Wiradjuri and Gamilaroi man Brendon Boney will make his solo mainstage debut with Bangarra Dance Theatre as the composer and sound designer for Illume 2025, an upcoming production that blends dance, music and visual art.

The production explores artificial light and its cultural and environmental impacts.

Created by Bangarra Artistic Director Frances Rings and Bard artist Darrell Sibosado, Illume marks the company's first visual arts collaboration.

It premieres at the Sydney Opera House in June before embarking on a national tour.

Mr Boney first joined Bangarra in 2018 as a David Page Music Fellow, which led to an ongoing involvement with the company.

"That was kind of what brought me into the arena," he told National Indigenous Times.

Since then, he has contributed to multiple works while maintaining a separate theatre career.

He said Illume is the first opportunity where he has been able to shape the entire sound vision himself.

"This just happens to be my first one," he said.

"It's really exciting for me … to step up and kind of really build a vision that I kind of see how I would love Bangarra to sound."

Mr Boney said Mr Sibosado made it clear early in the creative process that Illume would not follow Bangarra's usual "organic" musical tone.

"He let me know very early on that this wasn't going to be a very organic sounding thing," Mr Boney said.

"That wasn't how he was picturing it, which is great for me because I love stepping into the electronic world.

He said his work draws on years of adapting whatever instruments or tools were available.

"Whatever is available, make it work and figure it out which is kind of where I came from," he said.

Asked what he hopes audiences take away from the show, Mr Boney said it's about understanding the diversity and modernity of Indigenous identity.

"Our culture is not stagnant - we're constantly changing and growing and evolving," he said.

"We get to decide what that looks like."

He said the show reflects a contemporary Indigenous perspective without losing connection to history.

"There is futurism in blackness and there is a contemporary blackness," he said.

"I don't see it as any kind of huge departure from our past or our history - they're all connected."

Mr Boney said Indigenous artists are now using all available tools to continue cultural storytelling.

"We very much exist in the world today… these things are not just for Western people and white artists to play with," he said.

"We are using these things ourselves to grow and cultivate and maintain our own practices."

Illume premieres at the Sydney Opera House from 4–14 June 2025, with tickets available now.