As the long-awaited replacement for White Night and Melbourne Festival, Rising set out to deliver a monumental program of public and international arts, but the small moments are perhaps its best feature.
As we stand in the packed foyer of Melbourne Town Hall, waiting for Mette Ingvartsen's The Dancing Public to start, Richard leans over to me. "You can tell who's had COVID," he says. We are both wearing N95s; most of the audience are not masked. It is a riotous crush of people, yelling and hugging.
While the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year was defined by COVID cancellations – half the shows I booked to see were cancelled – Rising seems almost immune. Only one show I am scheduled to see is cancelled; the rest all go on. One show I see asks the audience to wear masks; for the others, masks are optional — and the exception.
I also find beauty in the unexpected discoveries I watch others stumble upon, as small interventions change the shape of the city.
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