'A grisly murder, inherited madness, and a family in ruins…
'Patrick Mayne was a poor Irishman who emigrated to Australia in the first half of the twentieth century. Settling in Brisbane, he built his fortune as a butcher, landowner, and town councillor, and left an extraordinary legacy: a deathbed confession of murder that had a profound impact on the lives of his wife, his children and the colonial society he helped to build.
'Inspired by the book The Mayne Inheritance by Rosamond Siemon, Errol O’Neill has crafted a taught psychological thriller that reverberates through several generations of the Mayne family and the society they generously supported.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
The three texts collected in this volume are strong examples of this Indigenous theatre company's work with their exploration of self-determination, reconciliation, the land.
'Binni's Backyard is a contemporary urban story that celebrates our changing connection to the land, the trees and the animals. The production uses a combination of music, acrobatics, clowning dance, design, puppetry and percussion's and draws on both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian traditions.' (Kooemba Jdarra website sighted 05/07/2003 )
'Thomas Jenkis was born on the Island. In and out of jail for petty crime, he eventually finds himself on the streets of the mainland. Seven years later, he returns to the Island to celebrate his 21st birthday, reacquainting himself with the people from his past. Goin’ to the Island is a contemporary tale that mixes modern life with traditional stories, new songs and old.' (Source: Playlab website)
