Hot Brown Honey Coming to Sydney Opera House

Combining dance, poetry, comedy, circus, striptease and song, this acclaimed Australian production has in the last year shocked and delighted audiences at Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and the Brisbane Festival.

Sydney Opera House Head of Indigenous Programming Rhoda Roberts says: "Hot Brown Honey is an extraordinary production that turns tradition on its head and captures the contemporary fight on a number of fronts. Expect to be exposed to ideas and skin in this hilarious celebration of First Nations women by some of Australia's finest performers. Check your privilege at the door, but be sure to bring your dancing shoes."

Produced by the internationally renowned Briefs Factory, Hot Brown Honey features a bevy of powerful and talented First Nations women from Aboriginal Australian, Samoan, Tongan, M?ori, Indonesian and South African backgrounds who are dead set on calling out the patriarchy, shattering preconceptions of colour and having a riotous time doing it.

Director Lisa Fa'alafi says: "It's plain knowledge that there are limited platforms in the arts for people of colour, let alone women of colour. So we made our own platform, to tell our stories, to create a space where we stand centre stage. We really do believe 'You cannot be what you cannot see', so we are just doing it; we are putting more brown faces on stage and in the process shining a light on all the talented Hot Brown Honeys around Australia doing amazing work. Because let's be honest, there are plenty of women out there they just need to see the pathways where they too can shine."

Following their Sydney Opera House season Hot Brown Honey will take the buzz overseas with a series of performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES

South African-born Kim 'Busty Beatz' Bowers (Co-Creator, Writer, Musical Director and Sound Designer) has been making music and theatre for more than 20 years and toured extensively with her band Spdfgh. She was immortialised in her contribution to the Big Day Out book Peace, Love and Brown Rice and the photographic exhibition Women Who Rock. As a sound designer/composer for theatre she has worked with Belvoir St, Sydney Theatre Company and Bell Shakespeare. As well as a creator and performer, Busty Beatz is an international DJ on the major festival circuit.

Samoan Australian Lisa Fa'alafi (Co-creator, Writer, Director, Choreographer and Designer) is Co-Director of Polytoxic, Australia's most prominent Pacifica performance company. Lisa has created dance theatre, event and experimental work and toured extensively throughout Australia. Combining traditional Pacific culture and dance with intricate visuals, Lisa's work creates a provocative analysis of the "exotic" Pacific narrative.

Maori artist Materharere Hope 'Hope One' Haami (Performer) was a prizewinner at the World Beatboxing Championships in the women's division. Hope One has performed with Tom Thum, Joel Turner & the Beatbox Alliance, T-Pain, Naughty by Nature, Eve, George Clinton, Michael Franti and The Wailers.

Juanita Duncan (Performer) is a proud Kamilaroi women and a consummate professional in contemporary dance, ballet and hip hop. A graduate of National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISA) she has performed throughout Australia with Blak Cabaret's Constantina Bush as well as a featured dancer on the NITV's Move It Mob Style.

Ofa Fotu (Performer) of Tongan heritage is a soul singer, storyteller and visual artist. She fronts funk/soul band Odette Mercy and Her Soul Atomics and has performed with Ben Harper, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Simon and Santana.

Of Indonesian descent, Crystal Stacey (Performer) hails from Broome, Western Australia. A graduate of the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, she has worked as a performer with Sand Fly Circus and is Co-Director of Cirque De Chikito. She has toured nationally and internationally with the Marrugeku Theatre and performed with acclaimed Circus Company CIRCA in Canada.

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