As the state’s performing arts centre, our programming, public engagement and mission must be relevant and accessible for all Queenslanders, not just those based in Brisbane who can attend QPAC in-person.
Our long-standing public engagement program seeks out opportunities to partner with external community organisations, establish community-based participatory experiences and identify regional outreach possibilities. Our much-loved community programs are some of our longest running initiatives such as the QPAC Chamber Choir and the Children’s Health Queensland Community Choir.
Some of our most impactful and heart-warming programs include our annual concert that supports HEAL, a charity that works with young refugees, and a partnership with Vulcana Women’s Circus to present Circus in a Teacup, a remarkable production that involves survivors of domestic violence as performers.
Acknowledging that not everyone can attend performances in person at QPAC, in 2020 we established Digital Stage, an online platform providing access to live and on-demand performances, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive interviews from leading arts organisations. More than a streaming platform, Digital Stage forms a foundational part of QPAC’s infrastructure, enabling us to capture performances in Brisbane and to work with local communities to deliver arts experiences everywhere. Part of the magic of live performance is in its ability to bring people together and, through special streaming events, QPAC actively works to create events that people throughout Queensland can celebrate and enjoy.
QPAC believes it is vitally important that people with visible and invisible disabilities have access to the arts. We are proud partners of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program, an initiative that allows those with a hidden disability to communicate that they may need a little extra time or help when visiting QPAC.
We have a year-round commitment to delivering relaxed and accessible performances for people with a disability, their carers and families including Auslan interpretation, audio-described performances, relaxed performances and tactile tours.
Gallery
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Relaxed performance – Beauty and the Beast the Musical, 2024. 
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Auslan interpreted performance – Cirque Alice, 2025. 
Case Studies
Regional Access
The public engagement component of our International Series is every bit as important to us as the on-stage performances in our theatre. In order to share the internationally acclaimed Ballet Preljocaj’s performance of Swan Lake with as many people as possible, one of the 2025 season’s performances was filmed by a multi-camera team and made available free of charge for a 48 hour period via Digital Stage. QPAC collaborated with communities around Queensland to host special screening events at more than 17 locations from Ipswich to Mount Isa. Delivered through local councils, venues, and community
groups, screenings took place in local dance schools, regional arts centres, and in residential aged care facilities.
Relaxed Performances
In 2024-25 QPAC hosted 100 accessible performances, including six relaxed performances, 65 Auslan interpreted and 29 audio-transcribed shows. A relaxed performance takes additional staffing and up to six months pre-planning and typically involves careful consideration of space, sound, and lighting throughout the theatre, viewing rooms, and foyer, even turning off hand dryers in bathrooms.
Relaxed performances will allow additional unoccupied seating in the auditorium to enable guests to move around, and the creation of special ‘chillout’ rooms with suitable soft furniture and lowered lighting and sound levels.
Sometimes these performances are delivered in partnership with external producers and even include changes to the production itself in terms of a different lighting design, the introduction of characters before the performance so that the audience knows what to expect, differing sound and music inclusion and warning lights that let the audience know when loud sounds, lighting changes or surprises are about to happen.
In 2024, QPAC partnered with Disney Theatrical to present such a performance of Beauty and the Beast.
More than 51% of this audience were newcomers to QPAC stating that they could not usually attend a ‘standard’ performance in the theatre due to their specific needs.
—QPAC patron feedback
Fundraising Key Areas
Our fundraising focus spans six key areas that reflect the principles that guide QPAC as a Queensland cultural institution.
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Swan Lake – Ballet Preljocaj, 2025. Photographer David Kelly National and International Partnerships
QPAC has long collaborated and partnered with the most original, compelling and ambitious performing arts companies and artists, as well as their equivalents, from Australia and around the world to establish QPAC as a centre of arts excellence.
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Out of the Box - Wishing Wall, 2025.Photographer Peter Wallis. Young People, Education and the Arts
QPAC is seeking to build on its existing commitment to children’s programming by establishing a year-round education program catering to children of all year levels, recognising and demonstrating the importance of the arts in education and life-long learning.
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First Gathering – Clancestry, 2023. Photographer Jo-Anne Driessens. First Nations Voices
Created, produced and managed by a team of First Nations creatives, our program supports new works in development and trains and upskills new artists and arts workers through full scale stage works, festivals, and community events.
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QPAC New Performing Arts Venue - Exterior Concept Only Fit-for-purpose Infrastructure and Facilities
A key part of the leadership and investment role that QPAC plays in the performing arts industry is providing the resourcing and facilities needed for artists and arts companies to flourish.
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Love Stories, 2024. Photographer David Kelly. Queensland Artists and Stories
Through meaningful collaborations, strategic investments and partnerships, QPAC is committed to sharing Queensland stories by providing artists and creatives with the time and resources they need to turn their ideas into new works of scale.