Many productions that examine colonisation share stories that highlight its impact on a systemic level: the institutionalised violence, the collective suffering of mobs and the disintegration of culture. Declan Greene and Amy Sole’s Whitefella Yella Tree break from this to explore the consequences of colonisation in the microcosm of romance. This unique exploration of adolescents at the precipice of adulthood delves into the disruption and havoc colonisation had in their day-to-day lives.
By focusing on the personal narratives during colonisation, the production artfully cultivates compassion through relatability. Indigenous people are shown not as a monolithic group defined solely by hurt, but as varied individuals falling in love, growing up and living with the ordinary complexities of life. But these complexities become more fraught under the pervasive presence of colonialists.
What’s the premise of Whitefella Yella Tree?
This two-hander production begins with the meeting of Ty (Joseph Althouse) of the River Mob with Neddy (Danny Howard) of the Mountain Mob. As cheeky and rowdy as any young adolescent boys would be, both young men meet every moon to exchange information about the strange white people who now live on their land. But it’s not just information being exchanged; it’s shy glances, cheeky jokes and young love all while the greatest existential threat unfolds before them. Ty and Neddy, while in training as a storyteller and a warrior for the mob respectively, are forced to confront the rapidly changing world around them. The performance examines how love grows and survives at a time riddled with disease, genocide and newfound ideologies.
Who are the cast and crew of Whitefella Yella Tree?
The small cast of Joseph Althouse and Danny Howard does not take away from the strength and ferocity of this performance. While there is a slight dissonance in the decision to cast older performers than the characters called for, both actors showcase a strong emotional range, which provides a gripping performance that never falters.
Why is Whitefella Yella Tree a four-star production?
The production begins with a slow pace, which, in this short ninety-minute performance, makes the slowness feel more pronounced. This slowness, in conjunction with age dissonance between character and cast, creates a slight restlessness in the earlier scenes of the performance. However, the production more than compensates for this at its climax. Althouse and Howard beautifully explore the sudden loss and hurt of both colonisation and their own decisions like a rug which is being pulled from under them – slow and a little jarring – and then swiftly leaving the characters and audience alike destabilised in its wake. Kelsey Lee and Katie Sfetkidis’ lighting design was the secondary characters in this performance. While the use of coloured lighting heightened the emotional beats of the performance, it was Lee and Sfetkidis’ use of intense snap fades and spotlighting that amplified tension and commanded the storyline.
Highlight of Whitefella Yella Tree
The highlight of the performance was the use of light and darkness through Lee and Sfetkidis’s snap fades to explore violence. Greene and Sole do not hide away from Australia’s dark history, but they also ensure the plot does not revolve around it. In doing so, the story maintains the more personalised narratives but still provides an emotional electrocution that reminds us of the chaos that ensued after colonisation.
The searing light that floods the stage momentarily accompanied by the cries of fear performed by Howard, becomes a metatheatrical commentary. We may try to look away, but the inheritors of this land will force us to confront our own history.
Who will like Whitefella Yella Tree?
This is a moving performance that captures the small and the everyday to pull at the heartstrings. Anyone looking for a poignant, slow-burning production would be remiss not to catch this reflective production at the Sydney Theatre Company.
Whitefella Yella Tree was developed as part of Griffin Studio, an initiative of Griffin Theatre Company. It's showing now at Sydney Theatre Company. Get your tickets here.
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