About the Collection

The Yellamundie Festival, presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts with Sydney Festival and Carriageworks, identifies, develops, and presents new First Peoples stories for stage.

APT is proud to partner with Moogahlin to publish key works from the Festival, reflecting the enormous influence the Festival has had on the national cultural arts landscape as more and more First Peoples playwrights look to the theatre as a means of telling stories.

Yellamundie is a Darug word meaning “storyteller”.

Yellamundie Festival is a biennial celebration of national and international storytellers. Since its inception in 2013, the festival has become an international showcase for First Peoples talent. From a national call for submissions, in January 2021 six new works underwent two weeks of development and were presented in a three-day festival of public showings, yarns, and events.

Previously focused only on writing for stage, the fifth Yellamundie Festival in 2021 showcased a range of live performance art forms, providing development opportunities for playwrights, composers and choreographers.

Yellamundie Festival is the only Festival of its kind in Australia. It was born from the National Indigenous Theatre Forum held in Cairns in 2010, when acclaimed director and performer Rachael Maza called for a return of the National Aboriginal Playwrights Conference. Moogahlin’s Co-Founders Frederick Copperwaite, Lily Shearer, and Liza-Mare Syron responded and spent the next three years working towards this goal.

Since the first Festival in 2013 and including 2021, Moogahlin has developed and showcased 38 First Peoples works, including four international works in partnership with our cousin companies Tawata Productions & Te Rehia Theatre (Aotearoa New Zealand) and Native Earth Performing Arts (Turtle Island Canada).

Full Production Scripts In Australia