ORGANISERS are praising the response to this year’s record-breaking Charleville Performing Arts Festival.
According to Teri Sommerfield, president of the organising committee, it was the biggest one ever staged with 524 nominations across all categories.
Performers encompassing the various sections – creative writing, verse speaking, vocal, musical theatre, dance, drama and short film – came from as far afield as Tambo, Wallumbilla, Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Eulo, Mitchell, Augathella and Roma, plus one dedicated family, travelling all the way from the Lockyer Valley.
“We were truly blessed to have been able to grow from our beginnings as an Eisteddfod back in 1992, to when we transitioned to the more relaxed three-day festival format in 2013 to now, with five days of performances and all of it being run by volunteers, donations and grants,” Ms Sommerfield says.
“Each year we try to include guest judges and this year we had three: Cathi Brown for Vocal and Instrumental, Dawn Bamin for Dance and the multi-talented Matt Young who judged performances across all sections.
“Special highlights were Davida and Lance Melksham’s performance of Turbulence, Young Joey Peck’s Mulga Bill’s Bicycle, first time performer Matt Teves’ beautiful rendition of Nessun Dorma, dance soloists from Sol Dance Studio that took your breath away, and young vocalists Audrey and Isla Black who, according to our guest judge, could walk straight off the stage and onto Broadway.”
“Other performances of special note was our fan favourite section – the School Verse Speaking – with the Outstanding Group trophy being presented to a Charleville State School class for the first time since 2019.
“The overarching theme of the festival was One World, One Life, Many Stories and that was a celebration of the fact that while we all come from different backgrounds, the arts has this powerful ability to connect us with each other. And there were some truly magical performances that showcased this. The Charleville Girl Guides performed a very touching piece that captured this beautifully, as did Ruby Russell’s verse piece that was written for her by her mother Tegan.
“We were also able to partner with the team from Lifeline and host them in a Quiet Room at the Festival. We work really hard as an organisation to create a welcoming space, and to be able to have Lifeline there to offer support to those attending the Festival was really valuable, especially with the town being so deeply affected by the events of that week.”
More than 60 volunteers chipped in to support the festival, collectively doing at least 400 hours of work during the week.
PHOTO: Lacy Orupe performing her solo dance, for which she was awarded a dance encouragement award.
POSTED: Thursday, August 13, 2026