Yirra Yaarnz is a weekend of play readings from emerging Western Australian Aboriginal playwrights responding to the 2019 National NAIDOC theme: Voice. Treaty. Truth. Facilitated by award-winning playwrights Hellie Turner, Polly Low and Geoff Kelso through Yirra Yaakin’s Writers Group, an intensive play-writing program that guides emerging Aboriginal writers to turn ideas into scripts, this presentation showcases the importance of storytelling & play-writing as it relates to Aboriginal culture.
Dates: Friday 12 July & Saturday 13 July 2019
Time: 3.00pm – 5.00pm
Venue: The Blue Room Theatre | 53 James Street, Northbridge
Price: Free
RSVP for Yirra Yaarnz is via The Blue Room Theatre. Click HERE to RSVP.
Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, The Blue Room Theatre and Playwriting Australia are combining dedicated resources to nurture new and emerging Aboriginal playwrights.
Yirra Yaarnz is one of several events that Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company is holding for NAIDOC Week 2019.
View our full list of NAIDOC Week EventsTeam
Facilitator: Geoff Kelso
Facilitator & Dramaturg: Hellie Turner
Coordinator: Irma Woods
Facilitator & Dramaturg: Polly Low
Writers: TBC
About the Writers Group Facilitators
Geoff Kelso has 40+ years of experience as an actor, comedian and writer working in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth in theatre, radio, TV and film. Geoff is a co-creator (‘writer’) & performer of Bindjareb Pinjarra, a play about the Pinjarra massacre, which was first performed at The Blue Room Theatre in 1994 and currently still tours around Australia. Geoff graduated from NIDA in 1975, and in 2010 graduated from the WA Screen Academy with a Bachelor of Communications in Film & TV Writing & Directing.
Hellie Turner is a prolific WA playwright with numerous awards and production credits to her name. She has written for all sectors of the theatre. She was resident playwright for ‘kompany M’, professional WA theatre ensemble 2005-2010. Hellie has won the WA Premier’s Book Awards twice (2002/2006) and had her work show-cased in both London and New York in recent years. Her most recently produced shows are ANYTOWN 2011, MAD FRED 2013, MEOW! 2015 & 2016. Her documentary theatre piece PROJECT XAN was produced at PICA in 2016. Her new play ‘The Lighthouse Girl’ will be performed in May as part of Black Swan State Theatre Company’s 2017 program.
Polly Low began work as an actor in the theatre industry over 35 years ago. She now also works as a dramaturg, literary advisor, director, lecturer and writer. She is currently the Literary Director at Black Swan State Theatre Company, where she works one-on-one with commissioned writers developing their plays and also reads and assesses scripts from around the world. Polly first worked with Yirra Yaakin as a workshop leader back in the 1990s. She has also worked as a dramaturg for Yirra Yaakin.
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