Stories of Our Land, featuring young Cape and TSI performers, will hit the stage in Brisbane come September. Photos: Supplied.
Young Indigenous performers from the Cape and Torres Strait will join counterparts from across the country and New Zealand in a new contemporary performing arts production premiering in Brisbane later this year.
Stories of Our Land will be showcased at the Princess Theatre in Woolloongabba on 9 and 10 September.
The production by narrator Diana David starts with harmonised voices, dancing and yidaki (the wind instrument of the Yolŋu Aboriginal people of north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory). It then turns to the artists’ individual stories about family, identity, belonging and Country.
Audiences can expect powerful and emotive vocals to be interwoven with the live strings and dance, as well as projected First Nations artworks and cinematic performances filmed on Country, according to the The Youth Mill Performing Arts Foundation, which is presenting the show.
The performance covers island, coastal, rainforest, inland and urban Country and reflects the diversity of the performers’ cultural identities, lived experiences and connections to place. The cast comes from the Northern Territory, Victoria, Western Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, as well as Far North Queensland.
The young cast includes dancers Jahmarly Davis (Kabi Kabi Country, Sunshine Coast) and Lolarose Lyons (Yidinji Country, Cairns and Moa Island), and vocalists Attani Enosa (Torres Strait and Cairns), Edwin Fejo (Larrakia Country, Darwin and Warray Country, Batchelor), Lenae Haerewa-Kaa (Kaalamaya and Ngāti Porou connections), Breanna Lee Wilson (Wemba Wemba Country, Victoria) and Josiah Nehow (Mer Island, the Atherton Tablelands and Tanna Island).
Margaret Lim, CEO and artistic director of the Performing Arts Foundation, said Stories of Our Land was about empowering young Indigenous voices.
The show invites audiences to experience cultures from authentic perspectives through stories, music and performance.
“Every performer brings their own story, culture and lived experience to the stage, creating a powerful journey that is deeply personal while speaking to something we all share – connection,” Ms Lim said.
Stories of Our Land at Brisbane’s Princess Theatre will be narrated by Diana David.
“This production celebrates the strength, diversity and creativity of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, while honouring the cultures and communities that have shaped them.”
The performance features four original musical works: A Culture Within, To Walk 2 Paths, Mergence and Together. It culminates in a performance including the entire cast of Land Called Australia, and features contributions from the Australian Girls Choir and Budapest Orchestra.
The Performing Arts Foundation aims to create meaningful professional pathways in the performing arts by providing a national platform for emerging artists.
It’s hoped the production, which took a year of development, will be shown at festivals and to other audiences during a tour following the premiere.
Stories of Our Land will be performed from 7 pm on 9-10 September. Tickets are available online via Humanitix.
