World Theatre Festival aims to provoke and surprise

The program for the fourth WTF was officially unveiled last week, and contains offerings from countries as diverse as Malaysia, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Iran.
A highlight of the 2013 program is A Doll House, a reinvention of Henrik Ibsen's classic drama about marriage and self-discovery, by innovative Irish company Pan Pan Theatre.
Ross says it's a good example of the program's willingness to present divergent and dissenting views.
"It's almost the archetypal, controversial political play that upset people and offended people [when it premiered in 1879]."
He says it has parallels with the contemporary play Parah, by Malaysia's Instant Cafe Theatre Company, about four high school friends who discover a racial divide during their history studies.
"When it opened in Kuala Lumpur, the s--t hit the Malaysian fan in a large way."
From Melbourne's MKA: Theatre of New Writing comes The Economist, a powerful piece about the worst of the human psyche, inspired by the diaries of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.
The German/UK company Gob Squad will recreate pop art king Andy Warhol's Kitchen live onstage, complete with wild parties, nervous breakdowns and bad coffee; while Belgium's Reckless Sleepers puts the emphasis on last meals, last moments and last words in The Last Supper.
The starkest production comes in the form of White Rabbit Red Rabbit, by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour. Refused a passport until recently, the 29-year-old created a show that could travel without him. There's no set, no director, and each night a different performer simply reads the script to the audience. It promises to be a unique and raw experience.
Ross is confident audiences won't like everything on offer, but would rather offend people than play it safe.
"The idea of World Theatre Festival is to provide a context to be a little bit more courageous and diverse in the programming."
He accepts that for many people, the business of going to the theatre – tickets, parking, dinner – is becoming more expensive, and some may be wary of taking a risk.
To that end, the Powerhouse will offer significant discounts to theatre-goers who book for three or more shows.
And Ross says theatre enthusiasts shouldn't be dissuaded if they can't find anyone to go with.
"Quite a bit of market research suggests one of the reasons people don't go to the theatre is because they don't feel comfortable going on their own," he says.
The World Theatre Festival plays at the Brisbane Powerhouse from February 13 to 24, 2013. For a full program visit www.worldtheatrefestival.com