Black Diggers A Queensland Theatre Company and Sydney Festival Tue 10 Mar – Sat 14 Mar co-production Her Majesty’s Theatre Photo: Branco Gaica Photo: Written by Tom Wright and BASS 131 246 directed by Wesley Enoch adelaidefestival.com.au PRESENTING PARTNER Black Diggers A Queensland Theatre Company and Sydney Festival co-production Written by Tom Wright and directed by Wesley Enoch WRITER Tom Wright CAST George Bostock, Luke Carroll, Shaka Cook, Trevor Jamieson, Kirk Page, Guy Simon, Colin Smith, Eliah Watego and Tibian Wyles SET DESIGNER Stephen Curtis COSTUME DESIGNER Ruby Langton-Batty COMPOSER/SOUND DESIGNER Tony Brumpton DRAMATURG Louise Gough CULTURAL CONSULTANT George Bostock RESEARCHER David Williams This production has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festival initiative, managed by the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals, Adelaide Festival, Brisbane Festival, Perth International Arts Festival and Sydney Festival TOURING PARTNERS Queensland Theatre Company’s tour of Black Diggers is supported by the Australian Government’s Anzac Centenary Arts and Culture Fund and Sibelco Australia DURATION: 1 HOUR 40 MINUTES (NO INTERVAL) Contains low level coarse language and adult references to death and war, as well as use of herbal cigarettes. ACCESS INFORMATION ENJOY THE SHOW? SUPPORT ADELAIDE FESTIVAL DON’T FORGET TO VISIT Share your thoughts Become a Patron of the online now! Adelaide Festival to support /adelaidefestival our innovative and bold artistic vision and access exclusive ELDER PARK AND SURROUNDS, @adelaidefest #AdlFest benefits and events. Find out FREE EVERY NIGHT OF THE adelaidefestival.com.au more at adelaidefestival.com.au FESTIVAL Photo: Branco Gaica Photo: DIRECTOR’S NOTE When constructing this piece of theatre we One purpose of Indigenous theatre is to were confronted by the enormity of the task, write on to the public record neglected or the cultural protocols, the military records, the forgotten stories. family lore – so we adopted a broad acceptance of truth. In post-apartheid South Africa during Many of these stories survive in our oral the Truth and Reconciliation Commission there storytelling traditions and have been passed was a four-part definition of truth: down through families to arrive today as folklore – stories of the people. Theatre has · Personal truth – the thing you believe to become a crossover point where these stories be true are made public and expressed to demonstrate · Social truth – what a group believe to be true our history. through discussion and debate One hundred years ago Indigenous servicemen · Forensic truth – the truth that can be proven volunteered to fight for the newly formed through science and records country called Australia. Though the constitution of this newest of old countries did not recognise · Public truth – the value of telling the truth for them as citizens, Indigenous men signed up the greater good and fought in Palestine, the Somme, Gallipoli, Flanders Fields and every major battlefront Stories have come to us through interviews with during what would be called the Great War. family members, scouring the official records, Despite limited social standing, appalling living scholarly historical analysis and research and conditions and lack of human rights, Indigenous our own narratives; we believe them all to have men enlisted. Was it the sense of freedom and equal value and truth. adventure? Was it the fact that the newly minted Black Diggers honours the memories of these AIF (Australian Imperial Force) had no way of men and their families, and through them administratively recognising their Indigenous demonstrates the long history of national background and hence granted all soldiers the service and participation in public life by same rights? Or was it a sense of patriotism in Indigenous Australians. We follow a number a country that offered renewed hope of archetypal character journeys based on for change? real-life events in a fragmented view of history. Over 1000 Indigenous men fought side by It’s like the shellshock experience of those side with their white countrymen and forged in war – fragments of story mixed with bonds that would sow the seeds of the modern emotional responses. reconciliation movement. Photo: Branco Gaica Photo: There are 60 scenes broken into five parts: THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD WAR I INDIGENOUS DIGGER · Pre-Nation – a reflection on the wars and When World War I broke out in 1914, the White experience of Indigenous people before Australia policy was well and truly in force. nationhood Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people · Enlistment – the process of Indigenous men were not considered citizens of Australia, but signing up were rather the wards of the local Protector · The Theatre of War – the stories from the of Aborigines. They were paid low wages, were front as reported in journals, letters, official forced to live on reserves and mission stations, records and oral history could not enter a public bar, vote, marry non- Indigenous partners or buy property. They were · The Return – the effects of returning and the actively discriminated against, and yet when expectations of both the men who returned war was declared, many Indigenous men wanted and those they were returning to to join up and fight for Australia. · Legacy – what has been left behind for us The Defence Act of 1903 prevented those who were not of ‘substantially European descent’ The invitation is to accumulate the stories and from being able to enlist in any of the armed follow the characters/actors as they journey forces. Many Indigenous men who tried to through. It has been a great honour to work on enlist were rejected on the grounds of race, this project with such a dedicated and insightful but others managed to slip through the net. group of contributors. There is much we know In late 1917, following the defeat of a second and there is much we can never know but conscription referendum, these restrictions sharing stories is the best way for us all to were slightly eased. A new order stated that: know more. “Half-castes may be enlisted in the Australian If you know a story of Indigenous service Imperial Force provided that the examining in World War I or have a photo or a piece of Medical Officers are satisfied that one of the ephemera, please contact the Australian parents is of European origin.” War Memorial and have it recorded. As we Despite the difficulties, it seems that at least commemorate the centenary of World War I 800 Indigenous soldiers managed to join the these words become even more apt. AIF, out of a total of only 80,000 Indigenous Lest We Forget. people thought be living in Australia at the Wesley Enoch time. Some did so despite being rejected several times for being insufficiently white. Photo: Branco Gaica Photo: Some lied about their age or parentage, and further by the government. Very few Indigenous some were granted formal permission from their Diggers were given the land grants offered local Protector of Aborigines to serve. Once to returned soldiers, and in many cases, the past the initial barriers to enlistment, these land for grants to war veterans was taken away soldiers fully integrated into the AIF. Whilst from Indigenous communities whose men had almost exclusively of low ranks, these black fought overseas. War pensions and back pay Diggers were paid the same as other soldiers, were frequently denied and very few Indigenous underwent the same training and experienced Diggers were welcomed at their local RSL – the same hardships. As Gary Oakley of the except sometimes on ANZAC Day. Australian War Memorial has noted on several occasions: “The Army was Australia’s first equal Even though their small number seems opportunity employer.” In their civilian life they insignificant compared to the 416,809 men had to put up with constant racist slurs and enlisted in the AIF to fight in World War I, their attitudes. But in the trenches, any negative significance to modern Aboriginal and Torres stereotypes that many non-Indigenous Diggers Strait Islander history is immense. Slowly, due had would have quickly disappeared when they to the efforts and enthusiasm of researchers were living, eating, laughing and dying with such as Rod Pratt, David Huggonson, Phillippa these young men. Scarlett, Doreen Kartinyeri, Gary Oakley and Garth O’Connell, among many others, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Diggers long-forgotten service of these men is being fought in every significant engagement of the acknowledged and celebrated. The Ipswich war – from Gallipoli, to Palestine, to the Western re-burial in April 2012 of Trooper Horace Front. They served as infantrymen, machine Dalton, 11th Lighthorse Regiment, with full gunners, light artillery and as lighthorsemen. military honours and traditional ceremony, is They won the respect of their fellow a welcome example of this change. Today the soldiers, and won many bravery awards and bodies of Indigenous Australians who fell in commendations. Many were wounded, some the battlefields of France, Belgium, Turkey and were captured and dozens were killed. But the Palestine remain buried thousands of miles most tragic aspect of their service was not that away from their ancestral homes. Their brave they offered their lives for a country that did spirits deserve the honour of remembrance – not recognise them as citizens, but came after lest we forget again. they returned to Australia. When they came back home they were shunned, their sacrifices Dr David Williams, Researcher ignored and their families oppressed even ADELAIDE FESTIVAL CENTRE PRESENTS ROTUNDABy THE NEW ZEALAND DANCE COMPANY THE BEAUTIFUL COLLISION OF A LIVE BRASS BAND WITH THE RAW POWER OF CONTEMPORARY DANCE. ROTUNDA CELEBRATES THE ANZAC SPIRIT AND THE ROLE OF THE ICONIC BAND ROTUNDA. 1 & 2 MAY HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE BOOK AT BASS 131 246 OR bass.net.au Photo: John McDermott Photo: By arrangement with Arts Projects Australia with support from Creative New Zealand’s Touring Australia Initiative.