Gunamidirra

Gunamidirra is a rich, multi-sensory underwater world where audiences are invited not just to watch – but to feel, play and belong.

Created and led by Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman and Karajarri artist Cyan Sue Lee, this immersive theatre experience invites children, families and community members into a living, breathing Saltwater Country.

Blending dance, physical theatre, puppetry, live music and interactive design, Gunamidirra unfolds as a relaxed and accessible performance. Audiences experience a sensory landscape inspired by Darwin’s coastal ecosystems. Participants are gently guided to co-create the experience – playing ocean drums, shaking handmade instruments and shaping evolving soundscapes alongside live musicians.

Throughout the space, handcrafted puppets and installations emerge: mangroves come alive, dugong glide through fabric currents, octopus gardens reveal hidden worlds, crabs scuttle across tidal pools and migratory seabirds call overhead as they search for food. Every element invites curiosity, connection and shared discovery.

Grounded in Larrakia cultural knowledge, language and traditions, and developed in consultation with Larrakia Elders Bilawarra Lee and Nadine Lee, Gunamidirra honours the deep custodianship of Gulumerrdjin (Darwin) Saltwater Country. Through story and sensory experience, audiences are introduced to themes of belonging, respect, reciprocity and the seasonal rhythms of tides and marine life. Designed to be intergenerational and disability inclusive, the work embraces a relaxed performance approach, welcoming diverse ways of engaging – audiences can observe, touch, listen, play or rest as they choose.

Gunamidirra offers a rare opportunity for Darwin audiences to connect deeply with place, culture and each other. It is both a celebration and an invitation – to listen to Country, to learn through the senses and to carry forward a shared responsibility for the waters that sustain us.