Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak.
Camera IconBoorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Perth Festival 2019 program full of world premieres and Made in WA offerings

Tanya MacNaughtonEastern Reporter

NINE world premieres, five Australian season premieres, nine commissions and more than 26 Perth exclusives feature in artistic director Wendy Martin’s fourth and final program for Perth Festival 2019.

Launched at Perth Concert Hall tonight, Australia’s longest-running arts festival will celebrate its 66th year with an array of international music, theatre, dance, circus, visual arts, film and literature in conjunction with a proud emphasis on Made in WA offerings.

The program for 2019's Perth Festival has been launched! Read more: https://www.communitynews.com.au/eastern-reporter/lifestyle/perth-festival-2019-program-full-of-world-premieres-and-made-in-wa-offerings/
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Martin has chosen to bring back 2017’s free family event Boorna Waanginy: The Trees Speak for Festival Opening Weekend, providing a second chance to experience Kings Park as a nocturnal wonderland of ecological understanding and Noongar culture.

Boorna Waanginy is the centrepiece in a series of works by WA artists and companies under the banner Made in WA,” Martin said.

“These daring local productions are nurtured and commissioned by Perth Festival as a lovingly-made portrait of our place and the things that matter.

“I am very excited that so many of the artists that I love from around the world will be in Perth to share their extraordinary work with us.

“Our own wonderful WA artists will shine brightly alongside them as we celebrate this incredible corner of the world and the stories that make it unique.”

Other local works include immersive dance-theatre piece Sunset onsite at Dalkeith’s Sunset Heritage Precinct performed by Strut Dance with choreography by the UK’s Maxine Doyle.

Barking Gecko Theatre Company will present family adventure A Ghost in my Suitcase, Lost and Found Opera premiere Ned Kelly and Ochre Dance will collaborate with India’s Daksha Sheth in Kwongkan: Sand.

The Last Great Hunt will make its Perth Festival debut, acting out a faux foreign romantic film live on stage in Le Nor:The Rain.

Lang Toi (My Village).
Camera IconLang Toi (My Village). Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Nouveau Cirque du Vietnam is preparing to captivate audiences once more when they return with new work Lang Toi (My Village).

Opera enthusiasts are in for a treat when Komische Oper Berlin teams with WA Opera and WASO for Barrie Kosky’s The Magic Flute with a 1920s silent movie aesthetic.

The Magic Flute.
Camera IconThe Magic Flute. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Those willing to spend eight hours and 15 minutes (with breaks) in the theatre can immerse themselves in Gatz by New York’s Elevator Repair Service, a theatrical tour-de-force presentation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby read in its entirety.

Gatz.
Camera IconGatz. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Dance lovers can revel in WA Ballet’s Ballet at the Quarry, along with international interpretations of Swan Lake and Giselle – like Perth has never seen before.

Giselle.
Camera IconGiselle. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir headlines the 2019 Classical Music program and Chevron Festival will continue to be the global beats home at Elizabeth Quay, with a variety of music genres.

An emotional and thought-provoking Visual Arts program, Writers Week and Lotterywest Films complete the annual arts celebration from February 8 to March 3.

Full program and tickets at www.perthfestival.com.au.