Pinjarra Ed Pack 2011 -...

Deckchair Theatre 179 High Street, Fremantle 6160 www.deckchairtheatre.com.au

Bindjareb Pinjarra Teacher’s Resource Kit

The Pinjarra Project

Supported by Deckchair Theatre


1. About the play

2. Synopsis

3. Bindjareb Pinjarra for communities and schools

4. Statements from the Cast

5. Cast Biographies

6. Production reviews

7. Production History

8. Historical Information

o About the Bindjareb Nyungars

o Conflict in the Colony

o Witness Records

9. About Deckchair Theatre

10. Questions for Discussion

11. Further Reading & Resources

Bindjareb Pinjarra

TEACHER’S RESOURCE KIT


1. About the play

Playing Australia and Country Arts WA

In association with Deckchair Theatre present

BINDJAREB PINJARRA

By The Pinjarra Project

This is a most unusual play, a comedy about a massacre. It was created by the performers using improvisation and memory,.. there has never been a script or a

director. While examining a bloody and horrific incident, the actors are constantly looking for humour and ways to involve the audience, who join in and suggest ideas.

It is about the past, but also about today. Every performance is different.

BINDJAREB PINJARRA has been performed successfully across Australia to over 25,000 people. It has been highly acclaimed by indigenous and non-indigenous audiences alike for its honesty and humour, and for the very entertaining way it demonstrates

true reconciliation at work.

“This is reconciliation theatre at its best” - Rhoda Roberts, The Dreaming Festival

“Brilliant performances …a wonderful fusion of the comic with the tragic” - The Sydney Morning Herald

“Most effective vehicle for black-white reconciliation you’ll ever see” – Courier Mail

“Powerful and moving…delicious satire” - The West Australian

“Its great strength is the depth of story and quality of the tale tellers... their ability to take us deep inside the other and find the familiar self beyond stereotype” - Realtime

Magazine

THE CAST

Nyoongar (Aboriginal) actors Kelton Pell, Frank Nannup and Isaac Drandich and whitefella actors Phil Thomson, Geoff Kelso and Sam Longley.


2. Synopsis

BINDJAREB PINJARRA is a play about a major violent incident which occurred in October 1834 between Nyoongars and Mounted Police at a place now known as Pinjarra, 90 kms south of Perth, Western Australia. BINDJAREB PINJARRA alternates scenes from the past and the present, and draws on written and oral versions of the Pinjarra incident to ask the questions - was this a battle or a massacre? And which of the various versions of history is the true one?

The play begins in Colonial times when two Nyoongar boys discover a young white boy lost in the bush – initial fear soon turns into curiosity and then innocent fun and friendship. This scene is followed by the actors sharing what they learnt at school about Aboriginal people; then we are back in the past as Governor James Stirling develops a plan to deal with an aggressive tribe of Nyoongars who are threatening the survival of the colony. In parallel with this historical narrative is a contemporary story of Roland Mission, a young man who hears about the history of his people and through a series of hilarious (and not so funny) misadventures travels to Pinjarra to learn more about what happened to his people.

The unique quality of this play is that it contains an enormous amount of humour and goodwill. BINDJAREB PINJARRA is both very funny and very tragic. It is not a grim and dour exercise in breast-beating or finger wagging. It is lively, entertaining and engages directly with its audience. BINDJAREB PINJARRA also shows how black and white Australians are all part of the same history, and how by acknowledging that history we can move forward together to create a better future as one people.


3. Bindjarreb Pinjarra for Communities and Schools

Bindjareb Pinjarra is the ultimate in flexible works, being able to be performed in the widest variety of venues. An extraordinary mix of ages and racial backgrounds love the work; and indigenous and non-indigenous audience members inevitably embrace one-another post-show in a spirit of reconciliation.

The flexible nature of the work allows the cast to tailor performances for specific audiences. We are able to shorten the work if required, and ensure that it is suitable for specific ages (no swear words for primary students, a few choice extra ones for high schools). The work has been performed in isolated and indigenous communities, in major performing arts centres, for festivals and in school and community halls. After every performance (not just the ones for schools) the cast engage the audience in a question and answer session. This allows for discussions on similar events that may have occurred in the local area and the importance of telling such stories. It also allows for an emotional debrief to ensure that audience members deeply affected by the tragic last few minutes of the play leave in good spirits.

This was the best show I have ever brought my students to. Head of English, Brisbane Boys College

You have succeeded in one hour to bring to life and meaning to what I have

struggled to communicate in a year. Indigenous Studies Teacher, Mt Barker Agricultural College, WA

The whole production was amazingly well adapted to meet the needs of students. The production raised as many questions as it answered, a very

positive aspect, and we are still doing follow up activities with classes in library, music and regular classroom lessons. Students enjoyed the acting

skills, the humour and irreverence; and were very taken with how easily the actors were able to set up a scenario with such a small amount of props. The

short question and answer session at the end was valuable. It was an excellent production and a very worthwhile educational excursion.

Sheila O'Callaghan - Our Lady of Good Counsel School, WA


4. Statements from the Cast

“The only way we could tell this story from Western Australia’s past was do it with lots of comedy. Because all of us are very good at comedy and improvisation we make sure the audience members really enjoy themselves and at the same time understand something about the history that black and white Australians share” – Geoff Kelso

“A lot of blackfellas find it easier to laugh at distressing things, at sadness. I suppose that’s why you call it black comedy. We wanted to make people feel comfortable in the theatre. We didn’t want to keep poking at them and make them feel bad about themselves. We just want them to understand that this is part of history that hasn’t been told in the history books. The only way we could tell it was to have comedy.” – Kelton Pell

“This is the most successful play I have ever been involved with, and that is a big call. Its success lies in its flexibility… the performers are able to adjust every show to suit that particular audience. We talk directly to them, and look at them, join them, play with them. This opens up the experience for those watching… it is not just passive; they can control the action and make comment. The post-show discussion also allows our guests to share their own experiences and the stories from their region.

Equally important for me is the freedom the show offers its performers. No two shows are alike and we challenge one another to take risks and try new ideas. We can introduce stories from last night’s news and take big creative risks every night. This keeps the show alive and dangerous and lots of fun to be in.” – Phil Thomson.


5. Cast Biographies

Geoff Kelso

This is the first time Geoff has worked with Frank Nannup and Sam Longley and what a pleasure it is. Geoff first worked with Kelton Pell in Black Swan Theatre’s inaugural production Twelfth Night and it was during that show they started talking about turning the Pinjarra story into a piece of theatre. Geoff and Kelton have also worked together in the Black Swan shows Waiting for Godot, Dead Heart, Welcome to Broome and Jandamarra, Geoff, Isaac and Phil have worked together on One Destiny and Yandy, and Phil and Geoff have worked together on many projects since they were hairy young men back in the 70s. Geoff feels it is very important that Bindjareb Pinjarra is passed on to a younger generation of performers (Isaac and Sam) and that it honours the memory of our koorda Trevor “Shorty” Parfitt.

Isaac Drandic

Isaac was born and bred in Perth to his Nyoongar mother and Croatian father. After completing the WAAPA Indigenous Bridging Course he has worked and toured in shows all over Australia, and in hundreds of communities including over 40 prisons. He performed for Black Swan Theatre Company in One Destiny and Yandy. He is a co-writer of the very successful A Black Sheep Walks into a Baa and Black Sheep Glorious Bastards presented by Ilbijerri Theatre (Melbourne) as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Isaac is thrilled to return home to help tell this important Nyoongar story.

Sam Longley

Sam is new to the Bindjareb Pinjarra cast and Nyoongar story telling but not new to working without a script. He has been improvising since he was in high school. He studied improv in Chicago for two years and when he returned he started the improv comedy show, The Big HOO-HAA! Sam has also performed in a number of shows for Barking Gecko Theatre, Deckchair Theatre, Perth Theatre Company and Longwood productions performing everything from contemporary drama to Shakespearean comedy. Sam is the tall, skinny mooditj Wadjella.


Franklin Nannup

Frank has been performing all his life. He has toured the world with Middar Aboriginal Theatre five times and performed in many groundbreaking theatre productions such as Coodah and Munjong. He was a regular on ABC Radio Drama and has featured in many films including Black Fellas, Tudawalli and Heartland. He is currently the Chair of Winjan Aboriginal Corporation in Mandurah. His smile gets better every day.

Kelton Pell

Kelton has performed with a number of theatre companies including Black Swan Theatre, Deckchair Theatre Company, South Australian Theatre Company and Yirra Yaakin Noongar Theatre. Most recently he performed with Urban Theatre Company’s production of The Fence for the Festival of Sydney, Jandmarra for Bunuba Films and Bloodland for the Sydney Theatre Company.

Kelton has appeared in the films The Last Ride, Bran Nue Dae, Blackfellas, Australian Rules, Confessions of a Headhunter, Cold Turkey, September, One Night The Moon and Stone Bros. He is widely recognised in SBS’s highly acclaimed The Circuit. Recent work includes Aunty Maggie and the Womba Wagkun and Mad Bastards. He starred in the mini-series Cloudstreet.

Phil Thomson

Phil’s work has taken him on all sorts of cross-cultural adventures. He has created theatre in PNG and India as well as in isolated areas of Australia. He is a director and writer as well as an actor. He has written a book and an opera, TV episodes and plays. He has performed in theatre, film, TV and radio.

He is the Artistic Director of the WA Youth Theatre Company. He has recently directed two major projects... an opera (… into the Shimmer Heat) and a new version of the indigenous epic Jandamarra for a major Kimberley tour.


6. Production Reviews

“I can’t praise Bidenjareb Pinjarra highly enough and I urge you to see it. It may be the most effective vehicle for black-white reconciliation you’ll ever see… and it’s a

wonderful theatre experience.” Brisbane Courier Mail

“Extraordinarily immediate, powerful and moving; this is storytelling at its best… highly

energised, totally alive drama… a profound test of any art lies in its ability to challenge certainty… has succeeded extravagantly… delicious satire.”

The West Australian

“The strength of this play lies in its ability to alternate and fuse the comic with the tragic, while saying something immensely important about Aboriginal perception of white

culture.” Financial Review

“This is an extremely rewarding piece of theatre, with quite brilliant performances.”

Subiaco Post

“A wonderful fusion of the comic (and the comedy is very funny) with the tragic… Bindjareb tells us about our past. And we grieve. But then it offers us a powerful

paradigm for our future. And we hope.” Sydney Morning Herald


THEATRE REVIEW: BINDJAREB PINJARRA BY STEPHEN BEVIS 24TH MARCH 2010, THE WEST AUSTRALIAN

For children growing up in the 1960s, like Geoff Kelso, the history of WA was taught from a short book largely dismissive of any meaningful Aboriginal presence.

For Kelton Pell, the name of his old school in Cloverdale - Whiteside - said it all about the attitudes of the time.

Kelso, Pell and the four other actors in this largely improvised history play break out of their characters, circa 1834, to reveal glaring contemporary gaps in our collective knowledge of indigenous history.

Sam Longley, for instance, can rattle off the a dozen Native American tribes, thanks to a diet of American TV, but he must call on the audience to help him with Australian names.

The catalyst for this theatrical history lesson is the mass killing of Nyoongar people at Pinjarra on October 28, 1834 - an event recorded as the Battle of Pinjarra but mourned by local Nyoongar as a massacre.

These two perspectives are played out by a mix of indigenous and non-indigenous actors in front of a dramatic Carrolup-style backdrop painted by Tjyllyungoo Lance Chadd.

The play is keenly didactic, yes, but the medicine is coated (for any discomforted white audience members) by spoonfuls of sugar in the form of irreverent humour and physical horseplay.

Kelso, Pell and Phil Thomson - the trio who co-devised the show in the early 1990s with the late Trevor Parfitt - perform in exuberant fashion alongside Longley, Franklin Nannup and Isaac Drandic. Much of the comedy is teased out from snippets gleaned from the audience so that the play, in true improvisational style, can be quite different each night.

The fundamentals of the story, though, are the same as the actors move back and forth in time between the actions of Governor James Stirling to a contemporary hip-hopper's emerging awareness of his Nyoongar legacy.

Heartfelt and hearty all at once, Bindjareb Pinjarra has many wonderful moments ranging from a Nyoongar hunting party's poignant first encounter with a settler's fenced land to a present-day motorcycle cop's antics with a boomerang standing in as his handlebars. To access this article please visit: http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/arts/6974931/theatre-review-bindjareb-pinjarra/


THEATRE REVIEW: BINDJAREB PINJARRA BY SUZANNE SPUNNER APRIL – MAY 2010, REALTIME ISSUE #96

IN THE SOUTH WEST OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA IN 1834, FIVE YEARS AFTER WHITE SETTLEMENT, A GOVERNMENT SURVEY WAS UNDERTAKEN IN THE INTERESTS OF PROTECTING THE LIFE AND PROPERTY OF THE SETTLERS. IT CULMINATED IN A BLOODY BATTLE AT PINJARRA IN WHICH THE 21 NAMED BINDJAREB NYOONGARS WERE KILLED. OF COURSE IT WASN'T A BATTLE ANYMORE THAN IT WAS A SURVEY. IT WAS A MASSACRE AND THE BODIES OF MANY MORE UNNAMED BINDJAREB WERE WASHED DOWN THE MURRAY RIVER; ACCORDING TO INDIGENOUS ACCOUNTS BETWEEN 70 AND 150 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN. One white officer died from falling off his horse. Since then the Pinjarra massacre has been a casualty of the history wars. Back then the Bindjareb were wedged between two landowners: Peel who owned 250,000 acres on the Mandurah side of the river and Meares who had 20,000 acres on the southern side of the Bindjareb. They were squeezed in along the river. This configuration of forces was the basis for the massacre; the Bindjareb had nowhere to go and were mowed down with muskets fired from both banks of the river. This year is the 175th anniversary of the massacre and it is being remembered with a play, a travelling art exhibition and a website with a podcast which can be downloaded as an audio tour for people who visit the massacre's location. The site is so fiercely contested that the local council still refuses to acknowledge the event or put up signage let alone erect a memorial. So, paradoxically the virtual site, www.pinjarramassacresite.com, is the contemporary historical site. The podcast was made by the actors who feature in the play. This is a revival of the 1994 production. The original performer-creators, Kelton Pell, Geoff Kelso and Phil Thomson, who approached the Pinjarra man Trevor Shorty Parfitt to be the fourth storyteller, have regrouped to honour his memory and pass the show on to three new people, another senior Pinjarra man Frank Nannup and two young fellas—Nyoongar actor Isaac Drandic and Wadjella, Sam Longley. The play must be passed on because it exists as an oral form created from improvisation around the historical records and the oral accounts of the Nyoongars and informed by the everyday as well as present day interactions. The ensemble of six male actors are all agile performers and accomplished improvisers and very funny too, because this play about a massacre is presented as a comedy with a black undercurrent. The humour is always deadly serious. Continued …


Continued … The actors play across age, class and race and play they do so that all the stereotypes are well worked over for comic effect. Its great strength is the depth of story it tells and the quality of the tale tellers. Among them, Kelton Pell and Sam Longley stand out in particular for their ability to take us deep inside the other and find the familiar self beyond stereotype. The staging is pared back and clear, everyone wears the same costume-uniform, there are few props, no sets, just benches to return to between scenes, and, dominating the space, a mural backdrop painted in the Carrolup style by contemporary Nyoongar artist Lance Tjyllyungoo Chadd whose work features in the exhibition at the old Fremantle Gaol along with 20 other artists. The backdrop is a powerful, atmospheric landscape of big old river gums and grasstrees beside a deep gully and a shaded creek depicted at sunset, conjuring a gothic scenario of ghosts, blackboys and a river running with blood and choked with bloated bodies. It presents a disturbing stillness that can never be read as elegiac once you know the history of the place. Subtly dramatic lighting played on this painting, animating all its moodiness enhanced by the soundscape, which incorporated voices, rifle shots, birdsong and the plaintive wail of a didjeridu. The actors contributed the live sound of clapsticks to punctuate the scenes, drive the action forward, keeping us alert and alarmed, unable to forget what happened. If there was any doubt that the play needed to be revived post-Apology, then what happened to Shorty Parfitt's family on opening night when they ordered a taxi which refused to pick them up, shows that even in tourist savvy, sophisticated Fremantle there are still deep pockets of racism. The story still needs telling.


REVIEW: BINDJAREB PINJARRA BY ZENOBIA FROST BRISBANE, TUESDAY, 22 JUNE 2010, RAVE MAGAZINE

Let’s admit it, Australia is probably the only country where you could successfully stage a comedy about a massacre covered up by the government. And successful it has been; this production marks the 175th anniversary of the Pinjarra Massacre, but the play itself has been touring Australia for 15 years – in large theatres, primary schools, old people’s homes and town halls. The show was created by Nyoongar and Wadjella (white fella) actors, and three of those original members, Geoff Kelso, Kelton Pell and Phil Thomson, still travel with the show, along with Franklin Nannup, Isaac Drandic and Sam Longley.

The massacre itself – recorded by Governor James Stirling of the Swan River colony as The Battle of Pinjarra – occurred on October 28, 1834 on the fertile land where the Nyoongar people lived and traded. Stirling’s army struck at the time of the year when most warriors were away on men’s business, unknowingly leaving women, children and the elderly to be captured and killed en masse. The reason? To claim Pinjarra’s fertile soils and deal with the pesky “savage problem” that seemed to be driving so many colonists out of arid Western Australia.

But Bindjareb Pinjarra is not a lecture, and I’m sure no one in the audience felt preached to. The actors’ story-telling techniques are playful and immersive, somehow dealing humorously with serious issues in a way that never took away their power. The cast weave in and out of three parallel narratives: two young Aboriginal boys befriend the son of a white colonist; Governor Stirling and his men plan their “military expedition”; and a young Nyoongar man (Isaac Drandic) journeys to modern-day Pinjarra to learn more about his heritage. These stories are unscripted; they have been evolving for 15 years, and are interspersed with anecdotes from the actor’s own lives. (Noteworthy is Phil Thomson’s reading from his childhood encyclopaedia, with its description of “Australian cannibals”.)

Enriched by audience participation, no two shows are the same. In this, Bindjareb Pinjarra is a brilliant tribute to the oral and physical storytelling traditions of our ancestors. We are reminded of how much can be learnt by doing instead of reading. The set is simple, with a magnificent backdrop painted by Nyoongar artist Lance Tjllyungoo Chadd (“in three days, with the help of a few cups of coffee”) and props are minimal, with sticks – straight from the garden – standing in for both spears and rifles, and clapsticks doubling as cigars. The actors themselves also play cars and even a Go-Card machine.

Perhaps the sharp contrast between the laughs and the issues we were laughing about is what gave them their power; near the end of the play, when we mock the official records of the massacre, which list the deaths of Nyoongar people – and we can’t be certain how many there were – as regrettable “accidents”, the cast, armed with rifles, leave the stage to “accidentally” shoot the audience, apologising as they go. In between gunshots, you could have heard a needle drop. http://www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/21398/192/


The idea began in 1991, when Geoff Kelso and Kelton Pell were working together on a Shakespeare play and discussed the so-called Battle of Pinjarra, which Geoff remembered being taught a little about at school. Neither Nyoongar Kelton nor Whitefella Geoff had much knowledge, and they wondered why. Two years later Phil Thomson returned from working in PNG and the three friends brought in Kelton’s uncle Trevor Parfitt, and began to create a play about the event and how it had been covered up.

First we needed to know what occurred in 1834. This required library and Internet research, reading books and old newspapers, listening to oral histories and people’s stories.

Despite the awfulness of the material uncovered, the ensemble decided they wanted to create a comedy… a play that would entertain and bring people together in a positive way.

Early on it was decided to experiment with traditional theatre making techniques. Before they learned about writing from the Europeans, indigenous people were reliant on memory, repetition and invention in rehearsal to make performance. The ensemble chose to use improvisation as their chief creative tool… they worked intensively over a four-week period trying out different ideas for scenes and characters. Scenes that were entertaining and informative were retained and improvised again and again until they were crisp, funny and informative. The best scenes were shared with guest audiences of indigenous students. Finally a storyline was invented that could link all the disparate scenes.

The first season (at the Blue Room Theatre in Perth) was a complete experiment. No other show had been created quite like this, with the indigenous and non-indigenous performers equally empowered to create and with plenty of room for the audience to affect the outcome of scenes. There was no script or director, just four actors together on a stage with a few sticks. On opening night it was clear that an important new play had been created.

The original cast toured all over Australia, in both rural and isolated regions and major cities. Being continually improvised allowed the show to adapt to a huge variety of venues, from entertainment centres to bush camps.

The first version of Bidenjareb Pinjarra was retired after 230 performances when Trevor Parfitt passed on. In 2009 the Pinjarra Nyoongar community asked The Pinjarra Project to resurrect the show for the 175th anniversary of the massacre. For this landmark event a larger ensemble was formed so that several younger (but brilliant) actors could learn the show and keep it alive. New subjects and scenes were added to update the play. The second version was equally successful, and is touring nationally again in 2012.

7. Performance History


8. Historical Information

THE STORY OF THE BINDJAREB NYUNGARS At the time of settlement, the Bilyidar ('river') Bindjareb Nyungars were made up of three family groups with main camps in what are now the Mandurah, Pinjarra and North Dandalup areas. They were part of a broader network of Nyungar people who had lived across the Southwest corner of Western Australia from at least 40,000BC, connected to one another by ceremony, trade and social relationships.

The Bindjareb Nyungars, like their neighbours, were responsible for ritually significant places, rights of access, knowledge and ceremonial duties within their country. They also had sophisticated land management practices such as fire-stick farming methods which, together with other hunting and food gathering techniques, enabled them to maximise their access to a vast range of material resources while ensuring their sustainability.

Visitors to Bindjareb Nyungar boodjar (land) were required to announce their arrival, bring enough daadja (meat), mereny (food) and goods for exchange for their travels, and to observe local obligations and regulations such as being introduced to country by their hosts.

With the river at the heart of their country, the Bindjareb Nyungars were accomplished fishing peoples, using gidgees, nets and mungahs (traps made of stone and wicker), to secure their catches. They hosted an annual gathering of hundreds of people from surrounding areas, centered around the Barragup fish mungah. Ceremony and rituals performed in the lead up to each harvest would ensure a plentiful catch. Other ceremonies also occurred during these gatherings, including the exchange of karla (fire), ‘marriage’ preparation and betrothal observance, initiation ceremonies, education exchange, recreational activities and other public demonstrations of etiquette which cemented social bonds and conferred status and responsibility.

The Bindjareb Nyungars would also trade hunting and ceremonial items such as the strong and straight throwing gidgee-borryl (quartz edged spear). Due to the abundance of fish and the prolonged periods of social interaction, sites in Bindjareb Nyungar country were important centres of communication. Message sticks would invariably travel though Bindjareb Nyungar boodjar on their way to other parts of Nyungar country.

www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/story/


CONFLICT IN THE COLONY

The Swan River settlement was established by Governor James Stirling in 1829, and soon afterwards, some British settlers headed south toward the areas inhabited by the Bindjareb Nyungars. After initially cordial relations, it became evident that the newcomers had no intention of respecting local protocols and obligations, nor of leaving, and conflict between the groups gradually escalated. Clashes and casualties were recorded across the colony, as actions necessary for the economic survival of each group threatened that of the other. The Nyungars resisted the invasion of their lands and the settlers responded with excessive force in order to impress upon the Nyungars their superiority.

Mr Thomas Peel, who had failed in his attempt to establish a settlement at Clarence, moved in 1830 to try his luck in Mandurah and the fertile land to its east. Colonial soldiers broke down fish traps on the Murray and Serpentine Rivers that were at the heart of Bindjareb Nyungar economic and ceremonial life. The Bindjareb Nyungars destroyed settler stock, crops, equipment and buildings with their strategically lit fires, and speared stock or drove them away.

With their well crafted gidgees (spears), solid and able bodied fighters and intimate knowledge of their country, they were a force to be reckoned with, and Peel blamed them for thwarting his intended development of the Murray Region. Detachments of soldiers from the Swan River Settlement were called on repeatedly to help defend the floundering settlement, and were attacked by forces of Bindjareb Nyungar warriors.

In 1833 the annual gathering of two or three hundred Nyungars around Peel’s settlement for the harvesting of fish, although peaceful, set fear amongst the newcomers that the Nyungars could rally forces to overthrow the settlement.

By 1834, things were more than desperate for Peel and his settlement, and there seemed to be but one answer to the problem – military force to break the Nyungar stronghold. At the same time, successful expansion of the colony required securing a line of garrisons between Perth and Albany, which would eventually develop into towns and be connected by road.

The trigger point came when the Nyungars’ flour rations were cut, prompting a Bindjareb Nyungar raid on the South Perth flour mill. Some of the offenders were subsequently captured, publicly flogged and incarcerated as an example to others. The Bindjareb Nyungars then plotted to ambush and spear Peel, stealing one of his prized mares in the hope that he would join them to search for it.

Continued …


Instead a prospective buyer, Barron, and local servant, Nesbit, who had been on friendly terms with the Bindjareb Nyungars, assisted in the search and were speared; Nesbit fatally so, with ritual mutilations to his body.

This prompted a fearful reaction in the colony, and calls for a severe example to be made of the ‘tribe’, lest their successful resistance “tempt other tribes to pursue the same course, and eventually combine together for the extermination of the whites” (Stirling to Stanley of the Colonial Office in Britain, 1 November 1834). Stirling went on to report to his superiors that: “It therefore became of the most urgent necessity that a check should be put on the career, of that particular tribe”.

www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/story-conflict

WITNESS EXCERPTS JAMES STIRLING, JOHN SEPTIMUS ROE, GEORGE WINJAN AND CHARLES NORCOTT

The upper ford being also occupied by Mr Roe, as well as the two banks they were thus completely surrounded and overpowered, the number killed amounted probably to 15 men. - James Stirling, Governor of Western Australia

The firing continued and followed the retreating voices of the natives for upwards of an hour. After the first charge which killed four or five, the natives retreated to the river, In this dilemma they took to hiding themselves among the bushes and dead logs of the river banks, and were picked off by the party on either shore. In this way, between 15 and 20 were shot dead, very few wounded being suffered to escape. The idea of prosecuting the object of our expedition was now at an end, on account of the severe example made of the natives. At 10.05 a.m, we remounted and proceeded towards the mouth of the Murray. - John Septimus Roe, Surveyor General

The remainder were gradually picked out of their concealment by the cross fire from both banks, until between 25 and 30 were left dead on the field and in the river. It is however very probable that more men were killed in the river and floated down with the stream. Notwithstanding the care which was taken not to injure the women during the skirmish, it cannot appear surprising that one and several children were killed. - Unidentified eyewitness

They rush camp, they shoot-em man, shoot-em gins, shoot-em picaninnies and they shoot-em dogs too. - George Winjan, Child survivor of the Pinjarra Massacre

In one spot there being three graves of large dimensions, about twelve feet each in length, supposed to contain the members of separate families, and at a short distance from them were the graves of thirteen men. The party was unable to reach the quarter where the heaviest firing took place, but it was generally believed, that in this spot, also, there were several graves. - Charles Norcott, Mounted Police Corp.

www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/witnesses/


9. About Deckchair Theatre

“Deckchair is back to its best... Absorbing and totally captivating” Fremantle Herald (Checklist for an Armed Robber)

“Deckchair scores. An assured directorial hand at work”

The West Australian (Checklist for an Armed Robber)

“A theatrical feat that is wry, satirical and heartbreakingly moving” The Fremantle Herald (Grace)

“Visually exciting and intellectually stimulating” Sunday Times (Grace)

“An exposé that celebrates Australian-branded courage and salt of the earth comic sensibility” artshub (The Danger Age)

“Brilliant. Talented. Outstanding.” The Subiaco Post (The Lonely Hearts Club)

“it’s a powerful and thought-provoking night of theatre that should not be missed.” Australian Stage Online (The Modern International Dead)

Deckchair Theatre is a nationally recognised powerhouse of contemporary Australian Theatre, based in the heart of Fremantle, Western Australia. Deckchair Theatre supports new Australian talent and is key in developing contemporary Australian theatre. Deckchair Theatre produces award-winning shows that celebrate iconic Australian stories, highlight our cultural diversity and proudly display our social consciousness. The company has premiered over eighty new Australian plays, taken audiences on journeys to bold new territory and continuously pioneered the work of new playwrights. Deckchair Theatre aims to foster a love of theatre and a love of the arts for a diverse audience both at home and nationally. Deckchair Theatre has been supporting the Australian theatre industry for over 28 years. Most recently Deckchair Theatre has received Best Director and Best Production awards for The Modern International Dead 2011. Other recent productions include: Taking Liberty, Lorelei, Kate Mulvany’s The Danger Age, the stage adaptation of Robert Drewe’s Grace by Humphrey Bower (Perth International Arts Festival 2010), Checklist for an Armed Robber and The Lonely Hearts Club.


10. Post-show discussion questions

THE PLAY: THE STORY AND THE THEMES

• What were the central themes of this play? Discuss how these themes were explored and examined in the play?

• What devices did the performers use to explore racism?

• How does comedy work in this production?

• How is the theme of prejudice explored through the play? What examples of prejudice can you remember?

• Massacres occurred all over Australia. Research what tragic events occurred in your areas. Consider creating a play (or book or newspaper) about what you discover.

• When Bindjareb Pinjarra was being created many people advised the actors not to do it. They thought that the bad times should be forgotten so that black and white could start to get on well with each other. The actors thought that the truth needed to be acknowledged if we are ever to become a mature country and see the races mix well. Discuss these two opposing ideas.

• Traditionally, theatre is created by a writer (playwright) constructing a script that is then interpreted by a director and the actors. With Bindjareb Pinjarra there was no writer or director. The actors improvised the scenes by “acting out” ideas and inventing characters. Some scenes, such as the Centrelink Office scene, have been left as pure improvisation that changes in every performance. Why do you think this is?

• Discuss improvisation. What is it? What skills are required?

• Come up with an idea for a scene with three or more characters. Play it out. Discuss things that would make it better. Improvise it again. Do this four or five times. Does it lead to a good scene?


THE PRODUCTION: ACTING, DIRECTION, MUSIC AND DESIGN

• Did you enjoy the production? What did you enjoy most about the production and what did you enjoy least? Explain why.

• Was there anything you didn’t understand about the production? Was there anything that was unclear or confusing?

• Comment on the performances in the play from the actors. Whose performances did you feel were strongest and why?

• How did you feel improvisation added to the performance? What did you feel improvisation detracted from the performance?

• Where is Pinjarra?

• What does Bindjareb Pinjarra mean?

• What towns in your area have Aboriginal place names?

• Consider the contemporary thread (Roland Mission) and the reasons for having it in a period piece?

• What relevance does this story have now in 2012?

• What is the function of the central character Roland Mission?

• Discuss the use and conventions of the costumes and props.

• The artwork of the backdrop (by Tjyllyungoo Lance Chad) depicts the river at Pinjarra where the massacre occurred. Discuss the effectiveness of this artwork… did it help the play?

• The performers often address the audience directly. This is called “breaking the fourth wall. Discuss how it helped or hindered the communication of the play’s ideas.

• This new production sees the passing down of this story to the next generation of storytellers (Sam and Isaac). Discuss the importance of this for a non-scripted play. How is this similar/different to the way stories and dances were traditionally handed down?


11. Further reading & online resources

For more information on the Pinjarra Massacre:

o Visit www.pinjarramassacresite.com. o Access an interactive map of the planned attack:

http://www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/story-attack/#map o Get more information on landholders in the Peel region:

www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/story-landholders/ o For great excursion ideas visit: http://www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/tour/ o Visit the online memorial at:

http://www.pinjarramassacresite.com/content/memorial/

Reviews

o Time Off- http://www.timeoff.com.au/html/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6177:bindjareb-pinjarra&catid=20:features&Itemid=60

o The West - http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/entertainment/a/-/arts/6974931/theatre-review-bindjareb-pinjarra/ Rave Magazine - www.ravemagazine.com.au/content/view/21398/

Educational Resources

o Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinjarra_massacre. o Broken Spears: Aborigines and Europeans in the southwest of Australia. By Neville

Green, published by Focus Education Services, 1984. o Encounters in Place - Chapter 24: “Battles in the Bush: Pinjarra and Battle Mountain”,

by D.J.Mulvaney, published by University of Queensland Press, 1989. o Macquarie Aboriginal Words – Part 4: Nyungar (language), published by The

Macquarie Library, 1994.

Pinjarra Ed Pack 2011 -...

Documents

Transcript of Pinjarra Ed Pack 2011 -...