NEWS

Karul Projects, Weredingo. Photograph by Tiffany Garvie.

Karul Projects is a First Nations-led performing arts company creating bold, contemporary work grounded in story, movement and cultural expression. Founded in 2017 by Thomas E.S. Kelly and Taree Sansbury, the company was established to amplify First Nations voices, visibilities and stories locally, nationally and internationally. Based in the Northern Rivers, Karul has become one of the region’s leading contemporary performance companies, building a practice that is deeply connected to Country while resonating on stages across Australia and beyond.

Karul Projects has built a strong national profile through acclaimed works including Silence, Weredingo, CO_EX_EN and most recently Kuramanunya, presented at the Byron Theatre.  

The company has toured nationally, collaborated with major arts festivals and institutions, and created pathways for First Nations artists working across regional Australia. Their work continues to centre community, truth-telling and cultural strength, while demonstrating the ambition and artistic excellence emerging from the Northern Rivers. 

We spoke with co-founder Thomas about the company’s journey, creative process, and what it takes to sustain a practice that continues to evolve across stages and festivals.

Let’s dive in. 

Karul Projects, Kuramanunya, featuring Thomas E.S. Kelly. Photograph by Tristan Ronald Estevez Petuel.

Hi Tom, can you share how Karul Projects began and how your practice has evolved since 2017? 

Taree and I were living the independent artist hustle in Sydney and we began making works. This ignited a fire to create more First Nations shows to be presented on stage locally, nationally and internationally and to create more professional pathways for First Nations performers. So, in 2017, with an incredible resident company opportunity at PACT Theatre (in Sydney), Karul Projects was born.

Your practice draws on dance alongside other forms of expression. How do you decide what a work needs to tell its story? 

“Karul” is a Yugambeh language word meaning “Everything” because we will use everything we need to use to tell whatever story needs to be told.

I don’t force artforms together, I just happen to have a multi-arts skillset and a curiosity to explore new ones, and if I believe the story demands a specific tool to get the story to the audience then I investigate it.

Karul means “Everything” because we will use everything we need to use to tell whatever story needs to be told.

Karul Projects, Blak Bodies on Blak Country. Photograph by ???

What does your creative process look like when developing new work from concept through to stage? 

Well, this could easily be a very, very long answer but to try and be simple, I map out a show in its entirety (well as much as possible), then I begin to build each section, bit by bit, then I can visualise the whole show. I build what I call my ‘basic bitch’ and when watching the BB, I can see what needs to be done and how. And then I just repeat this process until we have something amazing.  

It’s important to note that the repeating of the process continues well after a show has premiered.

How do you balance cultural responsibility with artistic experimentation in your work? 

For me they work together. I am telling First Nations stories or representation, so I need to make sure that it’s acceptable and we are representing people, stories, culture, the way we expect to be represented.

I don’t force artforms together, I just happen to have a multi-arts skillset and a curiosity to explore new ones.

Karul Projects, Silence. Photograph by Gregory Lorenzutti.

Karul has presented work nationally across festivals including Brisbane Festival, Dance Massive in Melbourne, Adelaide Fringe and Bleach Festival on the Gold Coast. What are some of the practical considerations when touring work, and how do you navigate them as a creative team? 

I mean everything comes down to money, cast, props, touring destinations. But if the story is strong enough and shares the right message and uplifts the community then it will travel to where it needs to go. I have different scale works and so far my largest work is my most toured work.

What advice would you share with other creatives looking to build a sustainable, long-term practice? 

To simply believe in yourself. Some people will like your art and some will not, but if you believe in it then that is where it all begins. My life is filled with rejections, but I would say that my success has been born from those rejections.

Karul Projects, Mighty Mob, development 1. Photograph by Samantha Campbell.

My life is filled with rejections, but I would say that my success has been born from those rejections.

What’s next for Karul Projects, and what directions are you excited to explore moving forward? 

So many things, new works, new artists, new collaborations and more engagement for our Northern Rivers and SEQ communities.  

We are a company connected and rooted in this region and we aim to provide some incredible opportunities for the people here to enjoy more art.

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