Local creative Gilly Pugh is looking for young locals to be part of a multimedia performance as part of the RenewArt community showcase. 

Three Lakes Cultural Trust has handpicked 20 visual artists and 21 performing arts groups from the Queenstown Lakes district to be part of the showcase, which includes four events in Wanaka and Queenstown.

RenewArt was created to celebrate the local arts scene, create a paid opportunity for artists and provide a series of free events for the community, with a shared theme of ‘renewal’. It will take place in Wanaka on October 16 and 17, and in Queensown on October 9 and 10. 

Gilly’s project, Deep Lake Voices, will be a multimedia performance including “the mediums of photography, dance/movement/ spoken word and music.”

Gilly is looking for local young people (between the ages of eight and 18) willing to take part.

Gilly’s multimedia performance is called Deep Lake Voices.

“The participants are the creators of the piece; it's my job to facilitate and shape it into a performance,” Gilly said. 

The name of the performance came both from the proximity to Lake Wanaka and “also a reflection that young people are potentially assumed to have not much depth to their thinking/expression.

“We're setting out to show the depth of thought and expression of the young people in our community and to give that a voice.”

When you think about homegrown Wanaka theatre, Gilly and her family spring immediately to mind. 

She and her partner John Schwarz, a performer and dancer, have been at the forefront of Wanaka’s performance scene for several decades, with their three sons also regularly taking part in various performances including the popular Christmas pantomime. 

Gilly is encouraging young people in the community to get involved in Deep Lake Voices. 

“Anyone aged 8 -18 years is invited to be a part of it,” Gilly said. “You don't have to be an expert, and there is no cost involved.”

To contact Gilly about Deep Lake Voices, email [email protected] or phone 0278596476.

The RenewArt showcase will be free to the public and tickets are available through EventBrite.

PHOTOS: Wanaka App