NAIDOC Week: Ernie Dingo and Phil Walleystack in conversation before Bran Nue Dae screening in Yagan Square

The musical Bran Nue Dae has been an inspirational influence on generations of Australians, so what better way to bring people together to celebrate 50 years of NAIDOC Week. Yagan Square’s amphitheatre in the Perth CBD will transform on Thursday, July 10, for an open-air screening of the much-loved musical comedy. People can enjoy live performances of song, dance and story-telling from 5.30pm, before the film starts at 6.30pm. In conversation with Indigenous singer-songwriter Phil Walleystack, veteran actor Ernie Dingo will reflect on what the film has meant to him, to the community and to the legacy of Aboriginal story-telling. Two decades before the movie was made, Dingo also starred as Uncle Tadpole in the original stage production which took the nation by storm. “There are a lot of songs that make you feel strong and good within yourself — the majority of songs in Bran Nue Dae are like that,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how you do NAIDOC Week provided it’s an educational fun thing, and a fun way of learning can be through music and art.” Walleystack said the aim of the event was to celebrate Aboriginal Western Australia, and to provoke audience members to find out more of the real history behind the songs and stories in the production. “It’s bringing Indigenous people from all over WA together and showcasing that,” he said. “Bran Nue Dae to me is the biggest film to come out of WA. “We need to celebrate West Australian artists a lot more, and doing events like this is how we can do that.”