He Puts out His Hand. You Put out Your Hand. Emerging, Urban, Aboriginal Theatre-Makers
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COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Director of Copyright Services sydney.edu.au/copyright He Puts Out His Hand. You Put Out Your Hand. Emerging, Urban, Aboriginal Theatre-Makers. What Does it Take to Emerge? Kathleen Roma Greer A Thesis submitted to the University of Sydney in partial fulfillment of the requirements for admission into the degree of Masters of Arts (Research) Department of Performance Studies The University of Sydney 2013 Abstract The largest percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in Australia live in Sydney. Despite this large Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, there is there is very little recorded evidence of a prominent artistic presence of Aboriginal theatre-makers who are creating new, contemporary expressions of urban culture. From 2007-2011, PACT centre for emerging artists (PACT) created a series of Aboriginal-specific opportunities and programs for emerging, urban, Aboriginal theatre-makers who were interested in experimenting in new methods of creation and exploring their urban, lived experience. These opportunities generated a small, critical mass of Aboriginal theatre-makers. The program was in many aspects successful, however it also faced various challenges and misunderstandings. When one of the participating artists, Björn Stewart, presented a new performance work that expressed confusion, dislike and a sense of manipulation in the opportunities he was being offered as an artist by various organisations, it highlighted that perhaps the opportunities being offered to these theatre-makers were not what was perceived as being needed, and that there are varying motivations, agendas and expectations behind such opportunities by those providing them. This study identifies three key stakeholders who contribute to different points of the development of opportunities and new Aboriginal works: the funding body, the arts organisation and the artists. Using PACT’s Aboriginal-specific opportunities as a case study, this research set out to discover: (i) if current opportunities being offered to urban, emerging, Aboriginal theatre-makers are effective; (ii) what are the stakeholders’ perceptions about what is required; and most importantly, (iii) do these perceptions align with each other, and if not, what is the impact on Sydney, urban, emerging Aboriginal theatre-makers? To date, there has been no record of emerging, urban, theatre-makers having been consulted or given the opportunity to voice what they believe an emerging, urban, Aboriginal theatre-maker requires to “emerge”. This study begins that record. Acknowledgement of Country I would like to acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the land we are on, the Cadigal people of the Eora Nation of the Sydney Basin. I express my sorrow at the legacy we have inherited together. That my ancestors played a role – however large or small –that has led to the pain and loss of so much of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and rights, is a responsibility I choose to acknowledge and hope to help to heal in some small way through this research. Table of Contents Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... i Special Thanks ........................................................................................................... iii CHAPTER ONE .......................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1: Aims and Significance .................................................................................................. 1 1.2: Thesis Outline ............................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER TWO ......................................................................................................... 9 An Ancient Culture on the Periphery: How Did We Get Here? ..................................... 9 2.1: Definition of Terms: "Aboriginal" and "Theatre-Maker" .................................... 12 2.1.1: "Aboriginal" .......................................................................................................... 12 2.1.2: "Theatre-Maker" ................................................................................................... 14 2.2: The Modern Aboriginal Urban Tribe. Sitting Between a Black and White World ............................................................................................................................................. 18 2.3.1: White Frames for a Black Culture ........................................................................ 24 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................... 35 Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 35 3.1 Aims .............................................................................................................................. 35 3.2 Paradigm ...................................................................................................................... 36 3.3 Context and Constraints ............................................................................................. 37 3.4 Method and Sources .................................................................................................... 39 CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................................................... 44 The Funding Body: The Australia Council for the Arts ................................................ 44 4.1 A Brief History of Arts Funding In Australia: From Two Cows to Bully Beef Stew ............................................................................................................................................. 45 4.2 Government Arts Funding for Sydney-Siders .......................................................... 55 4.3 PACT Aboriginal-Specific Opportunities From the Perspective of OzCo ............ 58 CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................... 64 The Arts Organisation: PACT Centre For Emerging Artists ....................................... 64 5.1 The Evolution of PACT’s Aboriginal-Specific Programs ........................................ 67 5.2 The PACT Aboriginal-Specific Opportunities from the Perspective of PACT ..... 74 5.2.1 Recognising Difficulties and Developing Methods to Overcome Them ............... 76 5.2.2 The Importance of a Flexible and Evolving Program ............................................ 83 5.2.3 The Importance of Relationships and Connection to Community ......................... 88 5.2.4 The Importance of a Sustainable and Long-Term Vision ...................................... 92 CHAPTER SIX .......................................................................................................... 96 The Artists: Emerging, Urban, Aboriginal Theatre-Makers ........................................ 96 6.1: The PACT Aboriginal-Specific Opportunities from the Perspective of the Emerging, Urban, Aboriginal Theatre-Makers ............................................................ 102 6.1.1: The Importance of PACT/ PACT as a Positive Influence .................................. 102 6.1.2: Playing The “Racial Card” ................................................................................. 108 6.1.3: “We Work Differently” ...................................................................................... 112 6.1.4: The Aboriginal Urban Tribe ............................................................................... 123 i CHAPTER SEVEN .................................................................................................. 126 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................... 126 7.1 The Three Perspectives ............................................................................................. 127 7.2 A Misalignment .......................................................................................................... 129 7.2.1 Methods of Communication ...............................................................................