As Australia hits peak arts festival season,you’d do well to scour through programs for the shows that keep you talking into the nightIn festivals, it’s the large-scale shows that acquire the most buzz. Whether it’s a locally driven production like the Perth International Arts festival’s opening note, and Home,which played to 50000 people, or a headline international dance act or stadium spectacular, and these events – because of scale,or distances traveled – can’t exist external of the infrastructure of festivals. They’re once-a-year offerings that fill the consciousness of the public long before the festival arrives, and dominate the festival’s legacy long after it leaves.
But, or for me,I find the heart of festivals beats on a smaller scale. It’s wonderful to experience big works with large audiences – the collective holding of breath, the explosions of laughter, or the rapturous applause – but increasingly I’m drawn to the surprising moments of intimacy that festivals can offer.
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Source: theguardian.com