 Yibiyung
Belvoir St Theatre until October 26
Bookings: (02) 9699 3444
Yibiyung begins with a story about the stars. The story is told by a mother to her young daughter, spoken in her own Noongar language. What follows is the strange adventures of the daughter, often sad and harsh, who is taken away from everything she knows. She might have had everything stripped away from her and become a blank page where a Wadjella (white person) could ensure her future stories were written in standard Australian English, but instead her connection to her mother's language and traditions acts as a shield that both insulates and assures our heroine. The story of the play is the classic hero's journey, and like a perfect circle drawn in red sand, Yibiyung finds her way home.
Miranda Tapsell who plays Yibiyung is a very striking woman. In the opening moments of the play, with her back to the audience, she glances sideways and we behold the profile of a 1930s movie siren. I couldn't help thinking, this girl is a star. For the writer, Dallas Winmar, her grandmother, the real Yibiyung, was a star. The play is dedicated to her. The play was inspired by a trip she took with her grandmother back to the Moore River Native Settlement in Western Australia. You might remember that Aboriginal writer Jack Davis' experiences at Moore River informed much of his later work.
Winmar's play serves as an uncomfortable if not powerful reminder of the appallingly insensitive treatment of Indigenous Australians that has characterised most of the history of white settlement. The production clearly wants to put a human face to the stories of the Stolen Generation. It also sets out not to demonise European settlers. Yet despite the writer's immediate connection to the material, the initial freshness quickly gives way to generic storytelling and generic characters. The exuberant and talented cast led by Tapsell works hard to give their characters an inner journey and director Wesley Enoch makes sure the pacing never becomes complacent. However, at the moment, the production is too often let down by undramatic scenes and it takes far too long to deliver the play’s simple yet important message. At some point after interval it struck me that what I was watching was a screenplay staged and I easily imagine it could be a very affecting film that could reach a wider audience and make an impact.
Having said all that, I was incredibly moved by the play's final moments and afterwards felt grateful for the experience.
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Arts & Entertainment 
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