REVIEW: Bring a Very Big Net - Backbone Festival

Bring a Very Big Net

Presented by Backbone Festival

Writer: Zoë Schramm

Director: Annabel Gilbert

Stage Manager: Kat Coomber

Dramaturg: Jordon Riley

Cast: Bec Day, Eve Grace, Hayden Parsons, Geena Schwartz

Photography: Ulf Yeh (@ulfs_photography)

Date Attended: 8 October 2026

"Cringe is a cage and I want to be a free bird!"

Four unlikely explorers venture into the bush in pursuit of a legendary creature. Equipped with backpacks, problematic survival skills, and an alarming amount of confidence, this expedition into Mount Kilcoy National Park is already looking like a disastrous idea.

Written by Zoë Schramm and directed by Annabel Gilbert, Bring a Very Big Net is an outrageously silly Australian comedy about yowie hunting, unlikely friendships, and four people carrying far more emotional baggage than their backpacks can hold. Presented as part of Backbone Festival, this camping trip features slapstick comedy, bizarre plot twists, and an unexpected amount of Kylie Minogue...

Leading the expedition is Leah (Bec Day), a wildly enthusiastic yowie believer determined to prove the existence of Australia's elusive hairy cryptid. Her incredible energy is exhausting just to watch. Bec throws herself into Leah's increasingly ridiculous schemes with the conviction of someone who has never once considered the possibility that she might be wrong.

Then there's Julian (Hayden Parsons), a fitness fanatic who appears to have mistaken being physically fit for knowing how to survive in the bush. Hayden spends much of the play skedaddling around the stage, flinging himself into situations without a moment's foresight. His dramatic reactions and inexhaustible energy are hilarious.

Alice (Eve Grace) is a TikTok "influencer" with 40K followers, a fully charged phone, and an outfit better suited to a pilates class than a trek through the Australian bush. She's vegan, fluent in Gen Z slang, and convinced that every experience (however life-threatening) can be transformed into online content. Eve nails Alice's exaggerated mannerisms, chirpy delivery, and complete lack of self-awareness. She's hopelessly out of her depth, although I'm not entirely convinced she'd notice anything out of the ordinary unless someone pointed it out in the comments.

And finally, there's Charlie (Geena Schwartz), a thoroughly unimpressed park ranger who has exhausted her patience before the expedition has even begun. While the others debate mysterious noises in the wilderness, Charlie offers the less supernatural explanation: "it's just koalas mating!" Geena's deadpan delivery and facial expressions are bloody golden. A raised eyebrow, a withering stare, or a look of pure disbelief tells us exactly what Charlie thinks of these idiots without her having to say a word. I spent half the performance watching her react to everyone else's nonsense.

The set has styrofoam trees, large green net, and Mount Kilcoy NP sign. Plus, voodoo-like dolls are used to track the hikers' locations (a navigation system I wouldn't recommend). Even the theatre's existing architecture gets involved, with a hole in the wall put to imaginative use. A Chewbacca-looking visitor might even make an appearance there...

"How long till we start eating people?" asks Julian.

"Cannibalism is very anti-community," Alice responds.

The dialogue is full of these ridiculous exchanges. Naturally, everything that could go wrong on this camping trip does: bad weather, venomous wildlife, lack of food, injuries, and arguments. Director Annabel Gilbert keeps the action moving, making excellent use of the cast's physical comedy and willingness to look completely ridiculous.

At one point, a spider bite sends Leah into a psychedelic state and Bec's performance becomes entirely unhinged. Poor Charlie trying to coax Leah into cooperating is like attempting to shepherd an overtired toddler through a supermarket, except this toddler is hallucinating yowies. And then there's Kylie… The unmistakable "la la la" of Can't Get You Out of My Head repeatedly interrupts the adventure, providing the perfect beat for bushwalking. I bet the song is in your head now too!

As wildly exaggerated as these four characters are, they're all lonely, secretive, and a bit weird. Each has something they're avoiding, and being stuck in the bush together is proving a rather inconvenient way to keep those things hidden. Between the arguments and absurd discoveries, they begin to learn a few things about themselves and one another. Aww.

Bring a Very Big Net is a hilarious and affectionate addition to the Backbone Festival. I love how wholeheartedly the cast commits to all the nonsense, right down to the spontaneous choreography. Beneath the yowie masks lies a sweet story of four oddballs finding friendship in unlikely circumstances.

Come with your funny bone, leave your common sense at home, and bring a very big net...