The Tent City Marathon: a gig to bring home the goal

The Tent City Marathon: A Gig to Bring Home the Goal

The music only stops when the goal is met.

On Saturday, March 14th, Rebus Theatre is taking over the Gorman Arts Centre for a one-of-a-kind charity marathon. We have a $10,000 fundraising goal to bring our major new work, Tent City: A New Face, to the stage, and we’re letting the music tell us when we’re done.

Thanks to your incredible donations, we’re able to kick things off even earlier—the gig now starts at 1:30 PM

The Challenge:

For every $1,000 left of our $10,000 goal, they play for one hour.

• If we have $7,000 to go? We play for 7 hours.

• If we hit the target early? We celebrate!

• If we need to keep going to hit the mark? Our artists are ready to play into the night.

Link to Live Donation Ticker

Why are we doing this?

Homelessness in Australia is changing. In a climate of rising living costs and critical housing shortages, it has become a mainstream issue affecting people from all backgrounds and circumstances.

Tent City: A New Face is a community cultural development theatre project responding to this crisis in Far North Queensland and beyond. The project transforms public parks into temporary “homes”, a circular tent city surrounding a communal space for storytelling and exchange.

This project deliberately reverses traditional power dynamics: people with lived experience of homelessness aren't recipients of charity; they are the artists, collaborators, and hosts. Your ticket and donations today help us move from creative development into full production and a national tour.

What to Expect

• Live Music: A rotating lineup of local bands and singers (performance lengths determined by you and your donations!).

• Community Vibe: Warm, open, and inclusive.

• Impact: 100% of the bar, ticket sales, and general donations go directly to the Hands Across Canberra Appeal for Rebus Theatre.

• Merch: Support our performing artists by grabbing some of their gear on the night.

The Goal: $10,000

We have already secured initial funding for creative development, but we need your help to fund the public performances and site-specific installations that make this work so powerful. Your support ensures we can provide paid roles for participants with lived experience and bring this vital story to the lawns of Parliament House.

Join us at The Ralph Wilson Theatre. Let’s make some noise, share some stories, and hit that goal together.

Rebus is supported by the ACT government and the Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres.