Precedents Bob Maza and others got involved in community theatre in
Melbourne after Maza had travelled to the United States and been impressed by political theatre being staged by
African Americans and
Native Americans. Along with
Jack Charles, Maza co-founded the first Aboriginal theatre company,
Nindethana, at the
Pram Factory in 1971. After working in the United States as a director and actor,
Brian Syron returned to Sydney and held acting classes in 1969 for Indigenous actors, including
Gary Foley and
Denis Walker at the
Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs.
Paul Coe, a law student, approached Jenny Sheehan (aka Jenni(e) van de Steenhaven), a non-Aboriginal drama student, to run classes for young people in 1971. They were given a grant of to continue the workshops and play readings in February 1972.
Street theatre was organised by the Aboriginal community in Redfern by 1972 as a form of political action. Informal and formal theatrical performances were staged to raise awareness about the
Aboriginal tent embassy,
land rights demonstrations, and to support the establishment of a legal service. An art workshop was involved in the printing of posters (including those for the N'ingla a-na rallies) and in
ceramics,
sculpture, carving, etc. The documentary
Ningla A-Na (1972), directed by Alessandro Cavadini, highlighted the
land rights movement and Aboriginal activism, including the theatre as examples of the growing movement for
self-determination.
Carole Johnson, an African-American dancer, toured Australia with the
Eleo Pomare Dance Company in February and March. They witnessed the media coverage of the tent embassy, and the attempts to remove it, and understood the human rights issues. Johnson stayed in Sydney and, with an
Australia Council for the Arts grant, started a dance workshop in May, using St Luke's Church hall by the end of the year. Participants included
Euphemia Bostock (born 1936, aka Phemie), her daughter Tracey,
Wayne Nicol, Norma Williams (Ingram), and Elsie and Joanne Vesper. The dance workshop was documented in the short film
Sharing the dream (1974), and led to the formation of
NAISDA and the
Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre.
Beginnings Coe, Foley, Sheehan, and
Lester Bostock (brother of
Gerry Bostock) formed a theatre group that they called the National Black Theatre, His "professional" status attracted the funding that was needed, and was granted by the Australia Council. They rented a house at 174 Regent Street, and for workshops were given use of the hall named Murawina behind a church by
Wayside Chapel and the Aboriginal Women's Action Group who operated the children's breakfast program. Maza ran the workshops when Coe and Sheehan had to resume their studies. When Johnson went to
south-east Asia in September to continue her investigation of dance cultures, Phemie Bostock, assisted by Wayne Nicole, took over the co-ordination of the Dance Group. Carole proposed an Aboriginal Community Arts – Education Centre to the Aboriginal Arts Advisory Committee, encapsulating the needs and wants of the community. Social outlets, and cultural and training programs were needed in Redfern.
First performances The first formal and publicly acknowledged performance by Black Theatre was street theatre in 1972 to publicise the
Black Moratorium and the
Gove land rights claim against
Nabalco (now Rio-Tinto
Alcan). This was broadcast nationally by
This Day Tonight. The next performance was to lead the Aboriginal land rights demonstration, held on 14 July across the country on
NAIDOC Day. The
Pitjantjatjara expression ''N'ingla-a-na'', meaning "We are hungry for our land", became the rallying call. Six days later, on 20 July, the
Aboriginal Tent Embassy in
Canberra had been removed. At the re-erection of the tent embassy, on 30 July 1972, the Black Theatre performed the
Dance of the Embassy, also called
The Challenge, which was a symbolic re-erection of the tent embassy but portrayed the whole history of Aboriginal / European conflict and gave powerful expression to the emotions of that event. On 7 September, the dance group performed a public concert at the
Friends' hall in
Devonshire Street,
Surry Hills. It was a presentation of class work, works in progress and students' material. The Embassy dance, called
Awakening, was revised to include traditional Aboriginal movements.
Basically black When Maza came to Sydney, he undertook an apprenticeship program for directors and actors with the
Nimrod Theatre Company. In the absence of a performance space, the political revue
Basically Black was performed at the Nimrod Theatre Company's
Stables Theatre, directed by
Ken Horler. The cast included Aileen Corpus, Gary Foley, Zac Martin, Bob Maza and Bindi Williams. The revue was a biting satire, continuing the response to the
High Court ruling against a traditional claim to land ownership. Also at this time, certain advertising agencies began offering work to local Aboriginal people. This interest led to the formation of Ebony Profile, a part of NBT established as a black
casting agency that provided people with a grounding in advertising, television and films. By the end of 1972 NBT, as it was known, was based at 181 Regent Street, an umbrella organisation for a range of groups.
1973 The
Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council was established at the Black Theatre in 1973, illustrating its value as a community hub. '''
Basically black tour and television production''' Proving popular with Aboriginal people,
Basically Black toured the
eastern states the following year. However, the promised funding from the Council for the Arts did not arrive, which put a lot of pressure on the shoestring budget. A new production had been planned for March, a musical,
Millingurri. Thirteen out of the fourteen songs were original, and some were recorded. However NBT did not continue operating. Lester Bostock carried on as administrator after the tour, followed by
Tony Coorey. Funds were frozen for some time. After the cast reunited for the
ABC Television production of
Basically Black,
First National Seminar on Aboriginal Arts The first National Seminar on Aboriginal Arts was held in Canberra in May 1973, sponsored by the
Aboriginal Arts Board (AAB) of the Australia Council. Coe, Syron, Foley,
Oodgeroo Noonuccal, her grandson Denis Walker, and other delegates discussed possibilities. A group presented a program of short sketches on topical issues. Carole Johnson returned in November to take up a consultancy position with the Urban Theatre Committee (UTC), a sub-committee of the AAB. This meant she worked more with helping to find a building for Black theatre than with dance workshops. For the first time, a theatre company used Aboriginal people to play Aboriginal people.
Sydney Theatre Company produced
The Story of Bennelong. Boddy's
The Cradle of Hercules played at the
Sydney Opera House Old Tote theatre.
1974 The Black Theatre group reformed. Originally there were no financial resources, then funding was obtained from the
Department of Aboriginal Affairs and AAB to establish and manage a centre. As Casey said:One of the major problems facing Aboriginal artists was the battle to be taken seriously as artists rather than as social issues to be supported. To this end, the Black Theatre's achievement of establishing its own performance space was an important step. The resulting exposure of their theatre work to a wider audience was another major step.
Black Theatre Arts and Culture Centre The Black Theatre Arts and Culture Centre was established in a hall at 27-31 Cope Street (then called Botany Street), adjacent to the
Methodist Church, (now Uniting Church), and lasted from 1974 until 1977. The centre opened officially on 26 July 1974, The interior was repainted in cream, orange and brown, using paint donated by the local family paint company
Pascol Paint. With the help of friends such as Tom Hogan and Kevin Cook from the
Builders' Labourers Federation, Fisher renovated the old warehouse and developed a theatre and studio area. Architect
Col James, who did much work pro bono for various Aboriginal organisations, especially the
Aboriginal Housing Company, also did work for the Black Theatre. By November 1974, it was up and running. A theatre provided seating for 100 in a semicircle built up on scaffolding, with cushions spread across. The focus was again on training and workshops. Casey tells the story of a Koori parent leaving his child, overheard outside the centre You go in there and get what I can't give you. Those theatre people can give it to you. Functions included: skill development • outlet for artists and the community • theatre centre • exhibition space • exhibited the work of Aboriginal fashion designers sykes and smith
Mum Shirl • drop in and meeting place for local and international visitors • focal point for the community • youth centre • starting point for
Stolen Generations with the task of beginning the search for their family, at that time known as "lost generation" • bridge between non-Aboriginal producers and directors and Aboriginal actors, such as film director
Peter Weir and some television producers doing casting interviews there The first play staged at the theatre,
The Chocolate Frog, was written by non-Aboriginal playwright Jim McNeil. While on the executive committee of the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs, Bettie Fisher initiated its use as the subject of workshops conducted for inmates of Sydney prisons.
The Cake Man The first serious play to be produced at the centre was
The Cake Man, on 12 January 1975. In it Merritt expressed what he believed was at the root of Aboriginal despair."It is a poignant fragment of latter day mythology and a powerful Australian play which traces white man's devastation of Blacks over the 200 years to 1974" [Brian Syron] "about a Bible-loving mother and an alcoholic father, and how a small boy's innocent faith transforms the life of a white
Scrooge. But the identification with the characters which the cast immediately made gave the performed work a compelling emotional drive." [Brisbane.] The play was directed by Maza. It was mainly cast in the Redfern community and starred
Justine Saunders, Zac Martin, After initial refusal, Merritt was finally permitted to attend opening night under guard. The cast refused to go on stage until the
handcuffs were removed. Lisa Maza presented him with a cake at the end. The play was a huge success with large
Koori audiences attending. The intensive six-week course took place at the Black Theatre in Redfern in June and July. Students included Maureen Watson, Jack Davis,
Lillian Crombie, Andrew Jackamos, Hylus Maris, Wayne Nicol, Christine Donnelly, Aileen Corpus, Zac Martin, John Bayles, Lorraine Mafi. On the last night, the group staged plays and dances they had written or choreographed. Over 300 people came from all over the country with no advertising. Syron met with Carole Johnson and
Ande Reese to discuss the production of a film record of The Six Weeks Workshop because he believed that history was being made by all those involved and they needed to record the historic events to realise their value. Reese, like Johnson, was an African American residing in Sydney, with experience in film and television production in the United States. She had been a screenwriting fellow at the
American Film Institute, so she began work on a film (which would be completed in 1976).
Outcomes After the six-week training program, people could, for the first time, see possibility of employment. Members of the dance group requested more specialised training, and a
Careers in Dance course commenced in October. It moved to Bodenweiser Dance Studio in Chippendale, the breakaway causing some grief in the Redfern community. This was the forerunner of the
Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme (AISDS), which evolved into the
National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) and the
Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT), and the offshoot
Bangarra Dance Theatre in 1989. Christine Donnelly applied for a grant to continue dance workshops at the Centre, but was initially refused. In August, Johnson and Syron were terminated as consultants to the Aboriginal Arts Board (Urban dance and Urban Theatre), the only consultants for the UTC with experience in the performing arts. (
Chicka Dixon was a member who became increasingly active.) While the dance group focused on further education, the drama group saw most of its students gain work. Many excelled in other areas of the performing arts as well. Yvette Isaacs was awarded a Conservatorium of Music scholarship. Known now as
Maroochy Barambah, a successful musician, she has performed in leading roles and established a recording and publishing company Daki Budtcha.
Jack Davis developed as a playwright, Cheryl Stone became a booking agent, Maureen Watson became a well-known storyteller and started Radio Redfern. Christine Donnelly founded the
Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern (ADTR) in 1979 to serve the Redfern community. Lucy Jumawan has worked there for many years as a senior dance teacher.
Performances Jack Davis presented for a performance his second one-act play,
The Biter Bit. Bettie Fisher continued to invite touring international black artists to perform at the Black Theatre. Despite resistance by a number of non-Aboriginal entertainment managers, visitors included the band,
Osibisa, and the Ghanaian drummers.
1976 A subscription season was planned of "black plays by black artists" including works by Gerry Bostock,
Wole Soyinka, Ione elder and
Archie Shepp. Black Theatre Arts and Cultural Centre's director Bettie Fisher died of coronary
arteriosclerosis on 12 May 1976, still in her thirties, and the company struggled to secure funding after this. Ironically the Board was planning to spend $197,000 to send 30 Aboriginal performers to Nigeria to take part in the
second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture.
Marcia Langton believed that the difficulties faced by the black theatre in this period occurred because their work challenged the "accepted" expectations of Aboriginal people. Justine Saunders agreed – "challenging stereotypes, presenting real human beings dealing with conflict".
Here comes the nigger To deal with the financial crisis a fundraising committee was established. The company used their limited resources to produce the play
Here Comes the Nigger, written by
Gerry Bostock, in 1976. Langton, for example, was running the box office as a volunteer for
NAISDA student performances at the centre, in between working for the
Aboriginal Medical Service around the corner. This was the first occasion a profile was achieved outside the urban Aboriginal communities. The play was successful – they were starting to draw in a wider audience, often first-time visitors to Redfern, which helped to start to break down the barriers. However, despite its success, funding was cut in the 1976–1977 financial year, and the centre was forced to close in 1977. In an interview with Reese for a paper entitled "The Australian Film Commission" written in September 1977, Reese said that when she made
Sunrise Awakening Aborigines wanted to know why they couldn't make their own films about themselves and how and what they were doing. They asked why films about Aborigines were invariably made by the white middle class As Syron commented in his book
Kicking down the doors, "We would ask that question for many years to come."
1977 ABC TV made a television production of the play
The Cake Man in 1977, making it the first
telemovie to be written by an Aboriginal playwright (
Bob Merritt – see above). After its success, Merritt then tried to put on another stage production of the play with the director
George Ogilvie who liked the play but saw it as a fresh challenge. The production opened at the
Bondi Pavilion,
Bondi Beach in Sydney on 30 April 1977 under Ogilvie's direction and starring Justine Saunders with Zac Martin and Brian Syron. It was the first Aboriginal play to enter the repertoire of the European Australian mainstream theatre. Syron's and Saunder's performances were both highly acclaimed. Prime Minister
Malcolm Fraser announced that cultural activities involving Aboriginal people would no longer be helped by the
Department of Aboriginal Affairs, but would become the responsibility of the
Australia Council. No funds were granted to the Council for its additional responsibilities. Lester Bostock recalled that the Theatre had applied to the department and to the Australia Council for assistance but had received no reply. Lack of funding had become an enormous strain on the Theatre, and all involved. As Langton explained:With no grants for over a year, the burden of supporting the centre plus making a living burnt people out . By the end of 1977, the Black Theatre had closed. == Offshoots and developments==