AustLit

'In 1999 the Australian nation was charged with debate on reconciliation and questions of how to encourage positive interaction between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous community. Amid this excitement and activity came countless artistic events in support of reconciliation including a swathe of theatre productions, especially in the mainstream. This thesis focuses on four of these productions in 1999 occurring in the Brisbane area. Queensland Theatre Company's The Tempest and Sunshine Club, Kooemba Jdarra's Goin to the Island, and the La Boite Theatre/Kooemba Jdarra co-production of Romeo and Juliet all placed Indigenous identity at the heart of the production. I read thee productions as political statements for reconciliation, not just in the theatrical narratives created for performance onstage but also in the practical processes of the production. These plays can be read as models of reconciliation, each contributing significantly to the advancement of Indigenous theatre artists and mobilising debate on reconciliation.' - Author's abstract