, Rite of Spring by Yang Liping Contemporary Dance and two productions from lauded South African theatre company Isango Ensemble.

Brisbane Festival Artistic Director David Berthold said this year’s event was the most adventurous program to date.

“The festival has matured enormously in recent years, and we thought the time had come to shift the goalposts,” Mr Berthold said.

“Within our overarching themes of Revels, Revelations and Romances are huge productions that reveal microscopic insights into the world, and small shows that pose some of life’s biggest questions.

“Love and light stream through the festival this year, and I invite everyone to join in the revelry, revelation and romance this September.”

The 2019 Brisbane Festival will be on from 6 to 28 September, for more information on and to view the full program, visit https://www.brisbanefestival.com.au/.