Preparing Ground
By Marilyn Miller (Kukuyalanji and Waanyi), Jasmin Sheppard (Tagalaka and Kurtitjar) & Katina Olsen (Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri).
when Country is scarred
when language is silenced
when Indigenous Knowledges offer pathways to heal
when communities gather to lead change
when survival depends on care for the environment and each other.
About preparing ground
Preparing Ground began in 2019, and embodies years of dedicated practice, extensive community engagement, and an unwavering commitment to First Nations governance and agency.
Preparing Ground calls on us to come together, as communities and individuals, to care for the land and each other. In a time of environmental and social upheaval, this work offers a message of hope, resilience, and collective responsibility. It’s about honouring the Knowledges of First Nations communities, whose deep connection to Country has endured for millennia, and bringing that Knowledge into the present to guide us toward a shared future.
This work is an invitation for audiences to engage—to listen to the land, to witness the strength of community, and to actively contribute to the reclamation and protection of our environment. By centering local voices, Preparing Ground calls on all of us to reflect on how we can care for the land and its stories together. We are all connected to this place, and we all have a role to play in its healing and future.
Preparing Ground - the future Future
Preparing Ground envisions a “future Future”—a world where care for Country and community spans generations. It reminds us that our survival depends on an enduring relationship with the land, and that the path forward is one we must walk together.
Now, more than ever, is the time to work together—to unite in care, understanding, and action. Preparing Ground is a powerful reminder that through collaboration, we can create a sustainable and thriving future for all.
Watch the Community Engagement pilot - Kombumerri Country, October 2023
"There is a stronger elemental guidance influencing movement and how the body responds to Country that comes from such close association with, or being on, Country… It has been an extremely rewarding, renewing, and reinvigorating process. The realisation encapsulated as: 'we ARE Country'; we present the voice OF Country." Marilyn Miller
“Working on Country or being connected to Country has been the springboard from where every concept, creative ideas and information which makes the bulk of our content has come from. It has informed the decolonized process of our creative development in the studio.” Jasmin Sheppard
"Preparing Ground cannot happen without dedicated time on Country. Having this time researching and developing on Country means that our communities are involved in the making of our work right from the beginning and throughout the process of making the work. Therefore we are honouring our own protocol and duty to our communities, and the voice of community is then reflected in the work." Katina Olsen
Image credits: Samuel James, Katina Olsen, Jade Ellis Photography
Community Engagement pilot images feature Kombumerri Rangers from Ngarang-Wal Gold Coast Aboriginal Association Incorporated
PROJECT TIMELINE
2019 - Project conception as part of BlakForm market development program
Feb 2020 - Pitched at AsiaTOPA APAM
May 2020 - Research and Development (online)
Mar 2021 - 3 x 1-week on Country Research and Developments (Tagalaka, Yalanji and Wakka Wakka)
Apr 2021 - 3-week Research and Development at Bulmba-Ja Cairns
Sep 2021 - 4-week Choreographic Development at Brisbane Powerhouse & The Art House
Apr 2022 - 2-week on Country Research and Development (Yalanji)
Jul 2022 - 2-week on Country Research and Development (Tagalaka)
Mar 2023 - 2-week on Country Research and Development (Wakka Wakka)
Apr 2023 - 1-week Research and Development (Kombumerri)
Oct 2023 - 3-week Creative Development at HOTA (Kombumerri)
Nov 2024 - 3-day Creative Development (online)
Dec 2024 - 2-week Creative Development at NAISDA (Darkinjung)
Feb 2025 - Design Collaborations (online)
May 2025 - Pre-Production at NAISDA (Darkinjung)
May 2025 - Premiere season at The Art House (Darkinjung)
CREATIVE TEAM
Co-Directors: Marilyn Miller (Kukuyalanji, Waanyi), Jasmin Sheppard (Tagalaka, Kurtitjar) & Katina Olsen (Wakka Wakka, Kombumerri)
Performers: Marilyn Miller (Kukuyalanji, Waanyi), Jasmin Sheppard (Tagalaka, Kurtitjar) & Katina Olsen (Wakka Wakka, Kombumerri)
Collaborative Understudy: Audrey Goth-Towney (Wiradjuri)
Dramaturg: Victoria Hunt (Te Arawa, Ngati Kahungunu, Rongowhakaata Maori, English, Irish, Finnish)
Lighting Designer: Karen Norris
Set and Projection Designer: Samuel James
Sound Designer: Samuel J Pankhurst
Costume Designer: Aleisa Jelbart
Production Manager: Simon Cook (Mamu), BlakDance
Production Coordinator: Emma Holgate (Mandaburra), BlakDance
Stage Manager: Zara Thompson
Executive Producer: Merindah Donnelly (Wiradjuri), BlakDance
Senior Producer: Nicole Reilly (Wiradyuri), BlakDance - previously Tom Pritchard and Emily Wells (Kamilaroi)
Associate Producer: Luke Peacock (Samsep/Meriam), BlakDance
Early Collaborators: raymond blanco (Yadhaigana and Erub), Yolande Brown (Bidjara), Tammi Gissell (Muruwarri).
On-Country Collaborators:
Kukuyalanji: Uncle John Hartley and Juan Walker
Tagalaka: Patrick Wheeler and Victor Steffenson
Wakka Wakka: Uncle Max Chapman, Aunty Yvonne Chapman, Shirley Olsen, Natalie Chapman, Corey Appo, Shannon Bauwens, Aunty Lurlene Henderson
Kombumerri: Uncle John Graham, Shirley Olsen, Justine Dillon, Maxwell Dillon, Clinton Brewer
Yuggera, Birri, Bindal and Warranghu: Raelene Baker
Presented by The Art House Wyong.
Produced by BlakDance.
Preparing Ground is co-commissioned by Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), BlakDance and Brisbane Festival, with support from NAISDA Dance College, The Art House Wyong.
It is supported by the Australian Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts program, and the Major Festivals Initiative, managed by Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with Brisbane Festival and Sydney Festival, with additional project funding from Creative Australia. Preparing Ground is also supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council and the City of Gold Coast. Additional support has been provided by Bulmba-ja Arts Centre, HOTA (Home of the Arts), Brisbane Powerhouse and Judith Wright Arts Centre.
