First Nations play Jacky set for WA premiere

Two of WA’s leading theatre companies, Black Swan State Theatre Company and Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, are presenting the regional premiere of Jacky at Subiaco Theatre Centre from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, November 8.

Written by acclaimed playwright Declan Furber Gillick, Jacky follows the complicated world of a young Aboriginal man trying to build a life in contemporary Australia, shining a light on the messy realities of navigating identity, ambition and belonging. The play asks what happens when the different worlds we inhabit collide and what we are prepared to sacrifice to survive.

Jacky is smart, enterprising and determined to make his own way in the city. He moves effortlessly between office internships, cultural performances and sex work, carefully keeping each part of his life separate. This world is then thrown into chaos when his younger brother Keith arrives unexpectedly.

What follows is a funny, confronting and deeply human exploration of family, identity, connection and the lengths we go to keep our lives (and ourselves) together.

Co-directed by Black Swan Artistic Director Kate Champion and Yirra Yaakin Artistic Director Maitland Schnaars, the production places First Nations storytelling and contemporary Australian voices firmly at its centre.

The cast features Ian ‘Moopa’ Wilkes (Wadjuk, Ballardong) as Jacky, alongside Amy Mathews, Rueben Mongoo (Balardong, Wajarri) and Steve Turner. Wilkes is a much-loved theatre-maker, performer, director, writer and dancer, and a recipient of the Perth NAIDOC Artist of the Year award.

“Jacky is a provocative work that asks some big questions, and Declan Furber Gillick has created a character who is complicated and deeply human,” said Kate Champion. “I’m thrilled to be working alongside Maitland and Yirra Yaakin to bring this story to Perth audiences.”

Jacky is showing at Subiaco Theatre Centre from Friday, October 23, to Sunday, November 8, 2026. Tickets are on sale now from blackswantheatre.com.au