Hecate

Presented by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company in association with Bell Shakespeare.
A Perth Festival commission.

In a world where the Noongar language is spoken by all, a yarn about a Scottish king is retold.

Join us for Australia’s first large-scale Shakespeare production entirely in Noongar.

Hecate, queen of the witches, is usually omitted from productions of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Most directors are unsure of what to do with her. Here, she is at the heart of everything watching as Macbeth strives toward power at any cost, all the while knowing that order must be restored; that Country always trumps human ambition and greed.

In 1833 colonist Robert Menli Lyon wrote in reference to Noongar people that ‘the whole of each tribe are bards’. This world premiere event puts those words to the test. Having spent years studying and reclaiming their endangered Noongar language, a star ensemble use this audacious adaptation as a springboard to showcase its poetic and expressive qualities.

Before and after seeing Hecate you are invited to Hecate Kambarnap, a unique gathering space to celebrate Noongar people and the maintenance and care of the Noongar language as it pulses through the bedrock of our Country. Noongar language is rarely spoken fluently, and language revival is vital to healing and strengthening our community.

Hecate Kambarnap offers a cleansing smoking for those who wish to gather and honour the ancient Noongar sounds, stories and speakers. Celebrate mother nature and female strength, the inspirations behind Hecate, and be welcomed into an area of support and caring.

Kwop Noongar maia waangkiny nitja. Kaarl-booyi nyinalangainy. Celebrate Noongar language thriving on Noongar Boodjar.