When asked about the decision to remount the production, Enoch replied, “The original production was back in 2004-2005, and straight away, we tried to get it up and tour it. So we've been waiting for five years to try to get this show up. It's been very tricky because you need to get all the money in place, you got to get the right cast in place; it’s taken that long. It's not that we only just have decided that right now is the right time to remount it, it's [that] we've been trying to for five years to get it up there.”

Wesley Enoch chose a stellar cast for this year’s production, featuring Christine Anu and Casey Donovan that are simply not to be missed.  “This cast is quite extraordinary. They're beautiful singers, they're very talented singers, and so all the music has really stepped up to another level, which is fantastic to see... It's a very feel-good show, but still, some people are a bit hesitant because of its Aboriginal content. It's interesting that even in this day and age, there are those little areas when you wonder if we've stepped on as much as we think we have.”

“In theatre terms, for me it's a Trojan horse. You hear the music, you see the dance, you see the costumes; you have a good time. Like all good theatre, it challenges you even though you don't know you're being challenged. It gives you information even though you don't know it and for me, it's not sugar coating a pill, it's actually saying 'this is how we live our lives'. We actually, as Aboriginal people, are celebrating our lives all the time. It's not always about knocking people over the head with a big stick! So for me, a piece like this is what all good theatre should be: a mix of very serious issues that need to be discussed, a real celebration of life and an insight into the human condition.”

Tony Briggs based his script on the true story of his mother's and aunts' lives in show business. So, why is a production like The Sapphires is significantly important to indigenous culture and art? “It's interesting that Aboriginal theatre in particular comes from this history of this kind of autobiographical or biographical work and Perth is the home of it in some aspects. It's a very strong tradition,” says Enoch.

“If you think about it, when the Aboriginal cultures are primarily oral in passing down through storytelling, the theatre is a natural extension of that. It seems natural that theatre is the place that our storytelling has been given credence. It's hard to read about these stories in a book, newspaper or magazine or on films [so] these kind of theatre pieces are one of the very few places that Aboriginal people can 'fill up', if you like, on stories of themselves. Given that Aboriginal people are now only about half a million in the country, very few Australians understand or know in a first hand way, some of these stories. So it's a great educational tool as well to give you an insight as to what it was like to be an Aboriginal person (in this case) in that particular time.”

Enoch plans on working on another piece after The Sapphires called 'Women of the Sun', based on a 1981 TV series of the same name. “We're looking at 6 different generations of aboriginal women from first contact through to present day and some of the issues that they had to deal with and the cultural continuity of that. It's not a piece like The Sapphires but it's again a sense of understanding a little bit more about aboriginal women and culture.” We look forward to the final production.

His final advice to aspiring young performers or directors is “to say yes to everything” and “if you need advice or support, than you’re not going to get it. It’s very difficult to train a director, they just kind of happen.”
 

Tash Shirazee
January 22, 2010