Final-community Guide 03 04

                                THE
                                          ARTS
O      nce upon a time Noosa was just a haven           International Folk Dancers and Noosa Ocean
       for dedicated, ultra dedicated, surfers.         Waves Square Dance Club are among the
Now     our       beautiful     environment      and    many groups entertaining and/or raising the
cosmopolitan lifestyle is matched by a thriving         cultural horizons for the rest of us. The
arts scene, offering cerebral exercise to               extremely popular Noosa Film Society will
residents and visitors - and surfers.                   soon celebrate its 25th anniversary and for the
                                                        literate set there is the Noosa Creative Writers
On the drama frontier, the amazing history of
                                                        Group.
Noosa Arts Theatre epitomises local passion
for the arts and also the resourcefulness and           And then there are the numerous jazz and
ingenuity of our local drama queens and kings.          contemporary groups that bop along at venues
In 2003 the Theatre celebrated the 25th                 across the Sunshine Coast, a highlight of their            Comprehensive information
anniversary       of   its    National    One    Act    year being the annual Noosa Jazz Festival.
                                                                                                                   on Noosa-friendly
Playwriting Competition - in air conditioned            Contact details for most of these groups are
comfort,      a   tiered      theatre    with   plush   available in the Community Information               landscaping is now accessible on
comfortable seats, somewhat unrecognisable              Services database, accessible from Council’s         the Internet through Council’s
from those heady days in 1971 when the                  website www.noosw.qld.gov.au.
                                                                                                             new website :
theatre’s first production was performed … on           The performing arts are additionally nurtured
the back of a truck. The website address is                                                                  www.noosa.qld.gov.au/Landscape
                                                        by the mid-year Noosa Longweekend, which
www.noosaartstheatre.org.au                             first rocked our cultural socks off in 2002. This    The web page includes a link to
The Noosa Federation of the Arts annually               brainchild of several visionary residents is an
                                                                                                             Council’s landscaping guidelines,
stages a Dame Joan Sutherland vocal                     enticing     blend     of    artistic    vitality,
competition and other melodic events. An                environmental values and gourmet cuisine.            undesirable species list, vegetation

ambitious subscription series involving top-            Because Noosans do things differently, the           law and provides links to other
line national and international performers is           weekend stretches over ten days. Highlights of
                                                                                                             relevant web pages. Copies of a
hosted by the Noosa Music Society. The 60-              the 2003 attractions included a new David
strong Noosa Chorale is a community choir,              Williamson     play   ‘Flatfoot’   and    events     full-colour brochure produced for
bringing to local audiences the rich repertoire         involving household names like John Pilger,
                                                                                                             home gardeners are available by
of the great classical choral works. Baroque            Peter Carey, Thomas Keneally and Bruce
                                                        Beresford. To find out what is planned for the       telephoning 5449 5266.
concerts are staged at various venues by the
Sunshine Coast Ensemble.                                year 2004, check out the website at
                                                        www.noosalongweekend.com
The Noosa District Singers, Cooran Singers,
Cooran Players, Cooran Acoustic Music                   Over 500 practising artists call Noosa home, as
Group, Noosa District Concert Band, Noosa               do many commercial and community galleries.




                                                                                                             This page: Busking around; Performance of

                                                                                                               Mid Summer Night’s Dream at Sunshine

                                                                                                                                   Beach High School.


                                                                                                                       Opposite page: Clowning about;

                                                                                                                                       Artist in action