QPAC Announces New Dates for Clancestry 2022

Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) today announced new dates for QPAC's Clancestry - A Celebration of Country, which will now run from 13 to 28 May 2022, with the two-week program of mostly free events bringing together First Nations voices, ideas and talent through performance and professional development opportunities.a??a??

Postponed from the start of the year due to the impacts of COVID-19, the new dates have allowed for expansion of the program, and the creation of additional career pathways for First Nations artists and staff.a??

Clancestry gets off to a monumental start with First Gathering on 13 May - a free opening event including a celebration of the Land, Waters and Sky that surround QPAC on the Cultural Forecourt, followed by a gig with Uncle Joe Geiaa??on the Melbourne Street Green.a??

Stories from Here in the Tony Gould Gallery will showcase the vast archive of Jo-Anne Driessens, who has photographed First Nations performance at QPAC and its surrounds since the early 2000s. The free exhibition will be open every Tuesday to Saturday from 12pm.a??

Around the bend in the QPAC Tunnel, seven First Nations storytellers including actor and director Leah Purcell, performer Roxanne McDonald and Australasian Dance Collective's Tyrel Duvarie, will acknowledge the seven watershed regions of Queensland and their importance as individual and diverse ecosystems that have sustained families for many thousands of years.a??

Each day of the work week will see a free lunchtime program of talks, performances and workshops on the Melbourne Street Green from 12noon to 1pm. Pop down to learn local language and Aboriginal weaving, or enjoy bush tucker talks and digeridoo sets.a??

On Mondays from 6pm, Biggest Mobs returns to the Melbourne Street Green with a stacked free program of cabaret, poetry, drag queen bingo, comedy and music.a??a??

The free entertainment continues with QPAC's popular Green Jam music sessions, starring a line-up of the elders of the First Nations music scene including Uncle Joe Geia, Toni Janke and Rochelle Pitt every Friday at 5pm.a??

There's plenty for the jarjum (children) too, with a free program of live shows and activities on the Melbourne Street Green every Saturday at 9am and 2pm.a??

Musical fun abounds with the hilarious Lucas Proudfoot on 14 and 21 May, as he yarns with guitar, didgeridoo and stomp box; while Our Backyard on 28 May will see Alinta McGrady, Waveney Yasso and their native animal friends sing and dance about working together and taking care of the land and each other.a??

On 16 May in the Concert Hall, the mic will be handed to musical activists in the collaborative set BLAKTIVISM. An epic cross-generational line-up including Bart Willoughby, Emma Donovan, Deline Brisco, Tasman Keith and Baarka will lay bare issues such as First Nations sovereignty, police brutality and state oppression.a??

From 24 to 28 May in the Cremorne Theatre, Digi Youth Arts and The Good Room will present COOKED, where young First Nations People will turn the tables and be the ones asking the questions.a??

Quandamooka Nunukul artist Casey Coolwell-Fisher will lead the on-site design at QPAC - with the mentorship of award-winning production designer Josh McIntosh - creating a warm, welcoming and recognisable First Nations space for Clancestry at the Centre.a??

To roll out Clancestry, QPAC will engage additional First Nations staff across programming, production, marketing and content creation, while connecting them with mentors in their field.a??

QPAC will also join forces with Queenmode Collective to hold workshops and conversations for the local First Nations community to support artist and sector development.a??

Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said QPAC's Clancestry - A Celebration of Country showcased the arts and cultural practices of First Nations peoples.

"We are fortunate to be the only state in Australia to be home to two of the oldest living cultures in the world and Clancestry 2022 is set to showcase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples' cultures, country, heritage and history," Minister Enoch said.

"QPAC's Clancestry delivers on the key priorities of the Queensland Government's Creative Together 10-Year Roadmap to share our stories, celebrate storytellers and elevate First Nations arts.

"Through important events such as Clancestry, we have the unique opportunity to build greater awareness and understanding of the contribution and beauty of First Nations arts experiences, especially as we look ahead to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, when Queensland's rich cultural identity is celebrated on a global stage."

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said he hoped people would embrace the opportunity to celebrate and connect with First Nations culture.a??
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"Casey's site design represents First Nations people coming together and sharing their stories - just like the storytelling of our land's natural elements - and this perfectly encapsulates Clancestry as a celebration of Country," Mr Kotzas said. a??
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"While we have created an extensive program showcasing First Nations artists and organisations, we are also focusing on meaningful opportunities behind the scenes as part of a broader commitment. This includes weekly welcome events between artists and QPAC staff catered by Murri Menu, an Elders' Program that includes guided tours with artists through our performance spaces, and a dedicated space for our festival artists to connect and share during the festival."a??
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Tickets to BLAKTIVISM and COOKED are now on sale via qpac.com.au or 136 246.a??

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