Photo by Eva Fernandez
Community interaction should be at the forefront of every theatre company’s minds when programming and planning for seasons ahead. Astoundingly, the powers that be often overlook the base reason they exist and select programming that suits personal visions and taste, yet serves little to no lasting purpose within the broader populace.
WA’s Yirra Yaakin lives to tell Aboriginal stories and its latest show, Boodjar Kaatijin (‘Understanding Country’) is aimed squarely at engaging with and enriching the learning of the children of WA, and beyond. By default then, this gorgeously simple tale, featuring several intertwined Dreamtime stories, serves to re-educate and inspire the accompanying family members and teachers about the landscapes, animals and creations that form Australian life.
The act of inviting children to sit within range of the actors on the floor in front of the tiered seating is superbly uncomplicated yet effective, and was a source of heightened joy for children and adults alike, as every parent got to see and hear the oft hilarious and always supremely apt reactions from the little ones.
Boodjar Kaatijin, written and directed by Justin Wilkes, is good old fashioned pantomime​-style theatre that employs its minimal sets, costumes and trickery to its advantage; the actors movements, actions and instincts allow us to effortlessly use our imaginations to enjoy the unfolding dramas.
Transitions between the stories are not always seamless, but that does not distract the children or rest of the audience from the magic of what is happening in front of them. The sheer magnitude of what actor-turned-director, and now first time scriptwriter Wilkes has achieved by collecting stories from elders in the Nyoongar community, and adapting them and putting them back into public circulation, is astounding. ​One can only hope that it plants seeds in the minds of many, leading to further exploration of Dreamtime stories and Aboriginal culture.
The story starts at the very beginning, when the sky was low and the world was dark, ​when the unlikely friendship between a magpie and a spider literally raised the sky – even though a pesky snake tried to foil their plans. Thus follows the birth of the sun, moon and the stars that came from spirit children – structured gently around the parables of the sneaky plan the emu had to steal Kanga’s coat and how kangaroo fur got its colour; how the echidna got his spikes and why he is (even now) only allowed to eat ‘yucky ants’; how the blue tongued lizard got its blue tongue, and explanations of how local (Perth and WA) landmarks were formed.
Matthew McVeigh’s set is something that Wilkes fell in love with as an actor when working with the pieces in a previous show, and is essentially a giant 3D jigsaw that can be moved and reformed to create different scenery with ease. Iona McCauley and Chloe Flockhart’s masks, tails, headpieces and other puppetry are wonderful devices that allow actors to dexterously switch between animals and convey various personalities and traits effortlessly; clever creations the whole audience found enchanting.
Wilkes cleverly introduced traditional Nyoongar language in the names of animals, their actions, and even at one point, the basic repetition of numbers – which again hopefully motivates more use and recognition of this incredibly important language and history.
The chase scene between Emu and Kangaroo was a standout moment, a classic comedy of errors that elicited an especially loud vocal response from young audience members, as did many other points throughout the 40-minute production. What more does one need to prove success of a show?
Adult theatre could do with taking a leaf from Yirra Yaakin’s book ​by cutting to the core of the story, the humanity and connection between all of us.
Yirra Yaakin’s priority to ensure Aboriginal theatre remains under Aboriginal control and to keep providing opportunities for Aboriginal artists at all levels of theatre creation and production ​results in works that are authentic and memorable. ​The genius of partnering with the WA Museum means that many more children and audiences throughout WA and beyond will have a chance to discover these incredible stories of place and people, and fall in love with the characters and culture they preserve.
Rating: 4 ½ stars out of 5
Boodjar Kaatijin
Presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company and The West Australian Museum
Written and directed by Ian Wilkes
Starring Amy Smith, Rueben Yorkshire and Aaron Wilkes
Subiaco Theatre Centre
27 October – 5 November 2016
