Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) is collaborating with artists and communities to present a unique theatrical performance marking 100 years of Australian wartime and peacekeeping service since the armistice that ended World War I on Sunday 11 November.
The free performance in QPAC’s Playhouse, Armistice, will reflect on Australia’s wartime and peacekeeping history combining song, music, dance, spoken word and archival footage and imagery. Presented by QPAC and supported by the Australia Government’s ANZAC Centenary Arts and Culture Fund, Armistice will be a powerful theatrical event reflecting veterans’ stories and artists’ responses to one hundred years of Australia’s involvement in war, the impact on those who served, on their families at home, and on the nation.
QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said it was important for the state’s performing arts centre to play a part in giving a voice to this significant milestone. “Armistice is not a concert, a play or a documentary. It is all of those elements and more. With an extraordinary creative team and an impressive line-up of talented artists, it promises to be a visual and moving performance featuring true stories about servicemen and women, and about their loved ones who supported them back home. QPAC is committed to providing opportunities for Queensland artists to create new theatrical works that tell meaningful stories of our rich culture and history. Through creating, participating in and viewing art, lives can be enriched and communities become more connected,” he said.
Featuring an extraordinary collection of material from The Australian War Memorial, Armistice will portray artwork from Official War Artists Ben Quilty, George Lambert, Will Longstaff and Ivor Hele. It also includes images, videos, letters and diary entries spanning the 100 years of conflicts, helping to bring the history to life for audiences. The high profile line-up of Australian artists bringing their talents to the stage for this special production includes singers John Schumann and Brisbane’s own Tom Oliver, Bryan Probets and Naomi Price, internationally acclaimed choral ensemble, The Australian Voices, conducted by Gordon Hamilton, and leading music ensemble Brisbane-based Topology.
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