Cirrus@Austlit

'As editor of RealBlak, like a bower bird, I have been collecting shiny items, and now proudly display them in the first ever indigenous performing arts edition of RealTime. Our bower contains jewel-like stories of artists' practices, from their own perspective, that they have polished and fussed over and made precious. All different, but with common 'base metals' - of passion, commitment to community, a sense of history or continuance of cultural practices, yet forward thinking. Each of the articles, in myriad shades and tones, conveys that story.'
Source: Harrison, Jane. Editorial, RealBlak

'For us animateurs, concepts of ceremony, tradition, initiation and clan systems are hard to uphold in an industry that is essentially market driven and predominately controlled by non-Aboriginal artistic directors and bureaucrats obsessed with bums on seats. Limited funding and therefore limited time often forces us to reduce our cultural ambitions. Going onto country to make work is a per diem minefield that needs to be battled. Waiting for country to speak to us doesn’t always fit neatly into a project budget.'

'Margaret Harvey is developing a new play, "Amana Kazi", drawing on her Saibai Island origins in the Torres Strait. Harvey is collaborating with her uncle Walter Waia and playwright John Romeril who's acting as dramaturg. I spoke with harvey about the origins of the play, cultural concerns and the dramaturgical process.'
Source: Author's introduction

'My most successful, enjoyable, educational, frustrating, painful, stick-a-fork-in-a-toaster dramaturgical relationship has been with John Romeril and not just because he is such a talented and experienced writer (though of course this helps), but because he recognised my internal creative source and helped me to find a way to tap it. He has helped me to harness my raw style and unpack the thoughts that well up from the ground, through my body and around my head and which I struggle to put on paper in a way that is interesting and watchable for the ever elusive "captive audience".'

' It has been over 20 years since the last Indigenous Playwrights' Conference occurred in Sydney and since then there have been significant developments in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander theatre across Australia.'

'The first play David Milroy wrote was in 1997. Called "Runamuk", it was for a newly founded Western Australian theatre company, Yirra Yaakin. David, Lynette Narkle (currently seen as the matriarch in the film The Sapphires) and Paul MacPhail, programmed Yirra Yaakin's first season with plays that hadn't yet been written. And then David wrote some of them, creating a playwright in the process. Here, he reflects on the evolution of aboriginal theatre and current issues that he feels need to be addressed.'

Belvoir produces 'One Beautiful Day' and 'Coranderrk' with Ilbijerri, Meyne Wyatt will appear for Belvoir in the title role in 'Peter Pan', Tom E. Lewis and Michael Kantor are collaborating to create 'The Shadow King', based on 'King Lear', Yirra Yaakin will stage 'The Cake Man'.

'Although The Sapphires is diverting enough, by so completely obscuring the difficult questions of power, class and racial violence raised by the story with the redemptive narratives of individual love and the ‘transcendental’ power of music, the filmmakers do their material a disservice.'

'Making her message both playful and memorable, Gela weaves her anecdotes into a riff on the virtues of fruit salad over smoothies. She describes how a fruit salad has lots of different colours, tastes and textures all mixed together into a treat enhanced by each item retaining its identity in the whole.'