State Library of NSW

RECLAIM: A Contemporary Ceremony

Australia's oldest library, The State Library of NSW continues its 200th Anniversary with a new commission from leading Australian creative Stephen Page

Performances & Gigs

Event Details

Category

Performances & Gigs

Event Starts

Sep 11, 2026 19:00

Event Ends

Sep 12, 2026 20:00

Venue

State Library of NSW

Location

1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

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.  

For more information click here