THE NATIONAL Library and the Museum of Australian Democracy will “Come Alive” next Monday with the  2016 ‘Come Alive’ Festival of Museum Theatre.

This inspiring week-long festival will be opened by Daryl Karp, director of the Museum of Australian Democracy and Anne Marie Schwirtlich, director-general of the National Library of Australia on  Monday, October 24 at 1pm, with accompanying performances  by Orana Steiner School and Marist College that have been  inspired by the collections at MOAD or the Library.

This will be the seventh festival since “Come Alive”, the brainchild of  Canberra theatre identity Peter Wilkins,” began at the National Museum of Australia in 2010. Since then it has also been hosted by Questacon and the National Portrait Gallery and the NGA.

Presented by school students from Canberra, it features FREE theatrical performances bringing to life the collections of our national institutions. Students from year 7 – Year 12 visit the museums, choose works that inspire them and return to their school to devise an original piece of theatre or dance, which will then be presented during the festival.

Over the year, subjects  and objects researched have included the Bridgewater  convict shirt, the Harold Holt  mystery and James Turrell’s  “Light” exhibition.  

The full “Come Alive 2016” program is as follows –

Monday October 24: 1pm – Orana Steiner School and Marist College; then 6pm  Orana Steiner School and Marist College.

Tuesday October 25: 1pm and 6pm  Canberra College, Gungahlin College.

Wednesday October 26: 11am,  Canberra Girls Grammar School, Campbell High, then at 1pm,  Telopea School and St Mary Mackillop College, then at  6pm,  Campbell high and Telopea School. Thursday October 27: 1pm  and 6pm  Bateman’s Bay High School and St Francis Xavier College.

Friday October 28: 6pm  Canberra Girls Grammar School and Daramalan College.

 Saturday October 29: 11am  and 2pm  Orana Steiner School and Daramalan College