Discover A Festival, Anywhere!
Whether you’re sitting amongst the tomato vines or in someone’s lounge room, the Anywhere Festival is a chance to embrace a new kind of theatre that has so far delivered more than 2,625 performances to over 492,400 people in the most unusual places from Brisbane to Noosa.
UPDATE: THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN AMENDED DUE TO COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Performances will go ahead giving you the opportunity to join independent performers online as we all make sense of what’s happening around us. To find out more and for updates regarding tickets, please contact paul@anywhere.is
This unique festival works hard to celebrate a world-wide movement for exciting, engaging, passionate storytelling
regardless of the location. You won’t find an usher, red velvet seat or spotlight as the Anywhere Festival brings art and culture to the masses in a quirky and fun way.
As the creative director for the Sunshine Coast and Noosa arm of the Anywhere Festival, Toni Wills has helped handpick an impressive array of performances. The festival is now in its tenth year overall and fourth year on
the Sunshine Coast and Noosa. Toni says the festival is so successful because people are eager for art outside of the
mainstream.
“The festival is as relevant as ever 10 years on and the expansion and success of the festival in the regions over the past four years is testament to its continued relevance,” she says.
The platform serves both artists who want to present performance in unique spaces and audiences who want something outside of the mainstream theatre experience.
“People love Anywhere Festival in part because it happens where they live, work and play and because it’s fun and
interesting,” Tony says.
“To be able to access great performance locally and in locations such as a pool, a gallery, a laneway, a carpark, a gym or in a person’s home is very appealing to people. We like to say that Anywhere offers extraordinary experiences in everyday spaces.”
The Anywhere Festival is the ultimate creative incubator with artists able to be more innovative and experimental because they are not laden with costly venue hires. For viewers, this means affordable and accessible culture.
“By having these awesome non-traditional venue partners, we also open up opportunities for artists to play and think outside the (black) box – an Anywhere show in a car park may use car headlights as lighting for example or a show set in a cellar will use an actual wine cellar hence, making the storyline and the space connect in a way that is a true and less staged experience for the audience,” Toni explains.
The good news for event-goers is tickets start from just $10 and with such relaxed settings and performances on offer, this is the perfect taster for anyone who has always wanted to explore the world of art, theatre and performance.
As Toni says, the performing arts needs us as audience members to listen, see and experience a story from another
person’s point of view to foster empathy.
“And let’s face it, we could all do with more of that,” she says.
“Communities have so much to gain from embracing the arts. Buying a ticket and seeing a show, you are supporting artists and helping create a vibrant culture where you live.
“Art and culture certainly make life more interesting and often opens up opportunities for necessary conversations. There is so much to be gained just from getting out and about amongst it all and the Performing Arts, in particular, requires the physical presence of the audience, encourages people to turn off the television, get out of the house, talk to people and engage in the physical world and communities around them.”
