Over the past 30 years, Finucane & Smith have created 36 full-length shows, performed across 19 countries, toured 160 Australian towns, entertained more than a million audience members and collected 21 awards along the way. Not bad for a company that has done it all without a penny of ongoing funding.
To mark three decades of making wildly inventive, genre-defying art, the company is returning to Melbourne's iconic Luna Park for Dance Palace, a month-long party running every weekend from mid-August. Dance Palace will bring together a dazzling cast of performers for an event that promises, in true Finucane & Smith fashion, to be anything but predictable. Expect pub rock queens, Bollywood love gods, torch singers, burlesque artists, First Nations performers, gothic legends, live painting, flying pants and plenty of surprises along the way.
Ahead of the glorious mayhem to come, we spoke to a dozen of the 30 performers taking part in Dance Palace about the show, the company, and what makes Finucane & Smith such a singular force in Australian performance.
MOIRA FINUCANE
I am a writer, director, creator, lover and a dreamer. I am the Queen of Provocative Variety, an environmental scientist, a lover of all the creepies and the crawlies, the undersung, the tiny but mighty. I am a believer in the wild, in every sense of the word, and a hustler of hope. I believe if you take the audience by the hand you can take them anywhere, and in 30 years and 19 countries I have never been shown to be wrong. Once.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
The first time I performed in Finucane & Smith was the first time Jackie Smith and I decided to make it official. They say that weddings are expensive, try hitching up with the one you love to run an indie theatre company for 30 years without any ongoing funding and the kind of derring-do that angels are not just frightened to tread near, but have nightmares about. We have survived, we have thrived. Our legacy is 36 full-length shows, presentations and commissions in 19 countries, touring and love-bombing 160+ regional and remote towns across Australia, engaging 200+ artists, seen by 1,000,000+ audience members, winning 21 awards, including the Patrick White Playwright Award, nine Green Room Awards, International Theatre Institute's CHAMACO Award for International Presentation of the Year (Cuba), and the Climakaze Award (USA) for Outstanding Art in Climate. We are defiant and we are transformative. And we are still talking! Our audiences are our greatest partners in adventure.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Our very first Finucane & Smith show was Parlour Volatile (1996). We were commissioned by VOLT the New Performance as part of Brisbane Festival (and yes we had literally no money left by the time we arrived to do the show), and it was the first time in my life that I had done a full-length solo show. I viscerally remember the feeling of stepping onto the stage and knowing I could not step off again until it was all finished; it was like stepping off a cliff or diving into cold water far below. It was a hit, and was described by one academic as the most "disturbing and confronting" work in the whole program. Fiona Scott-Norman, Melbourne theatre legend, wrote a review for a long-gone street rag, noting by the end, she was "searching her internal thesaurus for words for predator and demon". Huh! What a debut!
MAUDE DAVEY (Melbourne Art Icon)
I’m an actor, a performance maker, a director, and a teacher. At the moment, I coordinate the Theatre Course at the Victorian College of the Arts alongside my acting commitments.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
The first time I performed in a Finucane & Smith show was in Adelaide in 2004. I was in Adelaide running a women’s theatre company called Vitalstatistix and in that role, I brought The Burlesque Hour to Adelaide’s Feast Festival, and Moira and Jackie asked me to be the local guest performer. It felt like being at home. I managed to inveigle myself into every show I possibly could after that, between Adelaide and Melbourne. In 2007 I went to Europe with The Burlesque Hour when Moira was pregnant and couldn’t travel. I moved back to Melbourne in 2008 and since then I’ve been a Russian triplet, a horned goddess, a showgirl, a drunkard, a bossy host and a chanteuse in multiple F&S adventures all over the country.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Too many moments! Weeping at a media call when Toni Lamond sang The Hungry Years in Sydney. Running around endless concrete backstage corridors naked trying to get from one side of the stage to another in Adelaide. Holding the show for half an hour in Shepparton because no one had arrived by the advertised start time and then performing to a full house. Arriving at our accommodation at the Tungamah Hotel, where most of our audience had gathered after the show and gave us a standing ovation as we entered. Dancing with the audiences after the shows. The kindness of country folk. The wonderful ways of the artists I get to work with. Everything!
YUMI UMIUMARE (Butoh goddess of blinding darkness)
I am a Japanese-born performance maker and the creator of Butoh Cabaret. I've run ButohOUT! since 2017 and continue to work as an independent artist, weaving together dance, tea, and spirit.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
I first worked with Moira and Jackie in 2003, before they officially became Finucane & Smith, when we toured to the Hong Kong Fringe Festival. The show was called Saucy Cantina, and I was Moira's sidekick. I thought I had been asked to perform as a "psychic" (lost in translation!). The show was on at midnight. We'd do the performance, go for noodles, wash our costumes until 4 am, and somehow do it all again. That's when I realised I'd entered and deep-dived into the hardcore world of Finucane & Smith with thrill, excitement and wonder.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Too many to choose from! In 2005, we spent a month in Edinburgh performing The Burlesque Hour, surviving on peanut butter toast at 4 am. (All about the food!)
We toured Japan, performing in Tokyo and Osaka, where we drank far too much sake after the shows but somehow still managed to run workshops for local participants the next day without vomiting. Touring to the Slovenia's Women's Festival (2007?) was another unforgettable adventure, followed by trips to Italy and Croatia, moving like a travelling burlesque troupe.
Working with Finucane & Smith has always felt like riding a rollercoaster at full speed: screaming your head off, convinced you're too terrified to ever do it again ... then immediately wanting another ride.
BRIGGS & MUIR (Yorta Yorta Taungurung elder singer/songwriter Glennys Briggs and country star Ian Muir)
We are an acoustic duo, playing Americana, roots and folk music. For Finucane & Smith shows we always play our original music and our songs with connections to Glennys’ Indigenous roots.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
Our first gig with F&S was an unforgettable experience as part of the Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast. We performed at two venues, one was a tea house where we sat on stools and sang some of our original songs to people wandering through to pay their respects to Mother Earth. The other performance was at HOTA where again, we performed our original songs wandering into a gallery space where Glennys gave a short talk about one of her artworks then walked out again singing (way outside our comfort zone).
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Choosing the most memorable experience is difficult as there have been so many.
The highlight for Glennys was when she first met Moira on the Gold Coast and everything that transpired during that first gig. She was inspired by Moira's energy and enthusiasm for our involvement in the event, and the way she was able to expand and include Glennys' ideas into these shows. It's an amazing fact that Moira seeing one of Glennys' prints in HOTA has led to our friendship and ongoing participation in several F&S productions.
For me (Ian), I think it has to be when we opened the restored Town Hall in Deniliquin. During a visit to an aged care facility I got to slow dance with one of the aged residents, who was non-verbal, but was able to sing along to an old Elvis Presley song in my ear as we danced. We then reproduced the dance on stage as part of the show, a magical, unforgettable moment.
GOVIND PILLAI (Indian Love God, Glittering Indian boylesque!)
I am a classical Indian temple dancer, queer iconoclast and gender-defiant flirt! I believe through sensuality, love, and reverent art, we can transcend gender, history, and all prejudice.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
I’ll never forget it š„¹. The first time I ever performed in a Finucane & Smith show was from my shower, during lockdown! I had admired, adored and worshipped F&S’s work for so many years, with bewilderment and awe, and so it was a night I’ll never forget.
It was a long Melbourne lockdown. Audiences were out of art, and artists like me were out of work. We all deeply longed for connection. And this is what Finucane & Smith brought us all that night, like they had done for decades. Art, profound joy, connection, a place for those less seen. I felt so lucky to be “at home” with F&S. I grew a lot during those years with F&S and Moira and Jackie’s loving hands repeatedly pulled me out of COVID and thrust me on stage as we toured Karratha, Brisbane, Kalgoorlie, and Tamworth, and took incredible stories to incredible regional audiences.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Karratha, March 2022. It was the first time I had ever heard the sound of silence, so 'loudly' and clearly. It was a rainy night and as the rain hit the red earth, the air smelt like metal. Finucane and Smith had brought a multiply marginalised woman of colour and profound Indigenous songbird the late Lois O on stage and she had paused to take a breath before her very first note. I had never heard or understood silence to be so 'loud' and certain before. The anticipation of hearing a voice so rarely heard, or perhaps so often mis-heard. The reverence and honour for her and those like her. The chilling sorrow for what she’d suffered. The joy for her triumph over all this. The love for humanity in her eyes and those of an entire audience, as she delicately brought forth the wind of life … to soon craft tender art through her lips. Even today, I sit and meditate on that image often. It’s an iconic image of what F&S are here to do, and why we MUST.
MAMA ALTO (transcendent diva)
I am a jazz singer, cabaret artiste and gender transcendent diva.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
The first time I performed in a Finucane & Smith show was for their takeover of the Melbourne Fringe late-night club in 2014, pairing the legendary production house of Finucane & Smith with some of the most weird and wonderful fringe up-and-comers in cabaret, burlesque, variety and vaudeville of the time. It was a dream come true for me - having loved and admired, and initially intimidated and perplexed by, the astounding work of these icons. My spot appearance - singing a smoky jazz ballad - led to being part of a month-long Glory Box winter cabaret season at the Melba Spiegeltent, interstate and international tours, The Birds, Little Salons of Glory, Caravan Burlesque, The Rapture, Dance Hall, Future. Joy. Club, House of the Heart, and more - and here we are, over a decade later and more glorious than ever. Finucane & Smith is a very special art family to me.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
There are too, too many memorable experiences from my years with Finucane & Smith … but today, I am thinking about the reactions of our audiences. To give you a whirlwind tour, here are just a few glimpses:
The look on the face of someone in the audience, in their fifties, who thought they were too old and too tired and cast aside by the world, as they watch a ninety-year-old diva strut her stuff up and down our glittering catwalk at half an hour to midnight belting her heart out to an adoring crowd, and realise: it’s never too late.
The cackle of delight when a queer weirdo hiding up the back of the room sees someone like them, perhaps for the first time, up on stage being unapologetic, being celebrated, taking up space. The roars of astonishment when an artiste commits a superhuman feat with their body; the silent gasping hush of awe when an artiste draws the entire room into the intimacy of a long whispered note.
BENDY BEN (Chameleonic Showgirl-Showghoul)
My name is Benjamin Hancock, and I'm a performance artist working across dance, drag, cabaret, burlesque, roving, and club performance.
My alter ego, Bendy Ben, distorts reality, carving fantasy into surreal conceptual slices. Big enough for some, and just a taste for the weary.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
I had the incredible opportunity to travel to King Island with F&S to bring art to places I’ve never been before! It was such a beautiful experience. A stunning island, a generous community! I had the best time! Seaweed, sequins, cheese and chats!
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
I first saw F&S at Ffortyfivedownstairs, and walking down the treacherous stairs I was instantly transported! A red-curtained candlelit stage lay dormant soon to be awakened by feather, hair, and womb.
Highly conceptual avant-garde worlds of fingered pies and guttural vocals made me instantly fall in love with a world so rich and raw. Femininity in its power, a pure celebration of the body, beauty and grotesque, allowed the rules in which we are deeply embedded to be bent and broken. Is that where strength and power really lie?
PIERA DENNERSTEIN
I am a classically trained soprano who has studied and worked
internationally as a singer, actor, MC, and educator for over a decade,
across numerous genres and art forms.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
Thanks to the kind recommendations of Mama Alto, Maude Davey and other lovely colleagues, I was invited to perform at a show Finucane & Smith presented in 2018. I will never forget Moira's reaction to hearing me sing for the first time: she burst out in gleeful, uncontrollable laughter. It's a memory I treasure! And I have been performing in Finucane & Smith shows ever since!
Thanks to the kind recommendations of Mama Alto, Maude Davey and other lovely colleagues, I was invited to perform at a show Finucane & Smith presented in 2018. I will never forget Moira's reaction to hearing me sing for the first time: she burst out in gleeful, uncontrollable laughter. It's a memory I treasure! And I have been performing in Finucane & Smith shows ever since!
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Trigger warning for mention of suicide: In 2019 we travelled to China to perform at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival. The entire trip was an incredible, otherworldly experience, however one moment in particular has always remained in my mind. In one of the acts Moira presented in China, she told this exceptionally beautiful story about a snail. I won't even try to retell it, as I will never be able to find the magic of it the way Moira does. In essence, it is a story about finding hope when it has seemingly been lost completely. After the show, a gentleman from the audience came up to us and quietly told us that he had been struggling to find the will to continue, however, this story of the snail, and the show as a whole, had enabled him to find something to hold on to, to continue on with hope. I think this is the most tangible example of art uplifting others I have ever witnessed, and this experience reminds me to feel grateful, honoured and humbled to be an artist.
ZITAO DENG (Pop Dragon)
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I am a singer-songwriter from China, now based in Melbourne. My music spans ballads, folk, soul, and pop. I strive to create songs that are emotionally moving, rich in storytelling, and inspiring. Through my music, I hope to connect with people and share stories that resonate across cultures.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
House of the Heart was the first production I collaborated on professionally with F&S. It was an incredible experience to be part of a project that explored and celebrated authentic cultural stories while bringing them to diverse audiences. I was deeply inspired by the way the performance fostered cultural connection and understanding. It was also my first experience of the remarkable creative power that comes from collaborating closely with such a talented and passionate group of artists.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
One of my most memorable experiences with F&S was performing in the children's production The Rockstar and the Krill. During the show, the children in the audience formed a parade and sang together about their determination to protect our oceans from marine pollution. Witnessing their enthusiasm, hope, and sense of responsibility was incredibly moving. It reminded me of the powerful role young people can play in creating a better future for our planet.
PAUL CORDEIRO
1. Who are you and what do you do?
I am a professional dancer, choreographer, singer, and storyteller.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
The first time I performed with Moira was in 2008 at the Sydney Opera House. It was a memorable occasion, even though I felt welcomed as a guest artist. I was the only guy in the line-up, among four giant performers who were all women. Moira, Maude, Yumi, and Azaria. It was slightly intimidating, I was the unknown new kid, only because they all knew each other so well. 18 years on and I have always felt loved and valued in this amazing company.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Well there are a few ... I was going to say that I’ve seen the light shine on people, watching community members perform alongside seasoned performers. They were truly transformed and acknowledged. But I have to say, that’s also how I feel in this ever-changing ensemble. Moira makes me feel like I’m a star among stars.
I think one of my favourite shows has been House of the Heart It allowed a new me to emerge, tucked in with all the sumptuous artists, music, stories and performances. It was very personal too, the stories I shared.
I think it was while we were performing in Cessnock. I had two friends from Sydney drive up to see the show. It was about 90 minutes before we opened the doors for the audience to come in, Moira tripped and fell and seriously hurt her back. She was crouched over on the floor in pain. There were only four of us performing that night, and now there were three. We were very worried about Moira's welfare, but of course, yes, of course she was still directing us. The three remaining performers pulled together, with Piera at the helm. We called an ambulance and when it arrived, Moira was wheeled out on a gurney through the audience in the foyer, and the show went on. What a crazy night that was. But you can’t keep a good woman down.
Trigger warning for mention of suicide: In 2019 we travelled to China to perform at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival. The entire trip was an incredible, otherworldly experience, however one moment in particular has always remained in my mind. In one of the acts Moira presented in China, she told this exceptionally beautiful story about a snail. I won't even try to retell it, as I will never be able to find the magic of it the way Moira does. In essence, it is a story about finding hope when it has seemingly been lost completely. After the show, a gentleman from the audience came up to us and quietly told us that he had been struggling to find the will to continue, however, this story of the snail, and the show as a whole, had enabled him to find something to hold on to, to continue on with hope. I think this is the most tangible example of art uplifting others I have ever witnessed, and this experience reminds me to feel grateful, honoured and humbled to be an artist.
ZITAO DENG (Pop Dragon)
I am a singer-songwriter from China, now based in Melbourne. My music spans ballads, folk, soul, and pop. I strive to create songs that are emotionally moving, rich in storytelling, and inspiring. Through my music, I hope to connect with people and share stories that resonate across cultures.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
House of the Heart was the first production I collaborated on professionally with F&S. It was an incredible experience to be part of a project that explored and celebrated authentic cultural stories while bringing them to diverse audiences. I was deeply inspired by the way the performance fostered cultural connection and understanding. It was also my first experience of the remarkable creative power that comes from collaborating closely with such a talented and passionate group of artists.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
One of my most memorable experiences with F&S was performing in the children's production The Rockstar and the Krill. During the show, the children in the audience formed a parade and sang together about their determination to protect our oceans from marine pollution. Witnessing their enthusiasm, hope, and sense of responsibility was incredibly moving. It reminded me of the powerful role young people can play in creating a better future for our planet.
PAUL CORDEIRO
I am a professional dancer, choreographer, singer, and storyteller.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
The first time I performed with Moira was in 2008 at the Sydney Opera House. It was a memorable occasion, even though I felt welcomed as a guest artist. I was the only guy in the line-up, among four giant performers who were all women. Moira, Maude, Yumi, and Azaria. It was slightly intimidating, I was the unknown new kid, only because they all knew each other so well. 18 years on and I have always felt loved and valued in this amazing company.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
Well there are a few ... I was going to say that I’ve seen the light shine on people, watching community members perform alongside seasoned performers. They were truly transformed and acknowledged. But I have to say, that’s also how I feel in this ever-changing ensemble. Moira makes me feel like I’m a star among stars.
I think one of my favourite shows has been House of the Heart It allowed a new me to emerge, tucked in with all the sumptuous artists, music, stories and performances. It was very personal too, the stories I shared.
I think it was while we were performing in Cessnock. I had two friends from Sydney drive up to see the show. It was about 90 minutes before we opened the doors for the audience to come in, Moira tripped and fell and seriously hurt her back. She was crouched over on the floor in pain. There were only four of us performing that night, and now there were three. We were very worried about Moira's welfare, but of course, yes, of course she was still directing us. The three remaining performers pulled together, with Piera at the helm. We called an ambulance and when it arrived, Moira was wheeled out on a gurney through the audience in the foyer, and the show went on. What a crazy night that was. But you can’t keep a good woman down.
KATE FOSTER (Country heart and art attack)
I am a country singer and cabaret artist. I live in far western NSW on a sheep station and I also sing and perform around Australia.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
My first performance in an F&S show felt like a completely different version of myself. I hadn't performed for about eight years and had really lost my confidence. I mean, I had NOT sung in front of ANYONE for eight years. I came to F&S while working in marketing and content. Working on the marketing for their show Future. Joy. Club. Moira in her genius saw something in me and on the last night of the show, she had prepared the band to play a version of Tennessee Whiskey. Not giving me any chance to back out at the end of the show and without warning, she called me up on stage and asked if I'd sing. Luckily I grabbed the chance with both hands and I sang. Unrehearsed, off the cuff. It was one of those magic moments and brought me back to life. I haven't stopped singing since.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
I love travelling to rural towns to perform. But during my early days in F&S I was always a little unsure how the locals would react to us in those tiny little towns. In one town in particular, Tungamah, we had set ourselves up in the local town hall. With no phone service and barely a town to speak of, we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. As the locals were bussed in from the end of the cropping season, dressed in high-vis, rum cans in hand. I started to worry that we might not get a welcoming reception to our wild and wonderful show.
I was wrong. By the end of the night people were dancing, crying, laughing and celebrating. The entire town met us at the local pub where we were staying after the show to continue dancing and celebrating. It cemented for me how the most unlikely people can come together and share in the joy of being human. That is the power of art!
DAVE JOHNSON (guitar virtuoso and singer-songwriter of the people)
I'm a singer song writer and multi-instrumentalist (stringy things) from Fremantle. I’ve performed at most folk festivals around Australia and toured internationally in various ensembles. I also teach music out at Banksia Hill Youth Detention Centre (Perth) to kids who have very little opportunity in the hope that music gives them the transformative joy that music has given me. I also run a weekly FEEL GOOD singing session at our local homeless shelter.
2. Tell us about the first time you performed in a Finucane & Smith show.
I first performed with F&S in a production of Dance Hall for the Karratha WA Red Earth Festival in March 2022. I was performing alongside my dearest friend Lois Olney, Jazz Diva, proud Ngarluma woman and the most soulful performer I’ve had the privilege to witness.
3. What is the most memorable experience you’ve had or seen during a Finucane & Smith show?
It’s hard to pick one moment because every moment with F&S is extraordinary. Moira and Jackie manage to weave a certain magic that brings the entire cast into a warm, close-knit family, inspiring us with electrifying clarity (Moira’s pre-show pep talks) to give their utmost into every moment and every audience member.
SHOW DETAILS
Venue: Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade. St Kilda.
Season: until 12 September | Thurs - Sat 7pm
Venue: Luna Park, 18 Lower Esplanade. St Kilda.
Season: until 12 September | Thurs - Sat 7pm
Images: Jodie Hutchinson
Dave Johnson image: James Kerr
Briggs & Muir: Supplied
Dave Johnson image: James Kerr
Briggs & Muir: Supplied
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