Elise. Writer & caffeine-based life form. Exploring my city and discovering its best kept secrets. Join me on my adventures!
20/12/2024
Step into a world of glittering allure and extraordinary talent at the inaugural Mx Burlesque Masters. This bi-annual extravaganza will celebrate excellence, showcasing previous title holders who have also contributed significantly to the burlesque community and industry.
Performances will push the boundaries of artistry, featuring masters who have refined their craft to perfection and are also innovators, educators, and leaders who have shaped the burlesque world.
Mx Burlesque Masters 18 January 2025 The Princess Theatre, Woolloongabba Please note that this event is 18+ Step into a world of glittering allure and extraordinary talent at the inaugural Mx Burle…
18/12/2024
It’s Felix’s 31st birthday, but all his parents want to talk about over dinner is his boyfriend Lucas’ loss to Rodger Federer. That is, until Felix mentions that he and Lucas plan to continue their open relationship even if they decide to get married – a backhand smash that kicks off a debauched game of doubles.
PIP Theatre launches its 2025 season with 7th Floor Theatre’s production of Angus Cameron’s Australian Open, a quirky contemporary comedy of manners serving laughs and surprises.
Australian Open 8 – 18 January 2025 PIP Theatre, Milton PIP Theatre launches its 2025 season with 7th Floor Theatre’s production of Angus Cameron’s Australian Open. This sharp and fast-p…
16/12/2024
Disco diva Deloris’ life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Placed under protective custody, she is hidden away in a convent and helps her fellow sisters find their true voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own.
Casey Donovan will lead Sister Act The Musical as Deloris, the role made famous by Whoopi Goldberg in the film, with Genevieve Lemon and Rhonda Burchmore also donning the habit as Mother Superior and Sister Mary Lazarus.
Playing at QPAC from 8 February 2025.
Casey Donovan and Genevieve Lemon in Sister Act the Musical, photographed by Benny Capp Sister Act the Musical From 8 February 2025 Lyric Theatre, QPAC, South Bank The most heavenly of musicals,&nb…
13/12/2024
Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Dreams and Stories concert brought together an interesting range of pieces and composers, from guest soloist William Barton to John Williams, Sculthorpe, Mendelssohn, and Stravinsky.
Dreams & Stories was hosted by vocalist Ashleigh Denning and led by guest conductor Katharina Wincor on her first visit to Australia, exploring and celebrating storytelling in its many forms, including music, ballet, theatre, and cinema.
Read my full review online now ✨
William Barton performing with Queensland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Katharina Wincor. Photographed by Darren Thomas. Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Dreams and Stories concert brought togeth…
11/12/2024
Naomi Price and a sparkling cast of Australian music theatre sweethearts unite to deliver all the hits from beloved holiday classic Love Actually, wrapped up with comedy and charm. Bursting with nativity lobsters, cinnamon sticks and endless fun, Christmas Actually is the ultimate silly-season starter.
Playing at BRISBANE POWERHOUSE from 10 - 15 December 2024
Christmas Actually 10 – 15 December 2024 Brisbane Powerhouse, New Farm Naomi Price and a sparkling cast of Australian music theatre sweethearts unite to deliver all the hits from beloved holi…
09/12/2024
Victoria Park’s Christmas Putt Putt has returned for another year. It’s a tee-riffic Christmas activity that will have you feeling merry and bright, with festive fairways decked out in bows, bells, and twinkling lights ⛳✨
You can take a swing at the Christmas course until 2 January 2025.
Christmas Putt Putt Until 2 January 2025 Victoria Park Putt Putt Course, Herston Victoria Park’s Christmas Putt Putt has returned for another year. It’s a tee-riffic Christmas activity that w…
06/12/2024
Brisbane Music Festival (BMF)’s seventh year has spanned August and October and will continue from December 13-15. All performances are at FourthWall Arts on Queen Street, Brisbane City, and the festival programme features 21 events by more than 30 creatives, including 11 world premieres and 13 Australian premieres.
Read more on the website now.
Brisbane Music Festival (BMF)’s seventh year has spanned August 10 + 23-25, October 25-27 and will continue from December 13-15. Tickets are $25 for all performances at FourthWall Arts on Que…
04/12/2024
“The festival has, over its seven seasons, become more focused exclusively on contemporary music and Australian work. I like to think of BMF being a platform for innovative and risk-taking art that doesn’t have a voice or platform elsewhere within the Brisbane scene.”
Alex Raineri is the Artistic Director and Producer of Brisbane Music Festival which is now in its seventh year and continues from December 13-15. You can read more from Alex on the website now.
Alex Raineri, photographed by Trish Dean How did the Brisbane Music Festival (BMF) begin, and how has it evolved? BMF began in 2018, this is the seventh season in 2024! It began as a way to focus a…
02/12/2024
Escape the summer heat and head to the cool rainforest of Mt Glorious this Saturday to experience sparkling chamber music by Ensemble Trivium in the newly renovated Elm House.
Mozart’s Flute Quartet in D major opens the program with elegance and charm, followed by Jean Françaix’s sparkling String Trio and concluding with Dvořák’s American Quartet, adapted for flute and strings, offering a fresh perspective on this beloved masterpiece with its rich, folk-inspired themes.
Effervescence 3pm, 7 December 2024 Elm House, Mt Glorious Escape the summer heat and head to the cool rainforest of Mt Glorious to experience an enchanting afternoon of sparkling chamber music in t…
29/11/2024
Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs are Women Like Us—two of Australia’s most relatable and hilarious comedians. With over 320 sold-out shows across the country, 5-star reviews from Adelaide Fringe Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival, this powerhouse duo brings their uproarious act to new corners of Australia in 2024.
Playing at PIP Theatre as part of Toucan Club from 5 - 7 December.
Women Like Us 5 – 7 December 2024 PIP Theatre, Milton Mandy Nolan and Ellen Briggs are Women Like Us—two of Australia’s most relatable and hilarious comedians. With over 320 sold-out shows ac…
28/11/2024
The twelfth and final day of Backstreet Brisbane's 12 days of Christmas is about giving the gift of an experience, from workshops and at-home making to tickets, season passes, and subscriptions. ✨🎄🎁
Thanks for following along, and I wish you and yours a very restful and happy holiday season!
If you’ve followed along with 12 Days of Christmas at Backstreet Brisbane – thank you! Supporting local means a lot to me and it’s great to see so many others with the same enthusiasm. The twelfth …
27/11/2024
From Australia's oldest operating distillery to a wide range of craft beers, Day 11 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas gift guides focuses on local tipples you might like to gift or bring along to your celebrations. Cheers! ✨🎄🎁
There’s always plenty of champagne and six packs in our family fridge for Christmas (and usually heaps left over for New Year’s celebrations) but here are some local tipples you might like to bring…
27/11/2024
Mitchell Fine Art proudly presents the first solo exhibition of Brisbane artist Dylan Sarra, which invites viewers to explore the deep connection between fire and First Nations culture, as experienced by the artist. This exploration of fire underscores its role in shaping identity and community, celebrating the resilience and ingenuity of First Nations people. Viewers are encouraged to reflect on our relationship with fire, heritage and the natural world.
Showing until 14 December.
Embers of Heritage 29 October – 14 December 2024 Mitchell Fine Art Gallery, Fortitude Valley Mitchell Fine Art in Fortitude Valley Brisbane proudly presents the first solo exhibition of Brisbane ar…
26/11/2024
Day 10 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas is for the foodies! Holidays are so often centred around food, and it's a great gifting choice if the people you love have enough 'stuff' in their lives - from locally made sweet treats to fresh produce, check out these local businesses for your food-loving loved ones ✨🎄🎁
Holidays are so often centred around food, and it’s a great gifting choice if the people you love have enough ‘stuff’ in their lives – from locally made sweet treats to fres…
26/11/2024
In the infinite cosmos, our world is a small but beautiful fragment and we homo sapiens are said to represent a mere 14 seconds of its condensed existence. We have achieved much in our 14 seconds, but at what cost?
A collision of physical and visual languages, The Next 14 Seconds by Phluxus2 Dance Collective draws from the disciplines of dance, theatre, visual and sound design to explore a rich tapestry inspired by human evolution.
Playing at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre from 28-29 November.
Image by Jade Ellis Photography, Arabella Walker and Sean Dowling Design The Next 14 Seconds 28 – 29 November 2024 Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, South Bank Quicker than an intake of breath our univ…
25/11/2024
Day 9 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas is a gift guide full of goodies for the children in your family, whether they be two-legged, four-legged, or otherwise! ✨🎄🎁
Gifts and goodies for the children in your family, whether they be two-legged, four-legged, or otherwise! Works at Play A small family business based in Brisbane, Works at Play was started by Early…
25/11/2024
Adults-only Christmas comedy A Very Naughty Christmas returns this silly season to Brisbane, Melbourne, and the Gold Coast.
Created in 2017 by Australian theatre maestros Alex Woodward and Daniel Venz, A Very Naughty Christmas is a night of festive fun packed with stand-up, skits, parodied songs, dancing, singing, burlesque and a whole bunch of silliness, for over 18s only.
Playing at La Boite Theatre from 21 November - 18 December.
A Very Naughty Christmas 21 November – 18 December 2024 La Boite Theatre, Kelvin Grove A Very Naughty Christmas, an adults-only Christmas comedy, returns this silly season to Brisbane, Melbou…
24/11/2024
If you're looking for a gift for the crafty people in your life, Day 8 of my annual 12 Days of Christmas has you covered! Whether they are painters, sewists, quilters, card-makers, or anything in between, you'll be able to find something at these locally-owned businesses ✨🎄🎁
We were fortunate growing up to have a mum who spent a lot of time crafting with us – from the scrapbooking craze that saw our photo boxes looking a little serial-killer-y as we cut out faces…
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I’m not sure where I heard that (I think the idea came from a TED talk event at the State Library) but, grounded in the romantic idea of being a tourist in your own city, I started Backstreet Brisbane in 2014 as the guide I wish I’d had. Coming from a hometown of less than one thousand, the sheer vastness and unknown of the city overwhelmed me initially and I stuck mainly to Queen Street until new friends took me outside my comfort zone to see and experience new things – wonderful bars and cafes tucked down alleys, parks and green spaces I might never have found, live music venues I would have been afraid to enter alone.
Whether you are in town for a few days or have lived here all your life, there is always something new and surprising to discover. The story of our city is constantly changing, and we are a part of it (which is why I also started Backstreet Brisbaners, a verbatim interview series with Brisbane’s brilliant community).
Backstreet Brisbane is now in its fifth year, and it has grown and evolved as I have, from cheap-as-chips student days to something resembling adulthood. Backstreet Brisbane has come to cover a broader range of lifestyle and events in our city – food and drink, things to see and do – and has developed a focus on performing arts, which is one of my great loves. If you’d like the best of Brisbane delivered to your inbox each month, you can sign up for the Backstreet Brisbane Bulletin here.
If you’ve read this far, thank you – I’ll continue to get to know Brisbane a little better, and these things are always more exciting with friends. I look forward to sharing these ongoing adventures with you.
