Brisbane’s BEMAC will present six original productions and three discussions in the first half of its 2025 programme, between February and June.
The 2025 artistic season is called ‘A Stage Called Home’.
“The season was named ‘A Stage Called Home’ to reflect BEMAC’s ambition to be the safest creative haven we can forge,” Producer Eyal Chipkiewicz says. “The season has exquisite live music, stirring dance, bold theatre, interdisciplinary experimentation, interstate travel, and interesting partnerships, all happening around the most majestically original take on multiculturalism I have ever witnessed in Australia.”
On top of the performances, BEMAC’s popular monthly Discussions series will return, with the addition of newly-formed improvisational group Run Free, creatively responding to each session.
“The future of Australian arts demands courage in creativity and unwavering commitment to artistic self-determination,” BEMAC Manager Hannah Attwood says. “As we implement this vision, we're not just supporting artists—we're participating in a fundamental reimagining of how cultural expression shapes our collective artistic landscape.”
Kicking things off is a kaleidoscope of multilingual poetry, songs, and instrumental music. . . Mixed in with dance and shadow puppetry, presented by The Resonant Heart: an all-female cast of interdisciplinary artists drawing from the embodied knowledge of their cultures.
BEMAC Discussions throughout the year will cover the role of the arts in preserving cultural narratives, the role of collectives in the arts landscape, and the challenges and rewards of transnational collaborations.
Karen Arango’s ‘Strumming On The Rim’ sees Karen creating a Latin American musical landscape, reflected from across the Pacific Ocean. Then, ‘Fusion’ from Thainoz delivers a vibrant tapestry of sound, where Indian classical music, Thai music and jazz intertwine to celebrate the beauty of cultural exchange and collaboration.
‘The Last Princess Of Lebanon’ is a one-woman play presented by Nadia Milford. It blends dance and theatre, tracing the extraordinary journey of Amira (Princess) Nadia Abillama of Lebanon, from the palaces of Beiteddine to a humble Queenslander in Dalby.
Lucky Lartey’s ‘Exoticism’ is an exploration of exotification and contemporary masculinity, delving into the collective lived experience of people with diverse backgrounds, performed by choreographer Lucky Lartey, with Vishnu Arunasalam. It’s a dance work deconstructing and reconstructing the notion of what diverse, contemporary work is expected to look like.
BEMAC’s 2025 artistic season begins with ‘The Heart Whispers And Whirls’ in March.
