Sydney Festival has long been a leader in its commitment to championing, commissioning and presenting stories that are led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, grounded in the understanding that First Nations art is not supplementary to Sydney Festival - it is central to how the Festival speaks to the city and to the world, and our private donors have played a vital part.

HISTORY

Sydney Festival’s history of platforming First Nations work is extensive, backed by the generous support of private donors.

Bran Nu Dae, (1991 and 2020) was first performed in Sydney in 1991 with a cast led by Ernie Dingo; an exuberant musical which was a sell-out success and was revelation for its time. Black Chicks Talking (2003) was also a landmark theatre production, adapted from Leah Purcell’s book and documentary exploring the stories of First Nations Australian women.

Bran Nu Dae

In 2012 under the directorship of Lindy Hume, Sydney Festival celebrated Redfern’s community with Black Capital in the heart of Redfern at Carriageworks; a ground-breaking program of diverse First Nations works that set new standards for scale and ambition. This included Wesley Enoch’s I Am Eora, which welcomed the inaugural Associate Producers - a group of private supporters of Festival highlight productions that require additional financial support.

The Secret River (2013) was an immensely popular adaptation of Kate Grenville's novel which toured Australia followed by a return season in 2016/2017 and a tour of UK in 2019. The acclaimed world-premiere theatre production Black Diggers (2014) explored the overlooked stories of Aboriginal soldiers in World War I. 

Black Diggers

Sydney Festival donors gather for an exclusive first reading of Black Diggers.

Wesley Enoch AM placed First Nations voices at the centre of his five Festivals with the first Blak Out programs, delivering the most expansive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programming in the Festival’s history. Key productions such as the 3-year Bayala local language program, The Season by Nathan Maynard, Songs in the Key of Yes (2017), Spinifex Gum (2019), Man with the Iron Neck (2019), and the Black Ties (2020) wedding takeover of Sydney Town Hall. First presented in 2019, The Vigil continues as an annual event held on 25 January on Barangaroo Reserve to help close each Festival in a collective act of honouring. 

Olivia Ansell continued this momentum and formalised the role of artist Jacob Nash as Creative Artist in Residence, who brought cultural leadership to projects like Wudjang: Not the Past, and the joyful Big Name No Blankets (2024) which celebrated the phenomenal journey and impact of the Warumpi Band in an epic rock 'n' roll theatre show. Jacob’s five season tenure shaped how First Nations storytelling sits at the heart of a major arts festival. 

Big Name, No Blankets

The appointment of Butchulla man Aidan Rowlingson as Head of First Nations Programming in 2025 represents a significant step in embedding First Nations leadership within the Festival’s structure, building on the legacy of Blak Out while creating new pathways for emerging artists and deeper connections with community.

By prioritising Indigenous perspectives, Blak Out challenges audiences to engage with the art in a way that is both transformative and enlightening. These powerful Blak Out works honour Country, celebrate identity and are supported by a Community Engagement program crafted to strengthen cultural connection, arts leadership, economic participation, and enduring community networks.

“The feedback from community has been overwhelmingly positive, and I’ve witnessed a real sense of pride, connection and camaraderie across the Blak First Nations arts sector.” 

- Angeline Penrith, Community Engagement Producer And Redfern Renaissance Creative Director

Special thanks to Andrew Cameron AM and Cathy Cameron for their support of the Creative Artist in Residence and Head of First Nations Programming positions, Scully Fund for their long-term support of First Nations work, the Nelson Meers Foundation, the Arcadia Group, and all our private donors, without whom none of this would be possible. 

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