Events
Presented by Yea Arts and others
Member's Event - Winter Wonderland
JUNE
What a wonderful afternoon we had at our April Sunday session where we were entertained by the sweet sounds of Stevie Renee along with her talented Dad, Jarrod Skurrie. It was great to see some old members and so many newbies come along to support us and to have a fun time.
Membership of Yea Arts Inc costs only $15 per year and supports your local artists and performers in many ways ... and helps us bring events to the district. It also means that you can come along to our members' events - low-key social events a few times a year, each one with a theme. It's FREE for members ... but non-members are welcome to come along and join on the night. At only $15 it's very affordable! You can also join beforehand, HERE.
Our June session will be winter themed. We will throw the date out there soon so you can pop it into your calendar.
Whatever we do we promise you fun and entertainment. It'll be a relaxed opportunity to meet the committee and hear about our planned events for the year. Tea and coffee are always available but we always invite you to BYO light refreshments.
REMINDER
WHAT: Winter Wonderland
WHEN: June
WHERE: TBA
WHO: TBA
FREE for members. All welcome. Join beforehand HERE or on the night.
They Came from Mars and Landed Outside Farndale Avenue Church
Friday 2 May evening, Saturday 3 May matinee and evening, Sunday 4 May matinee
Are you wanting a good belly laugh? Want to see your local YAPPERS thespians act in a play within a play?
The YAPPERS team invites you to come along and enjoy the mayhem and confusion of the Farndale Avenue Townswomen's Guild when they put on this play on their coffee morning. The ridiculously long title might be an indication of the funny antics of this group. It's super-silly and if you can work out what's going on you'll be a step ahead of everyone!
They Came from Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall Just in Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s Coffee Morning.
The Farndale Avenue ladies attempt lift off with their Dramatic Society's unique production of a sci fi thriller. Needless to say, high tech effects going awry and the limited talents of some group members ensure that the cast remains firmly on the ground, some more than others. As ever, the resourceful Mrs. Reece brilliantly circumnavigates pitfalls as she steers the company into orbit and through space to genteel tea on Mars, where the nail biting action is interrupted to present the Flower Arranging Award. The tear jerking culmination has hysterical audiences on the edges of their seats.
When: Friday 2 May, 7pm, Saturday 3 May 1.30pm & 7.00pm & , Sunday 4 May, 1.30pm
Where: Yea Butter Factory, 13 Rattray St, Yea.
KEITH POTGER’S CELEBRATING THE SEEKERS - 60 Years
Saturday 17 May, 8.00pm, Alexandra Shire Hall, 55 Grant Street, Alexandra, Vic, 3714
Yea Arts Inc is thrilled to bring the legendary Keith Potger to the region.
This wonderful show is Keith Potger’s solo tribute to the group he helped to form back in 1962 covers the songs, the stories and the influences that shaped The Seekers in their rise to international fame.
CELEBRATING THE SEEKERS - 60 Years is an audio-visual treat, with rare footage and still photos of the group. Keith's 12-string guitar was an integral part of their sound and being the arranger of the vocal harmonies he had a unique place in the group. During his performance Keith pays a special tribute to his colleague and dear friend of 60 years, the late and great Judith Durham.
Keith is known to countless fans and this is obvious in the welcome given to him by audiences that have enjoyed his performances of CELEBRATING THE SEEKERS - 60 Years. This special program contains some timeless favourites from The Seekers, some beautiful original ballads from his three solo albums and a few hits from the ‘60s to the ‘80s that influenced the group and appeal to the generation who grew up playing The Seekers albums at home or in the car.
Throughout his show, Keith shares stories and amusing anecdotes from almost 60 years on the international music scene. Keith unfailingly delivers up-beat, heart-warming events that leave audiences reliving their fondest memories while sharing the joy that is a hallmark of Keith Potger’s solo concerts.
Date: Saturday 17th May
Time: Doors open at 7:00pm for an 8:00pm start
Venue: Alexandra Shire Hall, 55 Grant Street, Alexandra, Vic, 3714
Or purchase a Season Pass.
David Arden - Songman
8.00pm Saturday 16 August, 2025, Homewood Hall
David Arden - Songman
Renowned Gunditjmara/Kokatha Songman, David Arden is celebrated for his powerful storytelling through music, which honours and preserves First Nations culture and history.
With a career spanning three decades, David has been a prominent figure in the First Nations music industry and his heartfelt songs and collaborations have left an indelible mark on the Australian music scene. His performances blend rich traditions with contemporary expression, offering audiences a profound connection to the stories and spirit of First Nations peoples.
David’s music is inspired by all those who have gone before on this ancestral land, along his with own life experiences, to help audiences understand past injustices and promote cultural understanding.
David Arden
David was the front man for the Koori Youth Band and has worked with many of the great First Nation acts from Hard Time Band, Altogether Band has been honoured to play for many esteemed First Nations artists as well as playing lead guitar and singing backing vocals for the late Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter during their successful performance and recording career together.
David has also played key roles, in ground-breaking Aboriginal projects that have impacted powerfully in the sector, including co-musical director for the Black Arm Band and Yirramboi commission A Fight for Survival and Meerta.
Date: Saturday 16 August, 2025
Time: 8:00pm start - doors open at 7:00pm
Venue: Homewood Hall. 30 Homewood Road.
Please note: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and all peoples should be aware that MEERTA - Rise Up! The Ballad of James Arden and the associated songs, artworks, videos & website may contain the images, voices and or/ names of people who have passed away. Dave Arden and family have respectfully consulted widely with family and community for appropriate use of images and in some circumstances where this may not have been possible, we acknowledge It can cause deep distress and sadness for family members, extended family members, communities and peoples associated with the deceased. Upon request we will respectfully remove any images that may cause any individual family or community member distress or discomfort.
Or purchase a Season Pass.
NIUSIA
7pm Saturday 18 October - Yea Butter Factory
NIUSIA is a critically acclaimed play produced by a ry presentation and is part of a 2025 Victorian tour. It is the debut solo work by Beth Patterson, a writer, opera singer and multidisciplinary artist.
Niusia was a Holocaust survivor. Her granddaughter, Beth, only remembers an angry, dying woman. She’s ready to learn her stories, but what she discovers is all the questions she didn’t know existed and wasn’t allowed to ask.
Weaving together memories, handed-down stories, and interviews with family, Beth sets out to understand her nana’s complex legacy. She gives voice to the cruel thoughts you shouldn’t have about your Holocaust-surviving nana, stumbles upon her own Jewishness (something she used only to evade school church services), and ultimately confronts how deeply embedded these horrific memories are in her family line. She asks, “I’ve somehow always known these stories. When did I learn these stories, and how?”
Discovering what happens when aspiration becomes assimilation after fleeing war and devastation for belonging and safety, NIUSIA interrogates what remembrance looks like when all that is known are the spaces where questions should have gone. It is a story all too familiar to second, third, and fourth generation immigrants and the haphazard cultural legacies they are handed by their families and examines the precarity of reconciling these mixed identities.
The play tackles the stories of Beth's family with a lighthearted sense of humour and lively energy, despite its heavy sounding themes. Journey with Beth as she is shown the tenderness she missed out on, learns to laugh at the unlaughable, and wades through the complexity of trauma-laden memories, love, and familial relationships.
Content Warnings: Discussion around adult themes of war crimes, violence, antisemitism, and genocide; Descriptions of concentration camp experiences; Depiction of PTSD flashback; Mild coarse language.
Date: Saturday 18 October
Time: 7.00pm
Venue: Yea Butter Factory, 13 Rattray Street, Yea
Tickets: Buy tickets now! Or purchase a Season Pass.
Note: Your ticket will entitle you to FREE participation of the Oral History Workshop - see below.
Oral History Workshop
As an added extra to the wonderful show Niusia, all ticket holders will get access to this workshop the morning after the show. Participants will collaborate with each other to reminisce, remember, and share a few yarns. Bring a friend or come by yourself. The workshop is about the past and the present; about how times have changed, and how they have not. It is about celebrating the little histories that say so much about who we were and where we are going.
Participants will be invited to share snippets throughout the day, and will leave with prompts, exercises, and tools to bring their stories to life. Sharing will be on an opt-in basis.
Facilitated by lead artist Beth Paterson and director/co-collaborator Kat Yates.
Date: Sunday 18 October, 2025
Time: 10.00am - 12.00pm
Venue: Yea Butter Factory, 13 Rattray Street, Yea
Participants: Maximum 15.
Ages: 14 and up.
Tickets:
- FREE participation for Niusia ticket holders
- FREE for Yea Arts Inc Members
- $15 for Non-YAI members (which will entitle you to Yea Arts Inc membership)
Or purchase a Season Pass.