YELLAMUNDIE FESTIVAl 2025
15-27 SEPTEMBER 2025
Image by Jamie James,
Peta Strachan’s work Bush Medicine Magic. 2023
Presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts in association with Carriageworks
Yellamundie
FESTIVAL 2025
A biennial celebration and platform for new and distinct First Peoples stories.
Festival Info
TICKET Price $20+ Booking fee
DATES 15 - 27 SEPTEMBER 2025
Developments 15 - 24 September (CLOSE TO PUBLIC)
Public Showings 25 - 27 September
A showcase for new and distinct voices in Australian performing arts, 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, six new works will undergo two weeks of development and are presented in a three-day festival of public showings, yarns, and events in Sydney in September 2025.
Since 2021 the Yellamundie Festival showcases a range of live performance art forms, providing development opportunities for Playwrights, Composers, and Choreographers.
“Yellamundie” is a Dharug word meaning “storyteller”. Yellamundie Festival is a trademark of Moogahlin Performing Arts and must be credited using the full project name, and never be abbreviated to just the language word.
Yellamundie Festival 2023 Storytellers
2023 -A Wake- A Woke Mob - Img Patrick Boland
2023 -A Wake- A Woke Mob - Img Patrick Boland
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Bush Medicine Magic - Img Jamie James
2023 - Eulogy - Img Patrick Boland
2023 - Eulogy - Img Patrick Boland
2023 - Healing Scars - Img Jamie James
2023 - Healing Scars - Img Jamie James
2023 - Healing Scars - Img Jamie James
2023 -Watersong - Img Patrick Boland
2023 -A Wake- A Woke Mob - Img Patrick Boland
Yellamundie Festival Team
Moogahlin Production
Lily Shearer (Murrawarri & Ngemba) - Artistic Director & Festival Director
Gina Machado - (Ally) General Manager
Leroy Parsons (Yuin/Dunghutti) - Producer
Natano Fa’anana (Samoa) - Executive Producer
Stephen Wilson Barker (Murrawarri, Ngyiaampaa, Wiradjuri) - Digital Producer
Aroha Pehi (Taribelang, Kuku-Yalanji, Ngapuhi & Ngati Porou) - Intern Producer
Previous Yellamundie Festivals
Katie Leslie, Victoria Kennedy, Guy Simon, Kirk Page, Marcus Corowa, Rachael maza, Nathan Maynard. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Melodie Dia. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Sonny Dallas Law, Guy Simon, Mitch Summerfield, Louise Corpus, John Blair. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Sharni McDermott. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Katie Leslie. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Aunty Colleen McGrady and Andrea James. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Mitch Summerfield and John Blair. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Colin Kinchela, Megan Wilding, Katie Leslie. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Colin Kinchela and Nathan Leslie. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Katie Leslie, Liza-mare Syron, John Blair, Nathan Leslie, Guy Simon, Lily Shearer. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Dalara Williams. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Colin Kinchela and Jason Munro. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Kirk Page. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Dalara Williams. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Megan Wilding. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Dalara Williams. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
The Yellamundie Festival 2019 Company. Image by Jamie James.
Nathan Leslie. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Phoebe Grainier, Abbie-Lee Lewis, James Boyd, Ari Maza-Long, Kyle Morrison - The Lookout - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Katie Leslie - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Katie Leslie - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Yellamundie 2021 Img by Jamie James
Shana O'Brien - Peta Strachan, Lily Shearer, Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Yellamundie 2021 Img by Jamie James
Shana O'Brien - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Troy Russell - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Aunty Norma Ingram - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Katie Leslie - Yellamundie 2021 Img by Jamie James
Leila Hamilton - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
First Presentation of The Last Shot by Troy Russell - Yellamundie Festival 2021 - Image by Jamie James
Guy Simon, Mitch Summerfield, Louise Corpus, John Blair. Yellamundie Festival 2019. Image by Jamie James.
Yellamundie FEstival Impact
Yellamundie Festival is the only Festival of its kind in Australia.
Yellamundie Festival was born from the National Indigenous Theatre Forum held in Cairns in 2010, there was a call for a return of the National Aboriginal Playwrights Conference. Moogahlin’s Co-Founders Lily Shearer, Liza-Mare Syron, and Frederick Copperwaite, responded and spent the next three years working towards this goal.
Since the first Festival in 2013 and including 2023 Moogahlin has developed and showcased 44 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).
So far seventeen works have gone on to full production in Australia.
Works that have gone on to Full stage production
A Wake a Woke Mob By Mauriel Spearim
Presented by Ilbijerri and Melbourne Theatre Company, 2024
Image by Tiffany Garvie
At What Cost by Nathan Maynard
Presented by TasPerforms & Belvoir Theatre Company. 2022
Image by Brett Boardman
The Last Shot By Troy J Russell
Presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts in partnership with Blactown Arts & Sydney Festival, 2022
Image by Stephen Wilson Barker
The Weekend by Henrietta Baird Sydney Festival 2019 and internationally Kia Mau Festival. Produced By Moogahlin Performing Arts.
Image by Jamie James
Coconut Woman by Maryanne Sam
Presented Yirramboi 2021
Image by Tobi Sam Morris
Produced by TasPerforms, premiered Sydney Festival 2017, toured nationally 2018
Developed in Yellamundie Festival 2013.Premiered at Sydney Festival 2020. Produced By Moogahlin. Restaged in 2023 by Moogahlin and Sydney Theatre Company for a limited tour. Followed by a national tour in 2024.
Image by Stephen Wilson Barker
FIFO – Fit In or F**k Off! By Melody Dia
Presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and Goolarri Media, 2020
The Fever and The Fret by Jub Clerc
Presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, 2015
Image by Matt Mcveigh
A Little Piece of Ash by Megan Wilding
Presented by Jackrabbit Theatre, KXT Bakehouse, 2019
SkyLab by Melodie Reynolds-Diarra Presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and Black Swan State Theatre Company, 2018
Battle of Waterloo by Kylie Coolwell (Sydney Theatre Company, 2015), Early readings occurred at Yellamundie Festival 2013
Brothers Wreck by Jada Alberts' (Yellamundie Title ‘Weight’)
Presented by Belvoir Street Theater Company
Image by Tim Gray
Previous Yellamundie
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
The Yellamundie Festival is presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts in association with Carriageworks
This project is supported by Create NSW, Creative Australia , City of Sydney, APAM, University of Sydney, The Wales Family Foundation, and the Anamila Foundation.
Special thanks to ILBIJERRI Theatre, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, Marrugeku, Bangarra Dance Theatre, APAM, Blak Dance, Te Rehia Theatre, Native Earth Performing Arts, and Tawata Productions,
