Out of the Box 2016 Returning to QPAC

Circle your calendars, the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) today announced the dates for next year's Out of the Box Festival for Children 8 years and Under.

The eight day festival will be held at QPAC and across the Cultural Precinct South Bank Brisbane from 21 to 28 June 2016. The Festival dates incorporate four days of the school term and four days of school holidays to enable as many children as possible to attend in school groups, with family and carers.

The biennial Out of the Box Festival is an integral part of QPAC's program and is recognised internationally as a leader in arts education for children.

Queensland Premier and Arts Minister Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Queensland Government had supported Out of the Box since its inception in 1992.

"Children deserve high-quality arts experiences and no other event in Australia brings together art and education as magically as Out of the Box, engaging children, teachers, parents and carers," the Premier said.

"This is another example of Queensland leading the way in providing innovative arts experiences, giving a voice to children as creators and participants in the arts."

QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas said Out of the Box is an important and cherished event in the hearts of generations of Queenslanders.

"QPAC is a place where people are encouraged to experience, participate in and create art. We believe that art matters and that storytelling, exploration and inquiry should be part of our everyday lives. Out of the Box Festival is dedicated to capturing the giving voice to the creativity of our youngest audiences," Mr Kotzas said.

QPAC also announced Brett Howe as the 2016 Festival Director.

Brett Howe has extensive experience as a producer and curator working with children and young people. He was Executive Producer of the 2014 Out of the Box Festival and is currently QPAC's Executive Producer -Communities and Family.

With planning well underway for Out of the Box 2016 Mr Howe said, "Out of the Box is about children. Between now and the Festival next year we will work with children from across South East Queensland so the Festival reflects their interests and their creative work.

"Children intuitively speak the truth and often know what they want. In many circumstances, children are in fact experts and adults have a lot to learn from them. This is one of the ideas that we'll be exploring at the Festival.

2016 will be the 12th Out of the Box Festival, marking 24 years of nurturing children's creativity and imagination and provoking conversation and debate in the field of arts education.

Festival Background

Out of the Box is internationally and nationally respected as a longstanding and festival dedicated to children aged eight years and under.

Many of the works commissioned specifically for Out of the Box have enjoyed long lives after their Festival debuts, some touring nationally and around world.

The highly acclaimed children's production FLUFF: A Story of Lost Toys was created for QPAC's Out of the Box Festival in 2002, and since then has performed sell out seasons in America, and in Canada and Hong Kong.

The 2015 Helpmann award nominated Carnival of the Animals, developed by QPAC and Brisbane based Circus company Circa for the 2014 Festival, has successfully toured internationally and within Australia. It has been so popular that two touring productions have been created and this September Carnival of the Animals will take to the stage at both the Sydney Opera House and Arts Centre Melbourne.

In 2014 the Out of the Box Festival engaged more than 103,000 attendees across performances, free events, workshops, installations and its symposium.

More Info about Out of the Box 2016

The program for next year's Out of the Box Festival will be released in time for schools to plan for excursions and create curriculum links.

To register for Out of the Box Festival ticket waitlists and to be first to hear about 2016 Out of the Box updates and announcements please go to (insert landing page here).

For more information go to www.outoftheboxfestival.com.au.