Five minutes with The Q Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre Artistic Director Jordan Best
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Live performance is in Jordan Best’s blood.
So, it’s no shock that The Q Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre Artistic Director is incredibly passionate about her job and the talented people she works with.
A long-time champion of local artists and the work they create – whether it’s music, comedy, drama, musical theatre, or kids’ entertainment – for Jordan, her work at The Q is about more than pulling together the artistic programme for the theatre each year: it’s about sharing works that help the community connect, and reflect while reminding people that theatre is for everyone.
“There can be a perception that the arts are an elite, snobby thing and it isn’t,” says Jordan.
“We really do have something happening at The Q that will take everyone’s fancy. I believe there is nothing more magic than live performance and I don’t care whether the thing that makes your heart beat faster is a terrific tribute band or a silly musical, a comedy, a drama, or a one-woman show.”
“I think it’s important to remember to play – which doesn’t always mean funny or fun – but to remember that sense of play and imagination. That’s such an important part of being human.”
We spent five minutes with Jordan to discuss her career journey, live performance’s extraordinary power, and her longtime love for Queanbeyan.
How did you first get involved in the performing arts?
My dad is a film composer, so I grew up around the arts and always loved it. Music and performing were just always something that I absolutely loved doing. I was actually classical cellist, and I moved to Canberra to play the cello at the School of Music.
Live performance and theatre feel like the most useful thing I can do with my life. So, I went from training as a classical cellist to training as an actor at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, and then I fell into directing and producing because I just wanted to do more. A lot of people who become producers fall into it because it’s a way of being able to make the kind of work that you love.
I started my first theatre company with my now husband and a friend in 2005 – Centrepiece Theatre – and then just kept going. I kept producing, kept directing for other companies and kept acting a little.
How did you get to where you are today at The Q?
Stephen Pike – who was the first Artistic Director at The Q – brought the first-ever show that I produced and directed. That was in 2011 and that was called Love Song. Stephen was just hugely supportive of me as an artist. I directed shows for The Q, I brought shows to The Q, and in 2016 my second theatre company, Pigeonhole Theatre, brought a play to The Q called Playhouse Creatures. It was beautiful and it’s one of my favourite things that I’ve ever done.
It’s an extraordinary play, and it was critically very successful and Stephen suggested that I should put it into the Mondial du Théâtre. It’s like the Olympics for independent theatre, and it happens every four years in Monaco…we were selected to represent Australia.
The Q and Stephen were instrumental in my career because before I got my current job at The Q, he – with QPRC and Jackie Richards – wanted to launch a professional theatre company that would have a home at the theatre and they asked me to be the artistic director. So, in 2019, we launched Echo Theatre.
In mid-2020 Stephen left The Q and I decided to apply…. the support of The Q over the 13 years of my relationship with the theatre is why I’m now at The Q as Artistic Director.
What do you love most about the local performing arts scene?
I’ve been performing in this region for a long time – since I was 18 – and I’ve seen it go through so many changes. But what’s incredible about it is the richness of it.
We have so many amazing creatives here, not just actors, but also directors, designers, technicians, and backstage people. And what’s so wonderful about it is that people do it because they love it. It’s very difficult to earn a living as a performing artist in our region, but people do it anyway. There’s a resilience and a passion that’s there that is quite extraordinary.
What is one show you’re personally looking forward to seeing next at The Q?
I can’t not say Bombshells! It’s the next Echo Theatre show and I’m directing it, so I certainly have skin in the game, but Joanna Murray Smith is my favourite playwright. She has an extraordinary ability to create rich, unique characters that have distinctive voices. So definitely Bombshells. I’m both terrified and extremely excited about that.
We’ve also got Omar Musa, a rapper, poet, artist, novelist, and local Queanbeyan performer. He’s coming back over from the US with his partner – who is a cellist – and they’ve created a show called The Offering, which uses spoken words, rap, and cello to tell a story. I can’t quite believe that I get to have that in my theatre.
Our next Q The Locals show Ordinary Days is a musical and it’s a program that I’m super passionate about because I am all about giving opportunities to local performance. While we have some terrific touring shows coming through, I think it’s important given what The Q gave me as a local artist and what Stephen did for me. I’m always the most excited about the shows where I get to see locals create and shine.
How do you make recommendations for anyone unsure about what show they should see at The Q?
I would ask “What do you enjoy? Are you a music person? Do you like comedy? Are you interested in challenging yourself a little bit and coming to see something you normally wouldn’t consider?’”
There’s not a dud in our season so ask for a recommendation or take a bit of risk and take a punt on a poster you like and going to see it. It can be easy to forget what a different experience it is to see something live.
What are three things someone visiting Queanbeyan should do?
Go to The Q of course! And walk along the river, it’s gorgeous. People forget that we’re a country town right next to a city so being able to walk along the river is so peaceful and beautiful.
And The Royal Hotel has the best chips I’ve eaten in my life! They’re not an everyday food but as a sometimes food…it’s worth checking out.
What is the biggest misconception about Queanbeyan?
We are so close! If you’re in Canberra, we are 20 minutes away from you, no further away than any other suburb. If you’re thinking “Oh but it’s over the border”, we’re closer than the back of Tuggeranong. So, head over the border, have a meal, and come see a show.
What’s next for The Q and you?
For The Q, I’m going to keep programming local works and supporting local artists. I plan to keep bringing the best work from around the state, from around the country and from around the world to The Q but with a huge focus and support for the incredible work that we can create.
What’s next for me? Just more – more of the arts, more directing and hopefully, occasionally some rest.
Feature image supplied.
