Perth Festival organisers reflect on impressive three-week performance program

Perth Festival organisers are reflecting on their impressive three-week performance program involving some 650 artists across 100 Festival events.

Steeped in Indigenous culture and the 2022 theme of Wardan (ocean), the Festival began with the joyous world premiere of the musical Panawathi Girl at His Majesty's Theatre and closed with Noongar Wonderland lighting up Perry Lakes with song, culture, art and an inclusive sense of belonging.

Festival events revealed countless moments of beauty, joy and provocation and included Mary Stuart’s towering theatrical majesty, the awesome luminous world of Patch’s Lighthouse, Tim Winton, Helen Garner and many other brilliant authors at Writers Weekend, Kim Crotty’s heart-warming The Smallest Stage, Ta-ku’s walk-through music box Songs to Experience and the salty serenade of Sounds of Sunset at South Mole.

Festival organisers share “we are so grateful to our audiences, artists, partners and donors whose resilience and commitment have made the Festival possible in the face of the serious challenges thrown our way. Together, for the second year running, we have all navigated a pandemic to safely share the bonds of culture and community.”

Festival Artistic Director Iain Grandage notes ‘It has been a privilege to be able to put on this Festival in these times – to witness the joy of our artists who have been thrilled by such enthusiasm from our audiences.

'We understand how tough it has been for so many people in so many ways and we hope this has been a Festival to offer comfort and joy through the shared stories of this place. We now turn our gaze skyward to the dreams of Festival 2023 and its theme Djinda (stars)."

Perth Festival is Australia’s longest-running cultural festival, founded by The University of Western Australia and supported by the State Government through Principal Partner Lotterywest.

As most of artists and crews pack up, continuing Festival events include Lotterywest Films, this month’s theatre season of City of Gold, an extensive series of free Visual Arts exhibitions and new Touring WA program to regional areas.

Lotterywest Films continues until 3rd April at UWA Somerville, where triple-Oscar nominee Flee is screening this week only. Ongoing exhibitions around the galleries include Isaac Julien at John Curtin Gallery, Undertow at Fremantle Arts Centre, Sonia Kurarra at Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery and Amrita Hepi’sMonumental at Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts.

This year, the Festival was taken on the road with the inaugural Touring WA program to Bunbury, Albany and Karratha, supported by Minderoo Foundation. The one-man hit comedy JALI tours to Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on 8th-9th March and at the Red Earth Arts Precinct in Karratha on 17th March. A series of award-winning international films from our hugely successful Lotterywest Films program, including Flee, also are showing in Karratha.

Images from top: Perth Festival 2022 Noongar Wonderland Credit Court McAllister; Perth Festival Methyl Ethyl Credit Cam Campbell; Perth Festival Mary Stuart Production Credit Jess Wyld; Perth Festival Patch'sLighthouse Credit Matt Byrne