The Secret River

Unit 1 Theatre Studies excursion - 'THE SECRET RIVER'

Earlier last week, my fellow year 11 Theatre Studies students and I were given the privilege of going to the Arts Centre to watch the Sydney Theatre Company’s performance of ‘The Secret River.’ Although we went to see the play for the purpose of analysing it, we all gained far more from seeing it, than just the academic benefits. The play was about the initial settling of the Britons on Indigenous land in Australia. It was an incredibly powerful and emotional performance that gave us a deep insight into Aboriginal culture and the history of our land. The performance was very balanced in my opinion, as it showed that both groups started with good intentions. One of my favourite parts of the show was seeing the young British boy playing with the two Aboriginal boys. They threw water and mud across the stage and were sliding on their bellies through it (It was a very messy performance!). I found this scene moving because it showed how humanity is a shared experience and how all cultures are able to get along.

After the show there was a forum, where the director, playwright, actors and musician of the play spoke about their experiences and helped us to understand the play better. We discovered that the show had so much more symbolism and meaning in it than we’d been able to discover ourselves. For example, the white curtain backdrop of the set could symbolise “pulling back the curtain” on the truth about our Australian history.

Unfortunately, The Secret River has just left Melbourne, but I’m so grateful to have seen it, as I feel it was an important experience that showed us the heart of our country.