Locals to tell Stories of Our Land
FNQ ARTISTS
Cairns, Atherton Tablelands, Torres Strait Islands, and performers and cultural connections across Far North Queensland will feature strongly in the world premiere of Stories of Our Land at Brisbane’s Princess Theatre on September 9 and 10
The FNQ cast includes vocalist Attani Enosa, who was born on Thursday Island and raised in Cairns; Yidinji and Moa Island dancer Lolarose Lyons from Cairns; vocalist Josiah Nehow, with connections to Mer Island and the Atherton Tablelands; Waibene-born Birri Gubba Birriah and Ngāpuhi performer Taeg Twist; and narrator Diana David, whose connections include Gimuy, Southern Kaanju and the Torres Strait.
Through music, dance, storytelling and cinematic vision filmed on Country, the performers share personal stories of culture, identity, family and belonging.
Bringing together young First Nations performers from across Australia, with cultural connections spanning Queensland, the Torres Strait, the Northern Territory, Victoria, Western Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, Stories of Our Land shares powerful stories of Country, culture and identity in a new contemporary performing arts production.
Presented by The Youth Mill Performing Arts Foundation (TYMPAF), Stories of Our Land will be performed at the Princess Theatre, Woolloongabba with tickets priced at $59 via Humanitix.
Guided by narrator Diana David, the production begins with dance, harmonised voices and yidaki before travelling through the performers’ individual stories of Country, family, identity and belonging. Powerful and emotive vocals, live strings and dance are interwoven with projected First Nations artwork and cinematic performances filmed on Country, allowing each story to move between screen and stage.
Together, the stories carry audiences across island, coastal, rainforest, inland and urban Country, reflecting the diversity of the performers’ cultural identities, lived experiences and connections to place.
Four original musical works, A Culture Within, To Walk 2 Paths, Mergence and Together, provide the musical spine of the production before the journey culminates in the fifth and final work: a full-cast performance of Land Called Australia. Showcasing the production’s many voices and cultural connections, the closing work also features contributions from the Australian Girls Choir and Budapest Orchestra.
Stories of Our Land provides a national platform for emerging First Nations voices, celebrating the diversity of contemporary Indigenous identity while creating meaningful professional pathways in the performing arts.
