Show and Tell

Overview

All manner of shows, concerts, plays, dance pieces and more come to life at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre — and now the history of all of those performances, and of the state's performing arts history in general, will too.

Displaying in QPAC's Tony Gould Gallery, Show and Tell unearths a range of objects and artefacts from shows gone by, as selected from the QPAC Museum's 70,000-strong collection. Expect costumes and photographs, plus posters and programs, all chronicling the greats that have taken to the stage across Queensland over the years. Some pieces date back nearly a century.

As well as delving into history, the exhibition aims to shed light on the behind-the-scenes action that goes into putting on a show. "A performance someone sees on stage is a fleeting moment that is the culmination of vast preparation, not only by the performer, but by networks of writers and composers, directors, designers and costumiers, scenery builders, makeup artists, staging technicians, theatre managers, photographers and producers," explains QPAC Exhibitions Manager Maria Cleary.

Show and Tell is free, and displays across two periods: from May 1 to June 16, and again from July 10 to September 1.