Arts and conversation bringing generations together for seniors week
Queenslanders are invited to gather with family and friends, young and old, to enjoy a specially curated online event on Saturday 15 August, to kick off this year’s Queensland Seniors Week (15 – 23 August 2020).
Presented by Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland, this special event called Drawn Together celebrates the powerful relationships that exist across generations.
Featuring a hosted in-conversation over morning tea and a variety of performances recorded in QPAC’s Concert Hall and venues in Cairns and Townsville, the 40-minute free event will be streamed online on Saturday 15 August at 10.30am. Conversation guests will include Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO and QPAC Elder in Residence Aunty Colleen Wall and a variety of artists and performers along with their own young people, discussing both complicated and light-hearted topics of our time.
Interspersed with performances by some of Queensland’s leading musicians and artists, the conversation will broach ideas of happiness, family heritage, and the value of the arts to individuals and to the community.
QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said the Centre was proud to produce this unique event for the 2020 Queensland Seniors Week.
The notion of bringing people of all ages together over a shared love of performance is hard-wired into all that we do at QPAC and we love to celebrate family so it was a natural fit for us to deliver this event with Seniors Week, Mr Kotzas said.
“We know that in these challenging times, people have valued more than ever the role that the arts play in connecting us with others and so we’re pleased to bring together this group of esteemed Queenslanders in conversation alongside some of Queensland’s leading performing artists for Drawn Together.”
Chief Executive of COTA Queensland Mark Tucker-Evans said the organisation welcomed QPAC’s support in creating this online event to launch the 2020 Queensland Seniors Week.
This year we proudly mark the 60th anniversary of Queensland Seniors Week and while, like so many events in Australia and globally, we have had to adapt our program to be virtual, we are thrilled to have the expertise of our state’s performing arts centre and to be able to kick off our week of celebrations with this wonderful morning tea in-conversation and performance event.
“The theme of this year’s Seniors Week is ‘Celebrating Queensland Seniors’, and our first day being a ‘day of Solidarity between Generations’, acknowledges how important family relationships are to the health and well-being of people of all ages, particularly in the lives of our seniors.
“We encourage people to use this online event as an opportunity to come together with family, friends, neighbours, or in community groups for a morning tea and enjoy Drawn Together,” said Mr Tucker-Evans.
Drawn Together special guest Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO said she was looking forward to sharing a cup of tea, conversation and performances by Queensland artists with as many people as possible across the state.
“The arts are vitally important in bringing us together. I have taken my Grandson Charlie to many live performances and it has offered incredible shared experiences, deepening our connection, as I am sure so many Grandparents have found with their young ones,” said Ms Bryce.
“Charlie and I are delighted to be part of this wonderful initiative. I invite you to join us for morning tea as we chat about serious and fun topics, including the special relationships that exist between generations, and enjoy a delightful variety of performances from some of our best Queensland artists and companies,” she said.
Drawn Together will be hosted by QPAC’s Scholar in Residence, Professor Judith McLean with special guests in conversation including Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO, Charlie (Dame Quentin Bryce’s Grandson aged 10), QPAC’s Elder in Residence Aunty Colleen Wall, Josephine (Aunty Colleen’s Granddaughter aged 9), David Williams (Musician), Lilly (David Williams’ daughter aged 5) and Fez Fa’anana (Artist).
The conversation will be interspersed with performances and interviews by some of Queensland’s most outstanding artists; western classical and traditional Asian fusion ensemble JADE New World Collective, Babushka Cabaret, The Brat Pack Tappers, Cairns indie-folk artist Greta Stanley and Townsville musical theatre performer Sarah Murr.
Presented by QPAC and COTA Queensland, Drawn Together will be streamed online on Saturday 15 August at 10.30am. Please visit www.qpac.com.au to view.
Drawn Together is funded by the Queensland Government.
