Nana Kaandi

Nana Kaandi, veteran puppeteer, tries to pitch her show to Netflix,but when her puppets come to life, reality bends and we wonder what is real and ultimately if Nana Kaandi will secure the deal in time and leave her mark on the world. Sesame Street, Mr Rogers, PlaySchool, these are some of the influences that the Nanna Kaandi show draws inspiration from. Ultimately The Nana Kaandi show asks how do you want to be remembered, and how do you want to leave a legacy, and are they the same thing?

“When Waverley first came to me with the premise and went on the journey of creating the story together, I didn’t want a stereotypical story of mob, especially an elder. I wanted something that reflects the themes of ageing, health, family history, life, love and loss. Nana Kaandi is not your stereotypical person in general, the character we created is a trendsetter and a pioneer of the arts, and I thought why not tell that story.”
– Roxanne Mcdonald

“I love the Nana Kaandi show and the character of Nana Kaandi for being such an icon and underdog she is as she goes for her goals in life. The themes that stuck out for me were the ideas of legacy and how that can be a trap in this society and I wanted to focus on the message, its not about what you do, its about how you make people in this life that’s more important.” 
– Waverly Stanley Jnr

This creative development is part of the collaborative Storytellers partnership program between QPAC and Metro Arts, created to realise fresh ideas and foster new voices in theatre. Working with emerging to mid-career First Nations playwrights and physical theatre artists, the program supports the development of bold original work from early-stage script writing to show creation through a series of workshops and intensives, with guidance and direction from industry professionals.

Find out more about the Storytellers Program HERE.