A hunger for place: why local stories resonate with regional audiences

Instead of making works parochial, specificity makes them unique.

NORPA’s 2016 production of Dreamland. Photo credit: Kurt Petersen.

Rich and original works which speak directly to and about local experiences: that’s what audiences at Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) seem to crave, judging by their response to the company’s current production, Dreamland.

First staged in 2016, a remounted and re-worked version of the show – set in a small country hall and bringing stories of the region to life – opens this week in Bangalow, in the Byron hinterland. Even before opening night the new season was virtually sold out, resulting in five additional performances being added to the season.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts