Ngapartji Ngapartji: Telling Aboriginal Australian Stories

Abstract

Race relations in Australia, particularly between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, are a complex, contested and disturbing field. What is or is not described as Indigenous theatre continues to be contested. Questions are raised in terms of the level of Indigenous control of creative processes, theatrical form, the context of production and the inclusion of tangible markers of Indigenous cultures. Definitions of Indigenous theatre range from the inclusion of any text with Indigenous characters, regardless of the cultural heritage of the primary creators, to only theatre produced exclusively by Indigenous theatre practitioners. Then there are questions raised within these scenarios about the cultural purity of the choice of form. In this chapter, Indigenous theatre is understood as theatre work where Indigenous practitioners are primary creators with creative control over the processes and shape of the production whether wholly or partly. The focus is on the framing and reception of documentary theatre created in collaboration with Indigenous Australians.