How Brisbane Festival's "Youtopia" Is Giving Power To The People

"Peow! Peow!" David Berthold, the director of the Brisbane Festival, is in fits of giggles as he describes one of the biggest perks of his job — choreographing the annual pyrotechnic finale of Bris Fest, the Supersun Riverfire. "It's so much fun, figuring out where a rocket is going to go 'peow' in time to the music. I love it," he tells me, in between sniggers. Berthold is one of the most insightful, intelligent and influential curators in the country, but right now he's as giddy as a kid in a candy store.

This transformation is not dissimilar to the change that comes over audiences when an arts festival comes to town. People relax, become more receptive to the unfamiliar or the unexpected and generally open up, welcoming the bold, bizarre and beautiful cultures represented by shows imported from all over the world. The secret of this festival effect is all in the name, Berthold tells me. "It happens during the 'festival' of Christmas, or the 'festival' of a dinner party or a holiday. It's during those festive occasions that we let our guard down, and allow ourselves to absorb new ideas and experiences."

"It's during those festive occasions that we let our guard down, and allow ourselves to absorb new ideas and experiences."

It's telling that Berthold is so astute about the dynamics of human behaviour. With his inaugural program for the Brisbane Festival last year, he put some big topics in the spotlight. Examining, challenging and defying aspects of racial discrimination, sexuality and political oppression, 2015's programme tackled issues of global significance. This year, Berthold has swapped the macro for the micro, tightening his focus to bring the intimate and personal to the fore.

Under the banner of "Youtopia", 2016's program is giving power to the people, celebrating the individual in an age where technology has made everyone a voyeur, activist, and pioneer; agile participants, crafting the shape of our modern society. "Digital progress has created a world in which authority is more contested and the people more empowered than ever before," Berthold explains. "You need only look at the convulsions in the media and music, or the great wave of human migration powered by smartphones in the hands of almost every refugee, or the power of a tweet to swing a conversation, to see this in action."

Berthold has found several canny entry points to explore the personal perspective. Shows like visionary Belgian dance company Les Ballets C de la B's En Avant, Marche! bulldoze the fourth wall, exploiting audience participation to bring Brisbane's culture seekers toe-to-toe with the action. Radical reimaginings of universally treasured stories mess with our memories and expectations, such as French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj's Snow White, which gives this sugar-coated fable a kinky makeover with fetish inspired costumes by fashion icon Jean Paul Gaultier.

2016's selection also seeks to fill the gaps in Brisbane's year-round arts offering. "The city is already very well served by traditional formats: story ballets, proscenium arch theatre, musical theatre," Berthold observes. "It's pointless to duplicate that." The highlight amongst the Festival's more idiosyncratic shows comes from American dance prodigy, Jonah Bokear. Rules Of The Game, is the choreographer's minimalist collaboration with multi-award-winning singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams. This Australian exclusive fuses movement and video with Williams' first orchestra score for theatre or dance.