Since 2012, David has worked with Queensland Music Festival to write and direct some of the world's most innovative community arts engagement projects. It is the subject of his doctoral study.
Based on his work around Queensland Music Festival and beyond, David co-wrote a book for artists and academics with fellow playwright with David Burton. ‘Verbatim Theatre Methodologies for Community-Engaged Practice’ is available now.
I’ve had the privilege of writing and directing several community productions for Queensland Music Festival. These ‘signature community works’ are made for, by and with a specific regional Queensland community. I, along with a team of professional artists, work with a community for over twelve months to stage an original musical spectacular that is free, outdoors and filled with surprises.
These productions typically feature a cast of hundreds, and audiences of thousands. They’ve featured live cattle and horses, stunt motorbike riders, tug boats, gymnasts, symphony orchestras, rock bands and more.
But more important than the spectacle is the heart of the shows, where a diverse group of people come together to celebrate their home. Many special stories are made through the creation of these shows.
One such example is shown in the video below. In 2015’s Under This Sky, in Logan, a cast of 750 (making it the biggest community event ever undertaken in the world), paused to give voice to the national anthem. The text was translated into the local Yugambeh language, and then translated back into English. This was the result.