Lovers of musical masterpieces are invited to soak up the sunset and relax under the stars as Brisbane Festival presents two exciting evenings of open air orchestration at Eagle Farm Racecourse this weekend. Opera Queensland and Queensland Symphony Orchestra will perform The Marriage of Figaro together in a stunning concert outdoors at Eagle Farm Racecourse from 6.30–9.30pm on September 11. Symphony at Sunset features musical masterpieces from composers Franz Lizst and Richard Wagner and brings together the largest ensemble of orchestral players from the Brisbane Symphony Orchestra from 5:00–7:00 pm on September 12. Entry to both events is free. Visit Brisbane Festival online for bookings.

Brisbane Festival is taking one weird and wacky road show to suburban parks across the city with Are We There Yet? Set in a caravan park, the world premiere musical theatre production Are We There Yet? is a classic travellers’ tale about a bunch of characters moving to Brisbane and takes a hilarious look at what makes up a family. With influences from The Kumars to old school vaudeville, the Are We There Yet? caravans will role into parks across Brisbane over three weekends. Are We There Yet? is a free roving roadshow that brings family-friendly theatre to nine parks across Brisbane this September for Brisbane Festival 2010. Click here for more information.

Delve into a world where friendship is overshadowed by rivalry and love is overshadowed by lust. The Queensland Theatre Company’s Betrayal peers into the lives of Robert and Jerry, whose friendship is threatened by their joint love for Robert’s wife, Emma. Performed in reverse chronological order, Betrayal explores Jerry and Emma’s clandestine affair. Actress Sibylla Budd steps into the dramatic love triangle as Emma. Until October 9 at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” While the erudite author who penned this quote still remains unknown, his or her words have echoed in the hearts of generations. A moment, a fleeting passing of time, can render a life begun, a life extinguished, a love lost, a love found, a friend made, an idea had, or a promise made. Based in New York and Los Angeles, film production company Everynone has created the short film Moments, which captures the myriad moments experienced throughout our lives, some meaningful, some meaningless, some heartfelt, some heartwrenching. Filled with tears, laughter, pain and elation, the film is a poignant celebration of the sheer beauty of life’s simple moments.

French songbird Belle du Berry and Australian multi-instrumentalist David Lewis make their Judith Wright Centre debuts on Friday September 3. Belle and David have been performing together for more than ten years as members of the acclaimed band Paris Combo, blending classic French cabaret and American jazz and selling out gigs at some of the world’s top venues including 17,000-seat Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Following the release of their new album Quizz and recent performances in Europe and Australia, Brisbane audiences will be treated to the intoxicating sounds of Belle Du Berry and David Lewis. In this very special one-night-only concert they will be joined by Rémy Kaprielan on drums and Denis Hénault-Parizel on bass and guitar. Tickets are still available for purchase.

Brisbane Festival 2010 is proud to present, in association with Queensland Art Gallery, the first major Australian retrospective of the work of world-renowned photographer Douglas Kirkland. He has photographed some of the worlds most celebrated public figures including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Brigitte Bardot, Katherine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Twiggy, Orson Welles, John Wayne, Robert Redford, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie and countless others. The landmark exhibition, Douglas Kirkland: A Life in Pictures, features a tantalising mix of celebrity portraits, images from Australian films and the premier presentation of photographs taken during the production of Michael Jackson’s seminal 1983 music video, Thriller. Entry to the exhibition is free and will run from September 11– 24 September at GoMA. Click here for more information. Image courtesy of Douglas Kirkland.

Hitting Australian shores for the first time are Swedish duo First Aid Kit. The singing sisters will prove they are more than just a YouTube sensation, bringing their unique blend of indie folk harmonies Down Under after impressing crowds in the UK, USA and Europe. The iconic Spiegeltent has travelled all the way from Belgium to form the hub of Brisbane Festival 2010 and will bring the music to a new location this year in the heart of the city at King George Square. Don’t miss First Aid Kit at The Spiegeltent on September 10–11 at 7:00 pm. Click here for bookings.

Circa’s ensemble of young artists, Circa Zoo will perform Strange Familiar Angel, a world premiere at Brisbane Festival’s QUT Festival Theatre. Strange Familiar Angel, a mesmerising collision as circus skills and young people come together in a supernova of light, bodies, sound and action – guaranteed to astonish audiences. Strange Familiar Angel takes the audience on a white-knuckle ride of metaphysical exploration where performers find their limits, then leap off into the unknown through acrobatics and action, trapeze and touch, contortion and coming of age. Don’t miss out on your chance to spend a night in wonderland. Get along to the QUT Festival Theatre at Brisbane Powerhouse during Brisbane Festival 2010 and experience the incredible world of Circa. Click here for bookings. Image courtesy of Eclipse Photography.

Brisbane music fans – get ready to take in a stellar line-up, a ’season of the coolest home-grown and international indie acts heading to the Sunshine State as part of Brisbane Festival 2010. The most opulent of pop-up bars, live music venue The Spiegeltent will play host to a selection of much-loved and up-and-coming artists. After 20 years in the music industry performing with the likes of PJ Harvey and Moby, critically acclaimed Canadian performer Buck 65 will add some international star power to the bill. See him at The Spiegeltent at King George Square on  September 18–19 at 7:00 pm. Click here for bookings.

The streets of Melbourne are set to come alive with a thriving cultural showcase during the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2010. Launching on September 1, the festival will celebrate the talents of more than 4,000 artists, as the city explodes with the latest in contemporary art practice. The Ultimate Melbourne Fringe Weekend Competition gives art and culture lovers in Brisbane and Adelaide the chance to experience the festival’s magical charm. The prize winner and a friend will win tickets to Melbourne, three nights luxury accommodation and a jam-packed program full of the very best that Melbourne has to offer, including a VIP Pass to the festival. Applications are open until September 8. Visit the Melbourne Fringe Festival’s website for more information.

One of the world’s most dynamic forces in new circus, Brisbane based Circa, will present a spectacular new work at Brisbane Festival 2010, under the stars at the Festival’s purpose built QUT Festival Theatre. Making its international debut, Wunderkammer, is packed with spine-tingling physical feats. Audiences will be spellbound as a diva squeezes through an impossibly small hoop, balloons disappear strangely, muscle bound gents stand precariously on each other while ropes are climbed, hoops spin and bodies fly, splat, tumble and balance. Sexy, funny and explosive – Wunderkammer offers a sophisticated cocktail of new circus, cabaret and vaudeville with sideways glances to sideshow and burlesque; where moments of great beauty and outrageous humour jostle for attention. Click here for bookings.

This adorable video is doing the blogging rounds at the moment, and for good reason. Poet/singer/songwriter Tanya Davis has teamed up with film-maker Andrea Dorfman to artfully remind us all, “How to be alone”. The clip features adorable on screen illustrations, and reminders of “the little things” that make us happy. Davis’ narration is lovely throughout too… a beautiful reminder of the joys of life.

From September 4–25, Brisbane Festival will present The Spiegeltent in King George Square. The 9.00 Show will see a series of provocative and dangerously contemporary physical performances for the world premiere of Cantina by Strut & Fret Production House. The inhabitants of Cantina find refuge in this late night world of sex, sweat and tequila. In the seediest of drinking holes, torn between the past, present and future, Cantina explores the rapture and torture of desire, and the tension between harsh reality and escapist fantasy. The Spiegeltent’s mirrored round will be transformed for Cantina with a tightrope strung across an open fire and people sleeping on a bed of forks. As the performance unfolds the line between passion and violence is never quite clear. For more details and ticket bookings, visit Brisbane Festival online.

A series of photographs capturing the oft-clandestine movements of late-night hotel guests provides inspiration for Natalie Weir’s latest contemporary dance production, While Others Sleep. An acclaimed Australian choreographer, Natalie’s emotive work is complemented by the seductive tunes of Brisbane jazz trio Misinterprotato. The spicy cabaret-style performance peeks into the affairs of perfect strangers. Boundary-breaking choreography allows While Others Sleep to flourish and awaken the senses. The cabaret production runs at Judith Wright Centre until August 21.

Expressions Dance Company and ThinIce will open the doors to their rehearsals during Brisbane Festival 2010. Join them in critical viewings of their performers and discussions with their creative teams. Be the first to see and discuss Expressions Dance Company’s work-in-progress, First Ritual by internationally renowned choreographer and Artistic Director Natalie Weir. Perth’s ThinIce is one of Australia’s newest and fastest growing contemporary theatre companies, now working on its latest piece Die Winterreise – a modern interpretation of Franz Schubert’s beautiful 24-part song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). Works in Progress will take place at the Judith Wright Centre from September 22–25 and tickets are only $15 each. For more details and ticket bookings, visit Brisbane Festival online.

Brisbane Festival 2010 will open the doors to the ultimate club, bar,  live music salon and creative hive as The Spiegeltent plays host to more than 70 of the Festival’s special events. Each evening, The 7.00 Show will include artists as diverse as Aussie guitar legend Ed Kuepper, veteran Canadian performer Buck 65, Swedish two-piece and You Tube sensations First Aid Kit, Something for Kate front man Paul Dempsey, Cuban-born pianist Marialy Pacheco, The Gin Club and many more. The Spiegeltent comes to King George Square from September 4 to 25, for full programme details and ticket bookings, visit Brisbane Festival online.

The Institute of Modern Art joins forces with Brisbane Airport to unveil the artistic talents of four Queensland emerging artists, as part of Brisbane Airport Fresh Cut 2010. Featuring works by Elizabeth Willing, Kate Woodcroft, Catherine Sagin, Kelly Hussey-Smith and Sally Golding, the show incorporates a variety of mediums across the entire arts spectrum. Ranging from installation art, to film projections, the exhibition also delves into the sensory delights of boiled sweets with a delicious wallpaper display created entirely from lollies. Until September 18 at IMA.

The realm of the internet is exposed and dissected in La Boite’s gripping and intriguing production of Adam J A Cass’s play I Love You, Bro. Johnny adopts a female alter ego in the form of AlbaJay, and then procedes to venture into cyberspace. Stepping into the virtual shoes of curious, somewhat disturbing and secretive characters, Johnny’s world is an exploration of desire, secret plots and infatuations. Directed by David Berthold, the one-man show stars Leon Cain as Johnny and his many alter egos. The extended season of I Love You, Bro closes August 15.

See Marcus Graham in Shakespeare’s Macbeth from September 7–12 at the QUT Festival Theatre. Directed by acclaimed playwright and director Michael Gow, this compelling production of Macbeth will be the premier work to open the new theatre. This purpose built amphitheatre, taking up residence at the Brisbane Powerhouse for three weeks will host daily performances of theatre, circus and music. Outlandish prophecies, murderous rages and cunning plots abound in Macbeth. Performed under the stars, The Bard’s infamous tale will prove to be a compelling and stirring depiction of tyranny and mystery. Marcus steps into the title role, joined by Helen Christinson as the ruthless Lady Macbeth. Visit Brisbane Festival online for bookings.

Harvest Rain Theatre Company returns to the Garden of Gethsemane once more time with Jesus Christ Superstar. Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s award-winning musical accounts for the last week of Jesus’ life, detailing tensions between Jesus and Judas. Bringing to life well-loved ballads including I Don’t Know How to Love Him and Superstar, the production features a mammoth cast including tenor Luke Kennedy, as his once again steps into Jesus’ sandals. The musical takes to the QPAC stage from August 19–29.