'In Conversation' with Simon Marnie Feat. Colleano Heart
Sydney NSW 2000
AustraliaTheatrette (Level 6 ), NSW Parliament House,
Thursday 23 July from 6pm to 7:30pm
Food & Drinks: 5:30pm - 6:00pm, Film screening: 6:00pm - 7:30pm, Panel discussion and Q&A : 7:40pm - 8:20pm
Synopsis:
The greatest entertainment on earth in the 1900’s was the circus and its high-wire performers were the global superstars. The big top transported children and adults alike into a world where anything was possible. Con Colleano, ‘the wizard on the wire’ defied gravity, while he and his family defied all odds to become a global phenomenon.
Through the Colleano family's remarkable home movies, never-before-seen footage, family interviews and archive, their extraordinary story is revealed. Rooted in humble beginnings from the Australian bush, the family outmanoeuvred punitive Australian laws and prejudice to travel the world, concealing their Indigenous heritage and reaching the highest echelons of circus stardom. Con Colleano dazzled fans as the renowned ‘wizard on the wire’, mingling with icons including Charlie Chaplin, at the most exclusive social sets of America and Europe, beguiling even the likes of Hitler and Mussolini.
As the filmmaker reveals her connection to the story, she finds Australian Deb Hescott, who uncovers her own secret link to this family. Connecting with Molly, one of the oral history holders of the family, they go on a profound journey of discovery. The Colleano Heart unravels the hidden secrets of their family of circus royalty, revealing them as survivors of Australia’s Hidden Generation of Aboriginal people.
The film shows the resilience of an extraordinary, self-made, elite Aboriginal family whose legacy was concealed but now stands ready to be reignited in the Colleano Heart. Supported by Indigenous historian Prof. Em. John Maynard, renowned circus historians Mark St. Leon and Betsy Golden Kellem, and supported by Aboriginal creatives and activists Dist. Prof Larissa Behrendt AO and Kirk Page, The Colleano Heart presents a rich portrait of the family, and the global socio-cultural shifts shaping First Nations lives
Secure your place now. Seats are limited.
Date and Times: Thursday 23rd of July, 2026
Food & Drinks: 5:30pm - 6:00pm
Film screening: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Panel discussion and Q&A : 7:40pm - 8:20pm
Location: Theatrette (Level 6 ), NSW Parliament House, 6 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
If you have accessibly requirements or need further information to help plan your visit, please contact communityengagement@parliament.nsw.gov.au. We are here to help.