About

Welcome to the 2009 Perth Festival

History has always been a fluid world where fact and mythologies endlessly shift around each other. Artists’ voices have carried stories through the ages using the power of music and poetry to remind us of the intimate human experiences that lie at the heart of history.

This program invites you to see history through the works of contemporary artists. From the retelling of a Shakespeare epic to the story of 20th century Japanese migration, to theatre-makers and musicians whose seminal works have affected everything since. I invite you to explore the challenges they offer by bringing the past to life in new and curious ways.

The experiences they offer range from bloody tragedy to absurd humour, the pathos of loneliness and the joy of transcendent beauty. A powerful reminder of the human spirit that drives history forward.

Our Festival begins with a celebration of our home on the edge of the Indian Ocean, and over the following three weeks the city is transformed by mischief-making mannequins, digital artists and the night-time scene at Beck’s Music Box. The expanded Great Southern program also offers the Festival experience to audiences in the south of our state.

Don’t forget the iconic experience of Lotterywest Festival Films under the stars and Perth Writers Festival, which promises some extraordinary stories of Western Australia and beyond.

As always this program represents the inspired commitment from artists, colleagues, supporters and audiences to whom the deepest thanks are owed.

Shelagh Magadza
Artistic Director