Ilbijerri Theatre Company facts for kids
Ilbijerri Theatre Company is an Australian theatre group based in Melbourne. It creates amazing plays and performances. What makes Ilbijerri special is that Indigenous artists are in charge of telling their own stories.
The company was first called Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Cooperative. The name Ilbijerri, pronounced il BIDGE er ree, comes from the Woiwurrung language. It means "coming together for ceremony".
The Story of Ilbijerri
Ilbijerri was started in 1990 by a group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. They wanted to share Indigenous stories from their own point of view. They felt it was important for their voices to be heard on stage.
Amazing Plays and Performances
Ilbijerri Theatre Company has created many important and popular plays. Here are some of them:
- Stolen: This play was first performed in 1998. It tells the powerful stories of five Aboriginal people. They were part of the Stolen Generations, a time when many Indigenous children were taken from their families.
- The Life of Jack Charles: This play premiered in 2010. It is about the life journey of the famous Aboriginal actor, Jack Charles. The show toured all over Australia and even to other countries. It won an award for being the best regional touring production in 2014.
- Beautiful One Day: This theatrical documentary was co-produced with other theatre groups. It explores important events that happened on Palm Island. The play also performed in London.
- Coranderrk: We Will Show the Country: This play is based on real historical events. It tells the story of Coranderrk, which was a former Aboriginal reserve in Victoria. The play recreates an important inquiry from 1881. It was written by Giordano Nanni and Yorta Yorta/Kurnai playwright Andrea James.
- Black Ties: This play was first performed in 2020. It tells a story about a relationship between a Māori woman and an Aboriginal man. The play toured in Australia and New Zealand.
In 2016, Ilbijerri also performed a special tanderrum ceremony. This ceremony helped to open the Melbourne Festival.
See also
- Indigenous theatre in Australia
