Perth International Arts Festival Artistic Director Wendy Martin has unveiled a world-class programme of art without borders, inviting us to travel to extraordinary places with the most brilliant artists as our guides.
From Feb 10 to March 5, more than 700 of the planet’s most visionary artists will transform the city with more than 180 events and create new pathways for us to see, understand and re-imagine our world.
Check out 11 Australian exclusives, five world premieres and a superb array of unforgettable artistic experiences.
Themes of migration, reconciliation, accessibility and empathy run through a Festival for all tastes and senses. It even has its own official scent; lemon myrtle will pervade venues and influence menus across the city over the 24 days and nights of PIAF.
PIAF is the longest running annual multi-arts celebration in the Southern Hemisphere, and the jewel in the crown of Western Australia’s cultural life.
Events: Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam make their Australian debut with the Australian exclusive A O Lang Pho, a breathtaking production of contemporary circus and live music by a cast of 15 acrobats and five musicians who celebrate the culture of Vietnam and turn tradition on its head.
India’s Roysten Abel returns to Perth to present School of Rock, Indian folk style, with the Australian premiere of The Manganiyar Classroom, another exuberant and energetic production of musical theatre, which spotlights the rich Manganiyar musical tradition as a class of children rebel against their teacher.
Making its world premiere, Western Australia’s own Alex Desebrock’s Small Voices Louder is a participatory children-only event that invites youngsters to explore an interactive installation of cupboards and cubby holes and encourages them to voice their opinions on the world’s big questions, before broadcasting their responses throughout the Festival in surprising ways.
BOOKINGS AND FESTIVAL INFO: perthfestival.com.au – Ticketek outlets.