Gympie’s glitterati (yes, they exist) gathered at Art Post last night for the first Berlin Dada Gala Cabaret.
The sold-out event was artist Tamara Kirby’s reimagining of the German avant garde art movements of Expressionism, Dada and Surrealism from the early 1900s.
Tamara Kirby IMAGE supplied
The founders of Dadaism described it as theatre of the absurd, mocking both conventional art and the absurdity of politics between the World Wars, a concept that resonates in today’s volatile political times.
The original DADA founders. IMAGE: Man Ray
In November 2025, the Gympie Berlin Dada audience dressed in their wildest cabaret outfits to enjoy a fusion of performance, sound and spectacle.
IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
IMAGE of Linsey Pollak and companion by Vivienne Wynter
Brisbane actor Annie Lee, known for her role in The Kransky Sisters, was MC and brought her signature blend of cabaret, satire and song. Her bawdy Weimar Republic era songs dramatically evoked a smoky underground cabaret in pre-war Europe.
Annie Lee IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
Shadow artist and scholar, Lynne Kent delivered a surreal, screen-based performance steeped in visual magic and absurdity.
Lynne Kent’s shadow performance. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
Circus performer Katy Burrows delighted the crowd with her Marcel Marceau-like performance involving a teabag. Her cuppa made with raindrops was fitting for a night featuring a dramatic backdrop of rain, lightning and thunder courtesy of Queensland’s storm season.
The art was not limited to theatre. Culinary artist Gere Taylor served contemporary Australian cuisine infused with French and Japanese influences. Let’s just say what Taylor did with the humble carrot was delicate and delectable.
In visual art and installation, the ‘Room of Obscure Sorrows’ invited the viewer to make their own meaning of an assemblage of toilets with unusual contents.
IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
The same room featured a carefully curated wall of word art a lot darker and more interesting than the typical bland ‘bless this family’ or ‘dream big’.
The Berlin Dada Cabaret was a production germinated by The Genus, a newish Gympie organisation fostering positive community projects, social enterprises, social innovation and events.
Genus Board Member, Cindy Vogels said the Berlin Dada Cabaret was The Genus’s biggest event so far.
Cindy Vogels. IMAGE: Vivienne Wynter
‘We’ve had sold out events and exhibition openings before but this is our biggest event in terms of the grand vision, the scope and the calibre of the artists,’ Ms Vogels said.
‘Art festivals like Dark Mofo inspire us to raise the bar and embrace unique themes. This will become a prestige annual event in Gympie, raising funds to sustain Art Post.’
A hundred tickets were available for $100 a pop, so clearly the sold-out gala was a successful fundraiser as well as a wildly entertaining, boundary-pushing and cool event.
IMAGE Vivienne Wynter
IMAGE Vivienne Wynter
IMAGE Vivienne Wynter
The gala night marked the project’s climax but if you missed it, you could catch the exhibition which is free and runs for two weeks at Art Post, 22 Channon St Gympie from 16 to 30 November.
IMAGE of cabaret dancer at top of story by Vivienne Wynter
