Overview
Visitors leave. Right?
On a sweltering day in January 1788, seven clan leaders gather on a sandstone escarpment overlooking the harbour. The attendees, six of them Elders and one new initiate, catch-up, laugh together, share a meal and compare notes. But beyond the friendly banter, protocols, and hospitality, a momentous decision is waiting to be made.
A mysterious fleet of giant nawi is amassing in the harbour and as they creep closer, these seven representatives must choose unanimously: whether to send these strangers on their way or welcome them?
Having recently been awarded Best Mainstage Production and Best Ensemble at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards, The Visitors by Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison, and directed by one of Australia’s most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch, comes to QPAC for a strictly limited season.
Co-produced by Moogahlin Performing Arts and Sydney Theatre Company, The Visitors is at once a riveting, deeply researched insight into one of the most impactful and painful days in Australia’s history, and a hugely entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.
The Visitors is part of Clancestry. Find out more here.
Gallery
Cast
- John Blair: Nucoorilma, Gamilaroi
- Zoe Walters: Anmatyerre
- Sean Dow: Gunggandji, Birigubba
- James Slee: Kuku Yalanji, Goa
- Stephen Geronimos: Gamilaroi
- Beau Dean Riley Smith: Wiradjuri, Gamilaraay
- Najwa Adams: Birri Gubba
Creatives
- Playwright Jane Harrison
- Director Wesley Enoch
- Set and Costume Designer Elizabeth Gadsby
- Lighting Designer Karen Norris
- Composer and Sound Designer Brendon Boney
- Associate Director 2023 Liza-Mare Syron
- Cultural Liaison Aunty Yvonne Simms
- Dharug/Dharawal Linguist Corina Norman
- Dharug Linguist/Coach Jordan Ryan-Hennessey
- Associate Designer Shana O’Brien