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Q & A in Cue
Like the Lunar Circus featured in the 2005 Q Fest, the direction of the annual festival in Cue hinges on striking the right balance. Questions and answers concerning the relationship between community and art are tossed around as the remote, gold mining town strives to achieve the support of all stakeholders for the annual Festival.
Coordinated by a team of highly competent event organisers, Q Fest celebrated Cue according to its age-old identity, ‘Queen of the Murchison’. The title, the remote location, the unique heritage of the region and no doubt Australia’s popular drag movie ‘Pricilla Queen of the Desert’, inspired artists to collaborate with local residents to create a festival which had the potential to become the quintessential outback cultural experience.
Quality Programming
The 2005 event offered a three-day program of free, continuous and exceptionally high quality performances by top West Australian artists. The opening night’s entertainment at Nallan Station featured local singer/song writer Gus McKay, Broome based Mary G, and Fremantle’s Zydecats as well as the Queens of the Murchison of indeterminate origins. Throughout each of the following days there was a program of entertainment including historical/cultural talks, workshops, art craft stalls and exhibitions that invited people to participate in the celebration of Cue. The Saturday evening featured the popular Margaret River based Lunar Circus, a clever Perth based one man show ‘In 2 Mindz’, the Queens of the Murchison and the local Wadjarri Band.With the very high standard of performances on offer, visitors to the remote town of Cue were provided a privileged experience. Significant resources went into establishing temporary performance venues that accommodated capacity audiences although the sense of a remote and sparsely populated region still pervaded the dusty main street where the Festival was played out.
A Track Record of Community Engagement
Now in its fourth consecutive year, Q Fest has a well-established program, which each year contributes something to the reservoir of skills and accoutrements contained within the community of Cue. Brightly painted banners, umbrellas and community seating is sprinkled throughout the main street, each design personalised by a particular family living in the Town. Giant puppets established through workshops held in previous Festivals become the centerpiece of a lively annual procession of community members. The heritage cottages that line the main street are a colourful testament to the energy of previous Festivals where they were transformed in a competitive makeover to accommodate various creative personnel undertaking workshops with the community.
Significantly Q Fest is a highly effective marketing strategy that draws attention to Cue as a unique tourist destination. Q Fest draws an influx of visitors keen to experience an authentic outback event and to become more intimately acquainted with heritage of the region. The enormous positive publicity generated through the event, contributes year round to visitation in the region and therein supports the economic well being of the tiny community.
The Burning Questions
Whilst Cue has an established formula for its annual Festival, as a dynamic event it continues to question the value it offers various stakeholders. The significant achievements attained over the past four years have demonstrated that stakeholder engagement is critical to its ongoing success. Whether these are the residents of Cue, the students, the artists, the small business people, the tourists and visitors attracted to the remote regional town, or a combination of all of these, without their involvement Q Fest would simply burn out.
Photos courtesy of
Nigel Etherington