A powerful story of First Nations identity and experience that must be seen by every Australian
Presented by: State Theatre Company South Australia & Belvoir St Theatre
Reviewed: 20 June, 2023
Nathan Maynard’s powerful play is a difficult one to even begin critiquing as a privileged white Australian, yet it is essential viewing for the same reason. Maynard’s story as a Trawlwoolway, Pakana/Palawa man and writer from Lutruwita/Tasmania is extremely personal, tapping into storytelling and community as a way of demonstrating the lived experience without leaning into preaching.
The play shows a Palawa man, Boyd (Luke Carroll) and his wife, Nala (Sandy Greenwood) living on country that they have fought to reclaim and preparing for the return of ancestral remains from a museum in England. They have a baby on the way, family nearby (including a cousin, Daniel played by Ari Maza Long) and Boyd is preparing for the honour of making the fire for the ancestral ceremony.
The language of the piece is authentic, to the point it takes a moment to get up to speed with the lingo in the same way one might in watching Shakespeare or Chekhov. There is joy and warmth in each character’s connections and pride in their culture. The rustic setting designed by Jacob Nash is seemingly simple, yet complex with nods to culture and place and complemented by lighting design by Chloe Ogilvie.
When an outsider comes into the community and the family’s lives (PHD student, Gracie played by Alex Malone) questions surrounding identity and meaning of reclamation, living with ancestral trauma and cultural prejudice come into focus. The further use of language to highlight disconnect and almost disrespect is a particularly powerful tool.
Each performance is strong. Malone is deceptively awkward and enthusiastic, providing a very real example of why these issues of identity are so complex, and what it means to belong. Greenwood is compassionate as Nala, calling a spade a spade, but a warm listener. Maza Long brings an optimistic and youthful perspective that is perhaps more modern.
It is Carroll however who navigates the gamut of emotion, trauma and pride of a First Nations man with raw humanity. His performance is both electrifying and confronting, giving the audiences a visceral experience, which is at times shocking.
It is a pleasure to see so many Indigenous artists on stage and behind the scenes for this production, telling their stories in such a powerful way. Director Isaac Drandic himself states that the “job [of] a theatre maker is not necessarily to talk just about politics but to explore the human condition within the political landscape”. He has done just this, allowing the characters to show rather than lecture. This is theatre that must be experienced, through any discomfort that most audiences would experience in their white privilege, but also through the exhilaration of sharing in a powerful story of our most ancient living culture. A fitting example of reconciliation through art.
Reviewed by Hayley Horton
Photo credit: Brett Boardman
Venue: Odeon Theatre
Season: 16 June – 1 July 2023
Duration: 90 minutes
Tickets: $39 – $85
Bookings: https://statetheatrecompany.com.au/shows/at-what-cost/
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