Queensland's arts scene is positively bursting.
On one side is the modern – Bleach Festival, BIGSOUND, and Brisbane Festival – while on the other, tradition shines with the 100th anniversary of La Boite Theatre. Add in a helping of newer iterations, such as Brisbane Winter Sessions, and the arts are alive and well in the Sunshine State.
The changing of the political guard in-state has seen John-Paul Langbroek take over the reigns of Minister for Education and the Arts, and he is adamant that under his hand, the arts will continue to flourish. "It's a very exciting time," Minister Langbroek beams.
"We just launched Queensland's Time to Shine, our ten-year plan for deliberately growing the arts and cultural sector in the lead up to and beyond the Olympics. An important part of an Olympics is the Cultural Olympiad, including the opening and closing ceremonies.
"It's about showing off what Queensland has to offer in all regions. They might be called the Brisbane Games, but we want people in all regions to be part of it.
"I launched our state document with Bleach Festival curated by Michael Zavros, and we have Brisbane Festival and BIGSOUND coming up as well. Also, our Sting announcement (14 August) at our brand new theatre [at QPAC]. He's done his play 'The Last Ship' only in Amsterdam and Paris, so the only other place you'll be able to see it is here in Queensland."
Langbroek has hit the ground running in his nine-month guardianship, and he's eager to share his plans, especially relating to regional Queensland. "We're supporting 52 organisations with $39 million and 18 of those are regional.
"Whether it's a disability organisation called Crossroads in Mackay, Dance North Festival of Northern Australia, Circa, or traditional ones like the Symphony Orchestra, we want to support the whole range of organisations.
"The orchestra recently toured to Gladstone, we want to encourage that, so we're helping them with funding, and I announced three-year funding for the Flying Arts Alliance, Australia's biggest regional arts awards.
"Another part is coordinating those organisations with schools, so we've got a musical programme in schools. We want kids to say, 'I was inspired by seeing a musical or a ballet at school' to become that."
John-Paul shares how he came to manage the Arts and Education portfolios together, a positional combination that hasn't been seen in some time. He then confides how he shows his true passion for the role of maintaining that, which has afforded him so much joy in his life.
"I've been the Education Minister before between 2012 to 2015. The Premier allocates the portfolios and the two biggest are health and education. There are three former leaders of the opposition in our party, myself, Tim Nicholls – who has the Health portfolio, and Deb Frecklington is the Attorney-General. It's an unspoken tradition that stewardship of those portfolios is given amongst the most senior MPs.
"To have arts as well is a wonderful add on for me, because there's a really good tie in between education and the arts. I'm the first Education and the Arts minister for 16 years, and it's a great honour.
"It's first of all putting your feet under the desk and establishing your credentials. People can tell whether you are interested in any portfolio through event attendance.
"I launched programmes like the Opera, the Ballet and Queensland Theatre, all of which I've attended since I was at university. I went through the typical adolescence of going to lots of concerts for which I used to keep all the ticket stubs in albums," he says, showing his sentimentality.
"I think it's a really important part of life in Queensland and Australia that there's a lot of focus on sport. People don’t even realise singing the team song is part of the arts. There are lots of things that people don't necessarily consider to be arts that I think are arts and culture.
"It'd be a grey, black and white world if we didn't have arts and culture. In my portfolio, I've got textiles, I've got Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal art workers who are making things that are admired around the world.
"Groups like Artisan, and all the way through to literature, theatre, music, popular music, classical music, opera, the high arts and musical theatre. There's just so much to it. We've also got festivals like BIGSOUND in early September; 120 artists in the laneways of the Valley. I've been and I loved it."
Unafraid to shy away from a difficult question, Langbroek comments on the perception of left-leaning political parties being champions of the arts, while right-leaning parties can be seen to leave arts as an afterthought.
"I don't know how it's developed over time. It's something I definitely don't agree with, but that depends on who has the role. I've met with other arts and culture ministers, including Tony Burke [federal Minister for the Arts], and he knows I'm committed to enhancing funding in my state, and working with the federal government.
"I think there's a lot of performers from the left side of politics and that leads to that perception. All I can do is turn up and be genuinely interested in attending, and access more funding.
"This year, we got $9.4 million more for a regional arts fund, and we didn't cut anything in the arts. We've added more money to it, so I think the proof's in the pudding. I want to promote talent and skill," Langbroek says firmly.
Langbroek's longstanding confession of love for the arts was proven when he posted regarding the 40th anniversary of Wembley's Live Aid concert, showing his own ticket and photos he snapped when he attended the event.
"I was a dentist working in England and we all listened to 'Top Of The Pops'. We bought tickets through a friend's dental nurse, they were I think five pounds with a fifteen-pound donation to Bob Geldof's charity.
"Back then, you'd take three shots or two shots at different angles, get the photo developed and join them together in your album. I posted those photos recently with the ticket. I remember Status Quo, who were on early, and Queen. When Freddie looks over his shoulder in the movie, that was where we were sitting.
"I went to lots of other concerts as a young 24-year-old Australian living in England. We saw INXS at Royal Albert Hall, and Mental As Anything at the Hammersmith Odeon. We'd buy a magazine like scenestr, which had upcoming gigs.
"I saw Queen at Wembley Arena. That was amazing as the English sing-along and clap much more than Australians do, because of their football culture. Venues in Australia where you've got to sit down and you're not allowed to stand up and clap are a bit of a killer, when people abuse you for standing up."
Langbroek's love of the arts gained a permanent companion when he began courting his future wife Stacey, bringing her into his beloved world. "Over the years, we saw lots of things, like Rudolf Nureyev at the London Festival Ballet.
"We were young Australians overseas having everything from pop events to rock events to classical, but our first date, I took Stacey to see a movie called 'The Secret Policeman's Other Ball', and the Queensland Theatre Orchestra.
"She'd been used to going out with football players, so she thought I was a bit weird. That's a programme that I still have, and the ticket," Langbroek says, ever the sentimentalist.
