Ya'djin Spirit Women will take to the stage at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre as part of the 2026 Clancestry festival, presenting the first full-length production from The First Creatives.

The work has been developed over several years and returns following its first showing at the Brisbane Multicultural Centre in May 2024.

The production is led by Ewamian, Cobble-Cobble, Birri and South Sea Islander woman, Allirah Fisher, alongside Gooreng Gooreng woman Aunty Chantay Link.

Ya'djin Spirit Women is a multidisciplinary performance combining dance, theatre and film, grounded in the shared stories of two Aunties from the Ya'djin Women's Collective.

The collective is a grassroots group of Indigenous women survivors of sexual assault and domestic and family violence.

The work follows the lived experiences of the Aunties, exploring survival, healing and identity across generations.

Ms Fisher described the structure and intention behind the production.

"It's a essentially a multidisciplinary show that follows its dance theatre, but there's also a film component," Ms Fisher said.

"So it's two aunties sharing their stories.

"And they're sharing their stories of their experiences, their life essentially, as survivors of sexual abuse and domestic violence."

The production centres on storytelling through cultural practice, drawing on dance, song and community participation.

Ms Fisher said the work reflects a return to traditional ways of sharing knowledge.

"We're sharing our stories in our own way," Ms Fisher said.

"There's dance, there's song, there's yarns.

"There's community engagement and it's just a really organic way that that mob can consume this these big issues."

This approach creates space for community involvement and expands the work beyond the stage.

Aunty Chantay Link said the stories within the production reflect experiences across many communities.

"A lot of these stories are based in every one of our communities and they're really hard, uncomfortable stories at times," Ms Link said.

"I think it's a beautiful way for us to collectively hold this.

"The other part is how we get through it, how we look after each other."

The show also includes an interactive component, with First Nations women invited to take part in a workshop performance that becomes part of the live show.

The work balances these experiences with a focus on strength, care and collective healing.

Ms Link said the production centres community voices without compromise.

"It's just us telling our stories our way without having to censor ourselves," Ms Link said.

"This is not this is not a woman's story. This is a community story."

The production will also be supported by a panel discussion on Thursday 30th, offering audiences a space to engage more deeply with the themes and conversations behind the work.

Ya'djin Spirit Women will run from 30 July to 1 August at QPAC's Cremorne Theatre as part of Clancestry.

Tickets are available through QPAC, with further program details to be announced in May.