Papuan-Australian songstress Aunty Heru Pinkasova weaves a soulful operatic cabaret.

Following celebrated performances in Hot Brown Honey, Showboat and Songs My Aunties Taught Me, Heru has lovingly curated a collection of reimagined Papuan chants and folk songs.

Woven by the hands of Mothers, Daughters, Aunties and Sisters, the bilum is a symbol of life, strength and story. When you sling a handwoven bilum bag across your body, you carry with you not just the goods that fill the sack, but the history of the women who created it and a space to store your future story.

The Bilum Mamma is the creator and the user. She is a provider, warrior and source of comfort. She also is an artist, creating a masterpiece – something unique to be shared with the world. Each loop and strand pulling together the stories she has been told, the lullabies she was sung and all of the histories that she will pass forward.

Creating her unique Bilum, the textures and colours informed by and informing the songs of her life, exploring traditional Papuan song and how their beats thrum through contemporary music. Join this Bilum Mamma as she gives, takes and holds a unique history, one ready to be carried by those after her.

Venue Format
Theatre, Hall, Black Box Venue
Technical Rating
D
Touring Party
3
Considerations

Video projection required - in-venue equipment preferred

Little Match Productions is one of Queensland’s leading independent theatre companies, creating and producing high quality new Australian musical performance.

Based in Brisbane, Little Match is driven to explore our collective humanity via its most primal and intrinsically expressive media, the voice. We are insatiably curious to share and hear others’ voices, both literally and figuratively.

Our works traverse comedy-cabaret, opera, classical music and children’s productions, delivering high quality theatre to every member of the family. We develop, create and tour musical works that tell great stories of integrity and contemporary relevance, of women, society’s values and reflect on its growth and challenges. We are committed to tuning-in little ears to quality music through highly-accessible theatre to foster the next generation of music lovers and music-makers.

In rigorous collaboration with diverse artists, we have established a reputation for our unique ability to present classical repertoire and techniques in contemporary contexts. The foundation for each new work is ethical story-telling with integrity and contemporary relevance, high quality new music, ability to tour regionally and engagement of female creatives.

Company Website
littlematchproductions.com

Unique Selling Point

Cabaret is the perfect mode to introduce Heru’s exquisite voice, unique story and unheard Papuan music. Heru is an engaging storyteller with equal parts charm, magnetism and comedic flair. With very few Papuan performance artists in Queensland, this is a truly unique performance.

We love that this work has the potential to cross-pollinate some very different audience segments - ranging from Pasifika peoples to opera lovers, contemporary music fans to beat-box aficionados.

While the initial attraction of this show may appeal to the adventurous ticket buyer, the lasting impression will be of world-class vocals and instant fandom of a Queensland talent.

Marketing Materials

Little Match Productions will provide a complete marketing pack including: -Print templates -Graphic design assets -A range promotional images -Marketing copy -Short videos for social media campaigns

The Producer will provide collateral for multi-channel use and represents a full marketing strategy. This includes full media kit, social media materials, print templates, gifs, MRECs, video content, images and public relations materials. There will be customisable content, content creation assistance for presenters and a suggested schedule for implementation. All information to be accessed via Dropbox folder.

Community Engagement

  1. Pre and post-show foyer activation - the company will travel with a foyer installation of Papuan artefacts, customised prints and other accompanying collateral
    • Engages audience in foyer activities before Doors open, enriching the audience experience and acclimatises everyone with the venue.
  2. Bilum Stories - We’ll be engaging people to share their stories in a community participation project via website submission. This will be part of the show’s creative development at RPAC in early 2022.
  3. Post-event meet-and-greet
  4. Photo opportunities and personal merchandise selling/signing
    • Allows for face-to-face connection between performer and audience
    • Breaks down the barriers of the ‘4th wall’ and the accessibility of Theatre
  5. Post-event Q&A
    • Allows for face-to-face connection between performer and audience
  6. Potential partnering with local visual arts community/groups Note: Workshops are currently in development - Ready by Mar 2022