Meet Our New Festival Director
We are thrilled to announce the appointment of Horizon's new Festival Director, Lynne Bradley. Lynne comes from an extensive arts background, having lived and worked abroad as a director, producer, events manager and arts educator in Japan, Hong Kong, New York, New Zealand, the UK and Europe.
Lynne co-founded Zen Zen Zo Physical Theatre in 1992 and subsequently spent two decades building the company into an internationally renowned performance and training centre. During her 25 years at Zen Zen Zo, Lynne also worked with many other prestigious arts organisations; including being the Associate Director at La Boîte Theatre, USC Masters of Performing Arts Program Director, Home Company Director at Brisbane Powerhouse and Company in Residence Director at QPAC. Lynne has also more recently spent the last three years imparting her years of wisdom to local arts students; designing and directing the Masters of Professional Practice in the Performing Arts at USC, graduating 23 outstanding emerging artists during this period.
Get to know our new leader:
Your work as an arts leader has taken you all around the world, what is the most memorable work you’ve seen or experienced?
I have been to some amazing arts festival all around the world, but I think one of my most enduring memories is being invited to an all-night shadow puppet performance in a local village in Bali in the early 90's. Whilst I couldn’t speak Indonesian, the story-telling was so clear, and it was obvious that the performance was deeply connected to the local community. Plus the magic of being on a beach under the stars was an experience I’ll never forget. This event sparked a great love of site-specific performance, which is something I continue to be very passionate about!
What is it that you most love about the arts?
The arts for me is all about connecting to our creativity. Kurt Vonnegut once said that practicing any art makes the soul grow, and the latest research seems to prove that when we’re engaging in any creative acts (whether as creators or audience) we feel an “upward spiral” of positive emotions. So the bottom line is that the arts make us happier and healthier!
What are you excited to bring to the Sunshine Coast community?
My specialty areas are physical and visual theatre, site-specific work, and immersive arts experiences. So I’m very excited to combine the stunning Sunshine Coast natural landscape with the food and wine of the region to create a range of entertaining arts adventures and experiences. I have also been closely connected with the artists on the coast through my work over the past 3 years at USC, and am passionate about providing opportunities for some of our super talented local artists through the festival.
What are your top three haunts on the Sunshine Coast?
I’ve been holidaying up here for a decade, and just love walking along the river at dusk when all the birds are settling down for the night! In terms of food, where do I start?? There are so many great places to eat – from the Spirit House in Yandina, to Junk in Maroochydore, to Coffee Cat at Kings Beach. I also have a real soft spot for Kondalilla Falls in Montville – the walk through the rainforest to get to the falls is stunning. Plus every single beach on the Sunshine Coast beats just about every beach I’ve ever been to anywhere else in the world.
