Contemporary Indigenous Plays

Five plays from around Australia which illustrate that the rich tradition of indigenous storytelling is flourishing in contemporary Australian theatre. Adapted from her award-winning novel, Vivienne Cleven's "Bitin' Back" is a 'zany and uproarious black farce'; "Black Medea", Wesley Enoch's richly poetic adaptation of Euripides Medea, blends the cultures of Ancient Greek and indigenous storytelling to weave a bold and breathtaking commentary on contemporary experience; The acclaimed "King Hit" by David Milroy and Geoffrey Narkle, strikes at the very heart of the Stolen Generations, exploring the impact on an individual and a culture when relationships are brutally broken; Set in the 1950s on the fringe of a country town, "Rainbow's End" by Jane Harrison creates a 'thought-provoking and emotionally powerful' (Age) snapshot of a Koori family to dramatise the struggle for decent housing, meaningful education, jobs and community acceptance; And David Milroy's "Windmill Baby" is set on an abandoned cattle station in the Kimberley landscape, combines the poetry of a campfire story with the comedy of a great yarn.