Joel Bray Joel Bray i(15463285 works by)
Gender: Male
Heritage: Aboriginal ; Aboriginal Wiradjuri ; Scottish ; English
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Works By

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1 2 Homo Pentecostus Joel Bray , 2024 single work drama

'Join an odyssey of self-discovery and liberation. Actor, dancer and writer, Joel Bray invites you to an intimate exploration of his secret queer identity within the confines of a 1990s Pentecostal Church. Partake in a shared ritual that immerses you in the transformative power of music, movement, and collective ritual. 

'Pentecostalism is Australia’s fastest-growing religion, and Joel will lead you through an insider’s perspective on the intersection of faith and sexuality. From the humble church halls to the vibrant disco dancefloors, Homo Pentecostus peels back layers of conflicting allure and hidden shame to illuminate our quest to embrace our true selves. 

'Awaken your spirit. Shake up your perceptions. Homo Pentecostus is an ecstatic testament to resilience, love, and the pursuit of personal truth.' (Production summary)
1 I Liked It, But ... Joel Bray , 2022 single work drama

'Performance that passes the pub test.

'I Liked It, BUT... goes where few 'experimental contemporary immersive performance' works dare to tread… out of the theatre and into the bar to see what passes the 'pub test'.

'Grab a drink and enjoy some tunes with Joel and local musicians for a Pub Trivia Night about the craziest, weirdest, most confusing stuff he’s ever had to see on and off of a stage.

'Expect very silly stories about very serious people, served with tongue firmly in cheek. Together, we'll try and work out how stuff even gets made, and why we should care.'

Source: Perth Festival.
1 2 Daddy Joel Bray , 2019 single work drama

'Joel Bray has made quite a name for himself inviting strangers into his hotel room for Biladurang. A solo dance cabaret drawing on the creation story of the platypus and his own complicated identity – Blak, white, queer – Joel’s hilarious and bittersweet show won Melbourne Fringe’s Best Performance Award. Since then, he’s been busy performing at major festivals across the country.

'In this YIRRAMBOI World Premiere, Joel is back, and he’s got ‘daddy’ issues. His cravings for father figures and paternal connection – from candy-coated childhood innocence to saccharine queer adulthood – leave him consumed with desire and wanting more. The sugar fixes leave cavities, gnawing away at him. Featuring Joel’s trademarks of disarming humour, dance and unexpected audience participation, Daddy is a confessional laced with lollipop-psychology and the sugar crash of post-colonisation.' (Production summary)
1 2 Biladurang Joel Bray , 2017 single work drama

'A dark, funny and intimate solo work by dancer, choreographer and proud Wiradjuri man Joel Bray, performed for an up-close, bathrobe-clad audience in a hotel room.

'Inspired by a period of upheaval in his life, and loosely based on the Dreamtime story of the Biladurang – the platypus – the winner of Best Performance at the 2017 Melbourne Fringe is a sexy, tender and affectingly autobiographical piece of dance-theatre about heritage, identity and yearning for home.

'As a gay man meeting middle-age, a dancer toiling at the peak of his powers and a Wiradjuri man with ties to Israel and country Australia, Bray took a long look at his life and wondered, “Who am I?” In Biladurang, he chases his demons and goes soul-searching in the neutral space of the hotel room, inspiring audience members to chat, drink and dance together as he weaves his story across every part of the room.'   (Production summary)
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