Reclaim: A Contemporary Ceremony

Created by acclaimed director, choreographer and storyteller Stephen Page AO, RECLAIM combines dance, spoken word, poetry and music to celebrate the resistance and resilience of NSW’s First Nations peoples. Sharing stories of the courage, creativity and ingenuity of Koori ancestral warriors who remained defiant and dignified in their advocacy for their people, RECLAIM illuminates truths that exist beyond books.

In a series of connected vignettes, this unique production draws on the Library’s inspiring collection and Stephen Page’s iconic body of work to survey a cast of First Nations characters from First Contact to the present day to create a continuum of resilience and presence. Through compelling re-enactments of the knowledge held within these walls, and a powerful recalibration of how that knowledge is understood and celebrated, Page and the award-winning team behind Wudjang: Not the Past and Baleen Moondjan reclaim the stories that haunt our library and the site on which it stands.  

This event is part of the library’s 200th Anniversary Festival, an exciting six-week program of performances, talks and free live music. 

Photo by Daniel Boud.