Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Supporting The Performance Of Noongar Language In Hecate, Clint Bracknell, Kylie Bracknell, Susan F. Studham, Luzita Fereday

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

As the first adaptation of a complete Shakespearean work presented entirely in one Aboriginal language of Australia, Hecate is a landmark production in Australian theatre. The Noongar language of the southwest of Western Australia is a critically endangered language impacted by colonisation since the early 1800s and suppressed until the 1970s. Working with an all-Noongar cast learning what is by birthright their mother-tongue, the Noongar language, on a full Shakespearean work presents a range of challenges. Consideration of effective rehearsal strategies to support brave spaces for the cast to flourish holistically, both as language learners and performers, was imperative. As …