Heavy Cross
Perth Town Hall, Boorloo
A queer performance lecture that carves out a refuge in the face of backlash and rising conservatism.
Drawing from defiant queer histories of surviving, thriving, and loving against the odds, it celebrates how we’ve always danced our way through despair.
Part manifesto, part performance lecture, part dance floor beginnings, this reclamation is a reminder that when the world tries to erase us, we turn up the music and move.
Presented by Perth Festival – Saturday 22 February
WHEN: Saturday 22 February 9.15pm
Duration 45mins Pay What You Can | suggested $24
WHERE: The Embassy, Perth Town Hall 601 Hay St, Koorari / Perth CBD
Event information HERE
Encore Online Screening – Wednesday 26th March 2025
Please join ATQM for the online screening of HEAVY CROSS – a queer performance lecture by Tristan Meecham and Willoh Weiland.
Recently, Heavy Cross was presented as the closing event of Summit at Perth Festival. Part manifesto, part performance lecture, part dance floor beginnings, this reclamation is a reminder that when the world tried to erase us, we turn up the music and move.
For those unable to witness the live event, All The Queens Men will present a special encore online screening.
WHEN: Wednesday 26th March, 5.30pm – 6.15pm (AEST)
WHERE: ONLINE via ZOOM. Free to attend. Register HERE
Credits
Created by Tristan Meecham and Willoh Weiland. Directed, Produced, Performed by Tristan Meecham. Written by Willoh Weiland. Sound design by Luke Smiles. Danced by Bec Reid, Max Burgess Beth Mooney, Kailyn Tang, Sharvon Mortimer, Lillany Weber, Sam Osborn, Ruby Surtees, Mackenzie Brown, Beth Mooney, Eliza Sander, Michelle Hall. Filmed and edited by Jessica Russell.
Presented by Perth Festival for Summit. Thanks to Anna Reece, Linda Iriza, Strut Dance, Roger Monk
Tristan Meecham
A queer artist and community activist who uses performance as a tool for social change and civic engagement. His work centres underrepresented voices, transforms public space, and creates joyous large-scale projects with lasting community impact.
Willoh Weiland
An artist, writer and curator. Her work is concerned with creating epic impossible ideas and trying to fulfil them, working with non-artists, the possibilities of liveness and destroying the white male patriarchy.
Previous roles include artistic director/CEO of the artist-led experimental arts organisation Aphids, Creative Associate of the MONA Foma festival, Hobart, and an Honorary Fellow at the Microsoft Centre for Social Natural User Interfaces, University of Melbourne.
Luke Smiles
Working under his business name motion laboratories Luke has composed and produced soundtracks for many Australian and International artists and companies including: All The Queens Men, Australian Dance Theatre, Bare Bones Dance Company (UK), Brink Productions, Belvoir, Chunky Move, Dancenorth, Frontier Danceland (Singapore), Gabrielle Nankivell, Melbourne Theatre Company, Nederlands Dans
Theatre, Ox (Belgium/Slovenia), Rachel Arianne Ogle, Rambert Dance Company (UK), Restless Dance Theatre, State Theatre Company South Australia, Sydney Dance Company, Sydney Theatre Company, Tasdance, The Farm, West Australian Ballet and Windmill Theatre Co.
Reviews
Dancing through times of trouble: HEAVY CROSS by Emily Smith for Magazine 6000.
The lecture part of Tristan’s performance faced discrimination head on, challenging us to remember that things don’t get better unless we fight for them, and that fighting can come in many guises, including that of dance (insert jazz hands here).
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