COWBOY at Sydney Festival: Blurring the Line to Redefine the Western

COWBOY at Sydney Festival: Blurring the Line to Redefine the Western
Image: Cowboy at Riverside Theatre, by Justin Cueno

COWBOY, a solo, interactive contemporary dance work by Michael Smith, turns the Wild West on its head offering a quirky exploration of identity within the cowboy mythos. As part of the 2025 Sydney Festival, COWBOY offers an oddly captivating performance. 

Smith invites you to gallop through vast landscapes and intimate moments, where the boundaries between audience and performer blur. This is not just a show you sit back and watch, it’s a performance you enter.

Through clever use of the space, COWBOY transforms itself from vast, open landscapes to intimate corners, all within the span of a single performance. The audience is free roaming, encouraged to explore and interact in ways that make you feel as though you are part of the Western tale, rather than merely a bystander.

With an original sound-score composed by Ben Ely, our surroundings are transformed into that of a Western film. Sole choreographer and performer, our named Cowboy, Michael Smith operates the show from within. He controls tracks and sound effects via a Bluetooth remote, ensuring the audience are able to be active participants. 

Saloon doors creak open, pianists play, people transform into pub regulars who get into fights with the cowboy. The audience do more than just bear witness to the frenzy, they become part of the Western world. 

Image: Justin Cueno

Through his madly physical movement Smith throws himself into the audience, runs amok in the ground, and then slows down in a deliberate, almost restrained manner, never letting the audience know what his next move is. While the performance may not be to everyone’s tastes, individuals will be able to appreciate how the controlled chaos served as a thoughtful exploration of freedom and vulnerability, reflecting Smith’s creative vision.

COWBOY at Sydney Festival: An offbeat and strange narrative

COWBOY is an offbeat and strange narrative that blends comedy with introspection, creating an absorbing experience. The performance invites you to laugh at its absurdities, as once you’re in Smith’s saddle, there’s no escaping. 

The production was created in collaboration with The Farm, with support from Arts Queensland. 

It won the 2020-2021 Matilda Award for BEST Sound Design/Composition, awarded to Anna Whitaker and Ben Ely for their work on COWBOY (Michael Smith & The Farm, presented by Brisbane Festival & Metro Arts).

COWBOY was performed at Riverside Theatres from January 8 to 11.

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