Dancing In The Rainbow

About the Project

Dancing In The Rainbow is a theatre production with the stories, ideas and themes being driven by the LGBTQIA+ youth and their allies (15 – 25) from the Bundaberg community who are keen to be part of a project that is creating new work to be performed in Bundaberg. Creative Regions will be running workshops to help develop the show and skills of the performers.

The Creative Regions team is so excited to be working with the creative minds and talented youth we have here in Bundaberg. To get the chance to create something that is meaningful and relevant to these young people – rather than it being something adult driven – is a great opportunity. We are excited to be working with the LGBTQIA+ community to ensure they have a voice, and their stories are being represented in our arts scene and more importantly in Bundaberg.

When and Where

Weekly rehearsals were held over two months prior to the performance. This theatre production was held on October 2021, in two performances at 6pm & 9pm at the Riverfeast Stage in Bundaberg.

Statistics

• Number of attendees at performances: 185
• Number of participants: 18
• Number of artists/cultural workers employed: 10
• Number of people employed in other paid positions: 1
• Number of volunteers engaged: 4

RADF Funding

$11,000

Outcomes

1. Providing a voice for LGBTQIA+ Youth - This project supported local youth to find a voice for their stories to be heard. It was a great place to build a ‘family’ and a supportive team. By the end of the project the team was already planning the next performance.
2. Developing local youth talent - During 2020 and 2021 performance opportunities have been limited due to the ongoing concerns of covid. This not only gave the cast a chance to perform, but also it gave creative regions a chance to employ a young creative team.
3. Building Community - 45% of the audience that attended to show identified as LGBTQIA+

Audience Feedback

“What a night! What a performance. I travelled home to Bundy with my family to watch this ... and I'm so glad we did. Opening few performances even brought a tear to my eye. Loved the venue . Loved the performance. Special favourite was the group performance "Ken and Barbie" Well done to all involved. Pretty excited for the lgbt community in Bundy. Can't wait to see what is to come in the future.”

Not only was it super fun, colourful and full of so many talented performers, but the production was also so incredibly real, moving and genuinely uplifting.

“The journey you all took the audience on was so powerful, and as much as I was enraptured by the performances on stage, I was also caught up in the reactions I witnessed in the audience. There were tears and sobs as we listened to the genuine stories from the LGBTQIA+ community, followed by laughter and joy as the incredibly talented performers sung and danced their hearts out!”