Dr Leah Cotterell and Narelle McCoy
Live performance in cemeteries is relatively rare, but acceptance for the idea has been building momentum, possibly because it aligns with the growing influence of Death-Positivity. From the soothing pleasures of Jazz and Classical concerts, to esoteric public art with political and philosophical intent, a sprinkling of cemeteries have been activated by performance in the UK, the US, and Australia. This presentation will share insights drawn from public performances of story and song at the South Brisbane Cemetery in 2023-24. As performance spaces, cemeteries have great potential for performers seeking to elicit emotion, reflection and aesthetic delight. From the social history literally laying in the ground, to telescopic reflections on death, a wide span of content can be enlivened through the dynamism of drama, dance, spoken word, music and singing in a cemetery. By comprehending how an audience is likely to respond to the cemetery space, performers can leverage reflective moods to dramatically focus the impact of their performance.
In “Whistling Past the Graveyard” the cemetery proved to be the ideal context for the exploration of humanistic perspectives on death by Leah and Narelle, two accomplished singer-performers drawing on their academic research and memoir writing. The performance was very warmly received and reviewed. By presenting their engaging performance in the cemetery, Leah and Nard created a safe cultural space for conversation about end-of-life care, death and mourning rituals.
About Leah and Narelle
Leah and Narelle are the researchers, creators and performers behind the successful 'Whistling Past the Graveyard' musical project in South Brisbane Cemetery and other venues (2023-24), and this year's 'Confessions of a Funeral Singer' show celebrating funeral music in modern Australia.
On the way from her first gigs in community theatre in the 1980s to her 2020 Doctor of Musical Arts, Leah established a national profile as a jazz singer before diverging into song writing projects and the production of musical works featuring gifted collaborators at premier venues. A ‘Women in Voice’ regular, Leah has brought her warm soulful voice to many styles. Her musical memoir 'The Pleasure of Sad Songs' was the subject of a 2015 'Conversations' interview on ABC Radio National. Leah was awarded the 2022 Letty Katts Fellowship in the Queensland Memory Awards.
Narelle is a writer, musician, academic, archivist and researcher. She is a lecturer and Fellow at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, as well as presenting at international conferences on the topic of the Irish wake ritual, death and Irish mythology. She currently lectures in popular music, music theatre and music history. Narelle was awarded the 2020 Letty Katts Fellowship in the Queensland Memory Awards.
On the way from her first gigs in community theatre in the 1980s to her 2020 Doctor of Musical Arts, Leah established a national profile as a jazz singer before diverging into song writing projects and the production of musical works featuring gifted collaborators at premier venues. A ‘Women in Voice’ regular, Leah has brought her warm soulful voice to many styles. Her musical memoir 'The Pleasure of Sad Songs' was the subject of a 2015 'Conversations' interview on ABC Radio National. Leah was awarded the 2022 Letty Katts Fellowship in the Queensland Memory Awards.
Narelle is a writer, musician, academic, archivist and researcher. She is a lecturer and Fellow at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, as well as presenting at international conferences on the topic of the Irish wake ritual, death and Irish mythology. She currently lectures in popular music, music theatre and music history. Narelle was awarded the 2020 Letty Katts Fellowship in the Queensland Memory Awards.
