Recently I had the pleasure of documenting Jan's show Buckley as performed at a primary school in Melbourne's west. Its rare for us storytellers to have the opportunity catch each other in action in schools. Thanks Jan for inviting me along and sharing a little of your work.
Why
tell the story of William Buckley?
Because
it works on many levels. It's classic heroes journey, with perfect three
part structure, as in Joseph Campbell's exposition of that story
structure.
However
all previous tellings of Buckley stopped at the end of act two/beginning of act
three, where Buckley, after 32 years with Wathaurong Aborigines, walks into the
camp of the settlers/land grabbers who've come to take Port Phillip. Can
Buckley use his knowledge to unify black and white? That's the task of the
third act, and maybe no previous artists went there because most people are
principally besotted with the 'white man goes black' part of the story.
Also,
Buckley is trashed by the whites, especially Melbourne's founder, John Fawkner,
so this third act is the hard part of the story, because this is where we, us
here today, come into it. And as we all know, Australians are not easy about
examining our relationship with black Australia. Not that it's black and white,
as there were also blacks in on the killing.
So
it's an important historical story, and untold, and although Buckley's time in
Port Phillip ends in failure, the point is that by honouring him we complete his
journey for him; if he can succeed, through his story, in moving us today to a
better relationship with this land and it's original people, then we give
Buckley's life meaning.
How
long have you been working on the story of Buckley? Have you collaborated
with a writer, director and designer? Do you offer this show for adults?
Since
2003. It was initially commissioned for an exhibition of Buckley art, and after
a lot of reading and walking the country I wrote it in two furious days, then
read it at the exhibition opening that night. After that I went back to the
drawing board many times.
First
I worked with theatre director Paul Hampton, an old friend who'd directed Max
Gillies and lots more from the Pram Factory days. Paul was really working as a
dramaturg at the start, with me on my feet trying and re-writing the show. We
did a few shows, kept re-writing, and got it into shape. But it was just me on
stage, telling the story, with very few props. Then when I decided to offer it
to schools I felt it needed visuals, and it came to me all at once - the
printed shirts representing Batman's six shirts that were included in the land
deal (a trinket treaty, as they are called); the washing line for
'civilisation', the poles representing the Wathauring creation story, and
everything coming out of the ship's trunk.
So
I made that for the school show and it worked so well I took it into the adult
version, which is longer, deals more deeply
with matters of violence, murder and sexuality. But it's still a simple set up,
which I like. Nothing as boring as not being able to play places because the
set it too elaborate. So it grew from a bare story into a piece of storytelling
theatre.
What
is it that drives you to create storytelling shows?
God
knows! That my grandmother and auntie used to sit me down and pump the family
story into me when I was barely ten? That they taught me that their most
important possession was their story - they were refugees arriving in Australia
with only a suitcase. That I can string words together, and when on stage it's
a total experience, absolutely galvanising, which is great for the whole being.
But you have to be firing on all cylinders/chakras for it to be zinging along,
so it's a great mind/body/soul/physical check up, because I often don't know
how I'm travelling exactly, until I get on stage and start. Because I believe
that stories are the basis of nearly all art, and the best way to carry
information. And of course, the ego, because any performer who tells you that
the ego is not a part of being up there, well...they're fooling
themselves.
But
as for storytelling shows, I just love shows, and was turned on to story shows
in about 1979 when I saw the great director, Peter Brook's production
'Conference of the Birds'.
Favourite
story? why?
No
such thing as a favourite story for me. I'm a story addict, I'd say, with media
and reading going all the time, or yarning with people. Currently I'm reading
Xavier Herbert's 'Poor Fellow My Country'. Now there's a story!
Favourite
storyteller? (anywhere in the world)
Brian
Hungerford, from Canberra. I've put him on in my home town of Castlemaine, and
he did the first half with medieval and Innuit tales - deep, hilarious and
sexy. At interval a woman who was pregnant left. She said it was too much, she
was full, she couldn't take any more. And that happened twice. I've seen the
occasional overseas storyteller in Australia, and truly, I've seen no one who's
as enthralling, wise, funny or who packs such a psychological punch. You don't
see Brian around much because he's not out to make a name for himself, which
may be why he's so good. But he's hitting eighty, been at it in many forms -
radio, TV, stage, writing - all his life, and is a real treasure.
NB In the final photo Jan is holding a copy of the The Yallukit-Willam: the First People of Hobsons Bay. You can download the link or contact Hobsons Bay Council for a hard copy.
Jackie K
