Carpentaria: Children's Performance

Alethea Beetson is a Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi + Wiradjuri storyteller + dreamer who has worked extensively with Indigenous communities across multiple art forms to inspire new works responding to societal issues, cultural heritage and colonisation. Her research explores the function of insurgence and resurgence in the creative development and production of Indigenous performance.

In 2013 Alethea founded Digi Youth Arts (DYA) is an Indigenous led youth arts organisation sharing the stories of our young people. Her tenure at Digi Youth Arts has seen Alethea write and direct the following productions from a community engaged practice: COOKED (2022, QPAC), ANTHRO-APOLOGY (2018, Queensland Museum), Waiting and Searching (2016, Metro Arts), Don't Read The Comments (2016, Metro Arts), in-dij-uh-nus (2015, Brisbane Powerhouse; 2016 Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam; 2018, La Boite Theatre Company), Losing It (2017, La Boite Theatre Company); and direct Restless Dream (2021, Brisbane Festival), The Truth Is (2014, Twelfth Night Theatre) & Glad Tomorrow (2013, Brisbane Powerhouse).

Alethea also adapted and directed Alexis Wright's Carpentaria as an immersive literary performance for Brisbane Writers Festival in 2017 and 2019. In 2021 Alethea adapted one of her theatre works Losing It into a short-film.

She has worked as a First Nations Music Curator and Producer across BLAKSOUND, Brisbane Festival, BIGSOUND, Horizon Festival, Yonder and Jungle Love.

Paula Nazarski is a Ngugi Woman from North Stradbroke Island. She is an esteemed actor and writer who frequently works with Queensland Theatre Company. She has written, performed and toured in theatre shows all around Queensland. Paula is passionate about the arts and the role of storytelling in the contemporary world.

Leonard Donahue is a descendant from the Djabugay people of the rainforest in far-north Queensland. Recently Donohue's been involved with performances of the award-winning children's aboriginal story Kookoo Kookaburra , which have been performed at schools, parks and community halls all over WA as part of Shows On The Go from Country Arts WA.

Tibian Wyles, is a descendant from the Girramay and Kalkadoon tribes from North Queensland. He is a graduate of the Advanced Diploma in Acting at The Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA) in Brisbane. Tibian appeared in Black Diggers written by Tom Wright and directed by Wesley Enoch, which premiered at the 2014 Sydney Festival and toured to a sold out season as part of the Brisbane Festival. He has also appeared in several ACPA productions such as Oedipus the King, Spirit Of the Lore, CYRANO de Bergerac and The Robbers.