Review: ‘Jurrungu Ngan-ga’ at The State Theatre Centre

Jurrungu Ngan-ga at The State Theatre Centre of Western Australia
Friday, September 15, 2023

9.5/10

After touring Europe and the east coast to wide acclaim the last twelve months, Black Swan Theatre and Broome collective Marrugeku have brought Jurrungu Ngan -ga (Straight Talk) home to the west.

A searing indictment on incarceration within 'The Colony,' Jurrungu Ngan -ga delicately straddled the line between intense grief for those that have been lost, and joyful celebration of the lives they led, and of the value they gave the world.

The energy on stage from the dancers and performers was explosive and fluid, as if a restless id continually looking for release. The very essence of the topic at hand – these awful, horrific acts, nominally committed for the general public’s safety and security, with rarely any consequence.

Catharsis occurred, as well as some levity, but only very briefly. After these points the piece rebuilt dread and tension all over again. Some scenes were set up in the visual abstract, interpreting nightmares or mental health struggles, while others were taken straight from CCTV footage, direct from too many coronial inquests and royal commissions.

The staging and visuals of Jurrungu Ngan-ga were stunning. The set itself remained the same throughout the piece, but with inventive lighting choices, previously solid walls were rendered translucent, and the audience were taken wherever the directors needed them – whether it be The Dreamtime, detention centres, or an internal nightmare. The music and sound design ranged from ambient to techno, rap to spoken word, and was throbbing, percussive, and insistent.

In several scenes, the performers talked directly to the camera above their heads, and this was broadcast live straight back to the audience. This evoked all at once the surveillance state, the disconnect between warders and those detained, and entangled those watching as collaborators in the crimes they had viewed.

The characters themselves refused to be forgotten as just numbers or statistics, but forcefully insisted on being remembered as real people with full and vibrant lives, no matter how the authorities tried to brutalise or dehumanise them.

Jurrungu Ngan-ga is a powerful, evocative, thought-provoking piece, bringing to the fore a series of ugly memories the country at large desperately tries to forget. With a cast on stage that leave nothing in reserve, Black Swan Theatre and Marrugeku have put together something very, very special.

An absolute must see.

PAUL MEEK

Photos by Prudence Upton