OUT OF THE BOX Festival Opens Today

Queensland Performing Arts Centre's (QPAC's) 2018 Out of the Box Festival for children eight years and under officially opened today, running until Sunday 1 July*.

Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch opened the festival and said it was a great opportunity for Queensland children to engage with amazing arts experiences, to sing, dance, move, play, paint, create and imagine.

"With ongoing support from the Queensland Government for more than 25 years, Out of the Box has presented quality performance and cultural activity that celebrates and supports learning, play, and discovery for children," Minister Enoch said.

"Since the first Out of the Box in 1992, the biennial event has engaged more than one million participants and 3721 artists. It has presented 1534 performances, 2335 workshops and 9461 activities.

"Out of the Box has presented 103 brand new works, some of which have gone on to tour nationally and internationally and creating work for Queensland artists," Ms Enoch said.

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said the delivery of the biennial Festival and associated community engagement activities connects children with a variety of arts experiences and is a great example of how QPAC inspires our community to talk about broader issues in the world today.

"There are programs at this year's Festival like The Arrival, Home, Here I Am, Little Yawar, that address some big themes - the idea of home, refugees, history and how we see ourselves. The fact that they are big themes doesn't mean we should shy away from talking to our kids about them.

"Out of the Box has delivered dance workshops to 2500 children in 35 schools across South East Queensland in preparation for Dance Like... No One is Watching at the Festival.

"Following the 2016 Out of the Box premiere of Jarjum Life Museums, exhibitions which showcase the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, we have developed three new museums with communities and schools in Cherbourg, Goondiwindi and Currumbin.

"I encourage Out of the Box participants to take time to enjoy these exhibitions at this year's Festival, along with the two other Jarjum Life Museums from Minjerribah and Hymba Yumba.

"This Festival we have also enabled more children to come to Out of the Box through QPAC's Care for a Class program. This year 600 children from schools in areas experiencing disadvantage will attend, double the number from 2016 Festival," said Mr Kotzas.

The five-day Festival will run at QPAC, South Bank, Brisbane, from 26 June to 1 July 2018 (excluding Friday 29 June); over three days of the school term and the first weekend of Queensland's June/July school holidays.

The 2018 Out of the Box in-theatre experiences include: The Arrival, a beautiful production recreated with New Zealand's Red Leap Theatre Company and Out of the Box, adapted from the award-winning novel by Shaun Tan; Air Play, a large-scale circus-style spectacle that brings to life the very air we breathe; Duck, a new theatre work especially created and commissioned by Out of the Box. This world premiere adaptation of Janet A. Holmes' touching book, illustrated by Jonathon Bentley, is about the beloved things in our lives, and who we are without them; Slapdash Galaxy, an epic quest across the Galaxy; King of the Kids, featuring guitar, kazoo and rock n' roll rhymes; Madame Lark, taking vocal flight with her musical saw; and Our Corka Bubs, an Aboriginal contemporary dance work for babies under two years and their carers.

Other Festival activities include Dance ...Like No One is Watching, featuring giant dance parties, Little Yawar, seeing children from various Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations across Queensland gathering to share and celebrate their culture; and various relaxing and fun Play Spaces. Out of the Box workshops include Guru Dudu "Silent Disco Walking Tours" with headphones, and Here I Am Self Portraits. Jarjum Life Museums curated by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, are also showcased throughout the Festival site.

QPAC's Out of the Box Festival is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.

The Festival is also supported by Brisbane City Council, Principal Partner Lendlease and Major Partner C&K. Supporting partners include YFG Shopping Centres, Translink (Transport Partner) and Fairfax Media (Media Partner). Producing Partners include UNICEF Australia, QUT, Red Leap Theatre and Inala Wangarra. Trusts and Foundations partners are The John Villiers Trust, and Siganto Family Foundation. Major Benefactor is Dr Cathryn Mittelheuser AM and Supporting Benefactor is Friends of Out of the Box. Event Equipment Hire Partner is Neals Event Hire. Additional Supporters are UHU, ConocoPhillips and Springfield City.

For the full 2018 Out of the Box program and Day Pass bookings go to www.outoftheboxfestival.com.au.

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