Based around the theme of ‘Celebrating Queensland Seniors’, Queensland Seniors Week is set to run this year from 15 – 23 August 2020. Due to the pandemic and the fact that seniors are in the high-risk category for COVID-19, you are unlikely to find many (if any) large celebrations across Queensland this year. Fortunately, some organisations are taking events to digital platforms. One such event is being co-presented by the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) and the Council on the Ageing (COTA) Queensland titled Drawn Together, commencing Saturday 15 August 2020 at 10.30am via the QPAC website.
Based on the theme of Queensland Seniors Week’s first day – ‘Day of Solidarity between Generations’ – Drawn Together sets out to celebrate the powerful relationships that exist across generations. The event will be a 40-minute conversation which is perfect for watching over a pot of tea, complemented by performances recorded in both QPAC’s Concert Hall and other venues in Cairns and Townsville.
The conversation will feature guests, including former Australian Governor-General Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO and QPAC’s Elder in Residence Aunty Colleen Wall. They will be joined on-stage by a variety of artists, performers and their younger family members, including Charlie (Dame Quentin Bryce’s Grandson aged 10), Josephine (Aunty Colleen’s Granddaughter aged 9), David Williams (Musician), Lilly (David Williams’ daughter aged 5) and Fez Fa’anana (Artist). Biographies for the main speakers can be found at the end of this article.
Dispersed throughout the conversation will be performances by QPAC’s ensemble in residence JADE: New World Collective, the Babushka Cabaret, The Brat Pack Tappers, indie-folk artist Greta Stanley and musical theatre performer Sarah Murr.
What They Have to Say…
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.
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.
John Kotzas – QPAC Chief Executive
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.
Mark Tucker-Evans – Chief Executive of COTA Queensland
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.
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.
Dame Quentin Bryce AD CVO – Former Governor General of Australia
