Author's note
Excerpts from the Author's note
Jane Harrison. Photography by Dominic Grounds (2023). Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
"Stolen had its genesis with Ilbijerri Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Theatre Co-operative. Ilbijerri had previously produced John Harding's Up the Road and was casting about for ideas for their second production. The Stolen Generations was an issue of great magnitude within the community, and that became the chosen theme. Ilbijerri placed an ad in a newspaper seeking a 'writer/researcher' and I responded. Never for a minute did I have an inkling of the impact it would have. On me. On Ilbijerri. On the eventual play's audiences.
...My desire in applying for the position was to learn how to write a play–I had a writing backround but no experience in theatre. But more motivating was the desire to connect more with my own Indigenous heritage. I had grown up knowing my mother was Aboriginal, that I was, but without many of the links to extended family and community. Writing the play was a big step in my (continuing) journey home, a way of connecting with the Koori community and of further understanding my own 'longing to belong'."
(p. xiii, Harrison, excerpts from Author's Note in the play Stolen 2007)
Activity 1 – introducing the play
Syllabus outcomes
A student:
H3.1 critically applies understanding of the cultural, historical and political contexts that have influenced specific drama and theatre practitioners, styles and movements
H3.4 appreciates and values drama and theatre as significant cultural expressions of issues and concerns in Australian and other societies.
Drama Stage 6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009, p 22.
Learning intention
By the end of this activity, you will be able to analyse the introductory materials of the play to engage in critical thinking to develop an understanding of relevant artistic, cultural, social, political, and personal issues.
Instructions
Read the 'Author's note' at the beginning of the play.
Extension – you may wish to read any other introductory material in your edition. For example, some editions have an interview with the first director of the play, Wesley Enoch.
As a class, or in small groups, share what you learn about how the play was written and Jane Harrison's personal and artistic journey.
Talk about the cover and what it suggests to you visually about the story of the play.
Reflecting on the introductory reading and cover, make a list (3 items per type of issue) about key artistic, cultural, social, political and/or personal issues that might arise in the play. You may wish to use this list as the basis for study notes for this unit.
References
Drama Stage 6 Syllabus © NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) for and on behalf of the Crown in right of the State of New South Wales, 2009.
Grounds, D. 2023. Jane Harrison [photograph]. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 17 August 23.
Harrison, J. 2007. Stolen [play script]. Currency Press.