Co-produced by Sydney Theatre Company and Moogahlin Performing Arts, as part of Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary program, The Visitors by Jane Harrison, will be presented in the Drama Studio – Sydney Opera House, this September.
On a sweltering day in January 1788, seven clan leaders gather on a sandstone escarpment overlooking the harbour. The attendees, six of them Elders and one new initiate, catch up, laugh together, share a meal and compare notes. But beyond the friendly banter, protocols, and hospitality, a momentous decision is waiting to be made.
A mysterious fleet of giant nawi is amassing in the harbour and as they creep closer, these seven representatives must choose unanimously: whether to send these strangers on their way or welcome them?
After its Sydney Theatre Award-winning premiere at the 2020 Sydney Festival, Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison’s The Visitors will be reworked for this brand-new production directed by one of Australia’s most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch.
An incredible cast featuring Pertame and Tiwi actor Joseph Wunujaka Althouse; Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal actor Luke Carroll; Yunkunytjatjara, Warrigmal and South Sea Islander actor Elaine Crombie; Noongar and Budmiya actor Kyle Morrison, Wiradjuri and Gamilaraay actor Beau Dean Riley Smith; Biripi actor Guy Simon, and Gumbaynggirr and Wiradjuri actor Dalara Williams, will bring to life this hugely entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.
The Visitors is at once a riveting, deeply researched insight into one of the most impactful and painful days in Australia’s history, and a hugely entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.
Director: Wesley Enoch | Featuring: Joseph Wunujaka Althouse, Luke Carroll, Elaine Crombie, Kyle Morrison, Guy Simon, Beau Dean Riley Smith, Dalara Williams | Designer: Elizabeth Gadsby | Lighting Designer: Karen Norris | Composer & Sound Designer: Brendon Boney | Associate Director: Liza-Mare Syron | Cultural Liaison: Aunty Yvonne Simms | Associate Designer: Shana O’Brien | Associate Sound Designer: Amy Flannery | Senior Dharug & Dharawal Language Teacher: Corina Norman | Dharug & Dharawal Language Teacher: Jordan Ryan-Hennessey | Fight Director: Nigel Poulton
The Visitors
Drama Theatre – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney
Season: 16 September – 14 October 2023 (previews: 11 – 14 September)
Bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com
For more information, visit: www.sydneytheatre.com.au or www.moogahlin.org for details.
Image: Beau Dean Riley Smith and Dalara Williams – photo by Rob Hookey