Review: Queer Powerpoint at The Rechabite
Queer Powerpoint at The Rechabite
Friday, November 29, 2024
Returning to Perth with another triumphant show, the Unfunded Empathy team strikes again with the latest Queer PowerPoint.
An exclusive event for The Rechabite’s exceptional 2024 Pride Palace programming, Queer PowerPoint was an important and necessary deviation from the raves and late-night parties on the schedule. Instead, providing a space for those more appreciative of an earlier, quieter event.
Receiving national acclaim for its thoughtful and poignant centring of queer voices through dynamic vignettes, the latest iteration was a testament to the golden mentality of ‘if it ain’t broke’. Featuring six performers, each with a PowerPoint presentation based on a personal opinion, special interest, or other form of self-expressive storytelling, the format is simple. However, the carefully curated collection of speakers, each with unique takes and hilarious comedic delivery, ultimately produced a highly entertaining and engaging show.
The tongue-in-cheek co-option of the ultimate heterosexual corporate vehicle for the shackling of creativity (the PowerPoint) for expressions of queer joy, storytelling, and self-expression was enthralling and often felt radical. As performers shared anti-capitalist, queer-centred messaging, the poignant and painstakingly crafted irony of the evening was a strong source of its hilarity.
It was somewhat frustrating that the show commenced over 45 minutes after the initial opening of doors; however, this was advertised on The Rechabite website. However, in that time, crowds were able to enjoy a live DJ set, which set the tone for a funky and chilled-out performance space.
Opening the show, co-hosts Harriet Gillies and Xanthe Dobbie were immediately engaging presences. They worked the crowds with ease and set a warm, easygoing, and comedic atmosphere for a night of lighthearted performance art.
Harriet Gillies, the sacrificial ‘PowerPointer’ (true verb yet to be determined), warmed crowds with a hysterical take on Australian sporting culture in the era of billionaire-manipulated neoliberalism. Gillies’ comfort on the stage, comedic timing, and clear ability to play to the audience was an exercise in PowerPoint prowess.
E-Dizzle followed suit with a laugh-out-loud, surrealist take on vehicular infrastructure in Perth. It is high praise to say, genuinely, that their presentation made roads both interesting and hilarious. Theirs was a true testament to the nicheness of special interests.
Fleur Ellis closed the first half with an analytical piece documenting her emotional experiences over the last couple of years. Her comedic timing, natural storytelling instincts, and tongue-in-cheek use of corporate ‘KPI’ language elicited genuine belly laughter from punters. And it was highly deserved.
The second half was opened by Mitch Whelan, whose witty take on Marxism in cinema was a reluctant love letter to mass-produced cinema. Whelan’s easygoing presentation style and amusingly creative manipulation of data to fit his argument made for a highly engaging presentation.
Harper Nguyen’s celebration of Jackass as a symbol of transgender expression was enthralling and hilarious. Her argument was well-structured, and her clever redefinition of clips from the show was a great source of entertainment. Nguyen, not unfamiliar to the stage, was a captivating presence.
Co-host Xanthe Dobbie closed the proceedings with a breathtaking PowerPoint. Breathtaking, that is, in both its hilarity and in its ridiculousness. As a contender, arguably and subjectively, for the best presentation of the evening, Dobbie presented an older slideshow on the relationship between breakfast buffets and self-actualisation. Their comedic timing and presentation style were so finely tuned and so clearly an expression of their personality that it was impossible to look away from.
Another highly successful event, Queer PowerPoint is a jewel in the crown of premier Australian live performance and performance art and an event not to be missed when it next graces the state.
BEC WELDON