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Art Starter: Noel Staunton

Five minutes with Noel Staunton, Brisbane Festival Director.

If an actor was to play you in a movie or film who would it be? Bille Brown, because he is a larger than life character.

Where is the weirdest place you've seen a performance? In a quarry in Adelaide. The production was Peter Brook's Mahabharata and it was part of Adelaide Festival in 1988.

What was the first play you saw? Arsenic And Old Lace in my hometown of Limerick, Ireland.

If you weren't in the arts what would you be doing? I would be a chef, I'm a foodie at heart and really enjoy cooking and entertaining.

What excites you about this year's Brisbane Festival? Keeping Brisbane up past its bed time. This year South Bank will transform into the beating heart of Brisbane Festival and audiences will be able to see multiple events within one precinct. With Santos GLNG City Of Lights on every night of the Festival, families have endless opportunities to come early and enjoy free live music and entertainment at Santos GLNG Lounge, where they will get the best view of the laser light show. Grown-ups can party well into the night at The Courier-Mail Spiegeltent with a packed music line-up, the cabaret superstars of La Soirée, late night DJs and some of the Argentina's hottest musicians.

Brisbane Festival runs from Saturday 8 September to 29, various locations across Brisbane.