Ngadjung
Written and Directed by Dylan Van Den Berg, Produced by Belco Arts
7pm Thursday 18 August 2022 (Preview)
7pm Friday 19 August 2022 (Opening night)
7pm Saturday 20 August 2022
7pm Thursday 25 August 2022
7pm Friday 26 August 2022 (with free Q&A)
7pm Saturday 27 August 2022
The Theatre, Belconnen Arts Centre
Adult: $45
Concession: $35
Preview: $30
Groups 10+: $30
Running time: 70 minutes, no interval
Even a flame needs a drop of water – no strength in burnin’ if there’s no risk of bein’ snuffed out.
In a time when the sun burns through skin and water only comes in bottles, Ngadjung is an environmental drama set in a scarily imaginable future, right here on Ngunnawal Country.
A giant company sells synthetic liquid to quench the thirst of those who’ve survived, and natural water reserves have all but dried up. Two women – an unlikely pairing – unpack the past and spar over the future. Cass is from the city; she’s young, smart and reckons she can fix it all. Flick is from the river that no longer exists; she’s older, fiercer and history runs through her veins. Without water, how can we live? And most importantly, how will we remember?
Commissioned by Belco Arts and written by celebrated local playwright Dylan Van Den Berg, Ngadjung marks Dylan’s first foray into directing with support from Melbourne-based Ilbijerri Theatre Company Artistic Director Rachael Maza. Featuring a stellar team of both First Nations and Ngunnawal residents, Ngadjung is a visionary new work that is not to be missed.
Cultural Consultant | Aunty Caroline Hughes
Writer and Director | Dylan Van Den Berg
Director Consultant | Rachael Maza
Sound Design | Peter Bailey
Lighting Design | Linda Buck
Set and Costume Design | Imogen Keen
Stage Manager | Anni Doyle Wawrzynczak
Dramaturg | Peter Matheson
Cast | Lisa Maza and Kylah Day
Produced by Belco Arts
Meet the Ngadjung Team
Dr Caroline Hughes
Cultural Consultant
Dr Caroline Hughes is a proud Ngunnawal woman and the Executive Director, Collections Services Group at AIATSIS. She is the former Director of CIT Yurauna Centre of Educational Excellence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. And she has made significant contributions to the field of education throughout her career, which spans over 30 years. Aunty Caroline has led the design and delivery of cultural programs that have strengthened the cultural capability of individuals and teams across organisations – within government and private sectors. She has been working with Dylan and the Belco Arts team as Cultural advisor since the conception of Ngadjung in 2019.
Dylan Van Den Berg
Writer and Director
Dylan Van Den Berg is a Palawa writer/director originally from the northeast of Tasmania. His plays include Milk (The Street Theatre), Whitefella Yella Tree (Griffin Theatre), Struthers (NIDA) and Way Back When (Darlinghurst Theatre Company). For his writing, Dylan has received the Victorian Premier’s Award for Drama, the NSW Premier’s Award for Playwriting, the Griffin Award and a Canberra Critics’ Circle Award. He studied drama at the ANU and is currently a resident artist with the Sydney Theatre Company.
Rachael Maza
Director Consultant
Rachael Maza is Yidinji from North Queensland, Meriam from the Torres Strait Island of Mer, and Dutch on her mother’s side. Rachael is Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company (2008 – present) and brings with her a wealth of acting, directing and dramaturgical experience, a significant profile, and a passionate vision for Indigenous theatre.
Rachael is widely known for her wealth of acting, directing, and dramaturgical experience across the Australian film, television and theatre industry. Most notably, the AFI (Australian Film Institute) award-winning Radiance and the stage production of The Sapphires.
Lisa Maza
Cast
Lisa Maza (Meriam/Yidinji/Dutch) works in Theatre and The Arts in a range of roles. Stage performances include: A LETTER FOR MOLLY (Ensemble), BLACK TIES (ILBIJERRI/Te Rehia) FROM DARKNESS (LaBoite), THE SEASON (Tasmania Performs), THE RABBITS (Opera Australia/BarkingGecko), THE SAPPHIRES (CompanyB), SISTERS OF GELAM (ILBIJERRI), GRONKS (STC/Zeal), STOLEN (ILBIJERRI/Playbox), YANAGAI YANAGAI!!! (MWT), ENUFF (ILBIJERRI/Playbox), CORRUGATION ROAD (Black Swan), RADIANCE (QTC/Kooemba Jdarra). In 2018 Lisa received Best Supporting Performance (Female) for THE SEASON at Tasmania Theatre Awards.
Kylah Day
Cast
Kylah Day (Noongar / Hungarian / Montenegrin) is a singer, dancer, screen actor and model currently based in Victoria. Expanding her career as a young dancer and model, Kylah took on the role of ‘Lucy’ in the Australian comedy/drama series “Itch” in 2018 and has recently completed filming of the second season.
Kylah has studied under various Australian directors including Nicholas Verso, Ana Kokkinos, and Rob Meldrum. Ngadjung marks Kylah’s theatrical debut! How exciting is THAT!?
This project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia. Supported by the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund – an Australian Government initiative.