What began as a simple request to revitalise the Voices of the North choir has grown into an ambitious community arts project that will bring together singers, writers, musicians, dancers and storytellers from across the Douglas Shire.
Led by Mossman, Port Douglas and Mount Molloy Uniting Church minister Pastor Nadia Abraham, the Resonating Resilience project will culminate in a major community performance in Mossman in April 2027, celebrating the region’s resilience and recovery following ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
Supported through the North Queensland Resilience Program’s Community Resilience, Arts and Wellbeing initiative, the project aims to tell local stories through music, spoken word, dance and performance created by the community, for the community.
“We are going to create an event a bit like a musical and a performance, and it will all be created here locally to tell the story of our community, of our resilience and our recovery, especially after Jasper,” Pastor Abraham told DSC For You & Me.
The production is already attracting an impressive line-up of creative talent, including composer David Pike, writer Dr Helen Ramoutsaki, choir director Merindi Schreiber, music educator Lynda Irvine and Bodies in Motion dancers.
While the project has attracted a talented creative team, Pastor Abraham said the heart of the production would be the community itself.
“It’s not about the professionals,” she said.
“The professionals are there to guide people, but the actual content is going to come from the community. The people dancing, singing and speaking will be members of the community, students and young people.”
Dr Helen Ramoutsaki, who is helping develop the script and lyrics for the production, said the creative team wanted residents to be part of the storytelling process.
“We want to incorporate words from the community,” she said.
Dr Ramoutsaki said organisers were inviting people to share their experiences of extreme weather events in the Douglas Shire, with the possibility of their words being incorporated directly into the performance.
“Possibly to use some verbatim – their words – incorporating them into the script and the lyrics, with their permission,” she said.
Community photographs may also be featured as part of a visual presentation during the show, helping create a record of both the human and environmental impacts of Cyclone Jasper and other major weather events.
Composer David Pike said the production would be designed as a live community experience, featuring choir, piano and spoken word.
“The beauty of it is that it’s real. There’s no recording. This is geared up for live presentation,” he said.
Pastor Abraham said the idea was inspired by what she witnessed in the immediate aftermath of ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper when the church became a gathering place for residents affected by the disaster.
“I saw shock, fear and sadness, but I also saw strength, support and courage,” she said.
“People were helping their neighbours and caring for one another. It’s important that we tell that story and express what it meant for us.”
Community members of all ages and abilities are encouraged to become involved through workshops and creative activities leading up to the performance.
The initiative is jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements and administered by Douglas Shire Council.
