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 premiering in Brisbane this September.
Presented by The Youth Mill Performing Arts Foundation (TYMPAF), Stories of Our Land will be performed at the Princess Theatre, Woolloongabba, on Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of September at 7 pm, with tickets available online.
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.
The young cast includes dancers Jahmarly Davis (Kabi Kabi Country, Sunshine Coast) and Lolarose Lyons (Yidinji Country, Cairns and Moa Island), and vocalists Attani Enosa (Torres Strait and Cairns), Edwin Fejo (Larrakia Country, Darwin and Warray Country, Batchelor), Lenae Haerewa-Kaa (Kaalamaya and Ngāti Porou connections), Breanna Lee Wilson (Wemba Wemba Country, Victoria), and Josiah Nehow (Mer Island, the Atherton Tablelands and Tanna Island).
The Youth Mill Performing Arts Foundation's chief executive and artistic director, Margaret Lim, said Stories of Our Land was about empowering young First Nations voices and inviting audiences to experience First Nations cultures from the authentic perspectives of young people, expressed through story, music and performance.
"Every performer brings their own story, culture and lived experience to the stage, creating a powerful journey that is deeply personal while speaking to something we all share — connection," she said.
"This production celebrates the strength, diversity and creativity of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, while honouring the cultures and communities that have shaped them."
Following more than a year of creative development, Stories of Our Land has evolved into a major new Australian work. Following its world premiere in Brisbane, TYMPAF hopes to take the production to future touring and festival audiences and continue its associated community engagement.
The 75-minute performance of Stories of Our Land features eight First Nations performers, live narration by Diana David, Uncle Lyndon Davis performing live on yidaki and clapsticks, original songs, live music and much more.
Stories of Our Land will take place on Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of September 2026, 7.00 pm, Princess Theatre, Woolloongabba.
