The Black Woman of Gippsland (MTC) at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner - 80 minutes without interval

The past and the present collide in a story that involves reframing a tainted history.

We are in Gippsland in the 1840s and a white woman is discovered near death, washed up on a beach.

Just what happened to her remains the stuff of myths, but she is said to have been rescued by and lived among the Gunaikurnai people.

Photos by Pia Johnson

Now, the history of the time is re-examined by a 26-year-old black woman.

She lives in a caravan at the back of her aunt’s place and is preparing her thesis.

Much to the chagrin of her supervisor, rather than relying upon academic texts, she embraces the oral tradition of her mob.

What she unearths, off the back of her own mother’s death in custody, is oppression and tragedy, First Nations people treated shamefully.

The Black Woman of Gippsland has been written and directed by Yorta Yorta/Gunaikurnai playwright Andrea James.

She was responsible for the 2022 MTC production Sunshine Super Girl, which was celebratory in nature – the story of tennis great Evonne Goolagong Cawley.

This, based upon real events and set on Andrea’s grandmother’s country, is dramatic.

It is a potent tale of cover up, both poignant and heart wrenching.

The Black Woman of Gippsland is well realised by an accomplished cast, involving not only storytelling, but music and dance.

Chenoa Deemal injects persistence, determination and grit into the student, named Jacinta.

Ursula Yovich is no-nonsense in her representation of Jacinta’s aunt Rochelle, whose sister was Jacinta’s mother.

Rochelle confronts the local police sergeant (played by Ian Bliss), five days after Jacinta disappears, desperately to track her down. The sergeant is dismissive.

Zach Blampied provides needed light relief as Rochelle’s cheeky Year 10 son Kyle, an accomplished basketballer, who doesn’t like school.

Choreographer Brent Watkins (Andrea James’ cousin) and Phillip Egan (a last-minute addition to the cast) add gravitas with their painted bodies and authentic dance moves.

Set, costume, sound, lighting and video design elevate the experience of truth-telling that is the backbone of The Black Woman of Gippsland.

Romanie Harper’s set design is multi-layered.

Stage left is the inside of Jacinta’s caravan. Central is a room at a motel where Jacinta is holed up formulating a picture of what went down in the 1840s. Stage right is Jacinta’s supervisor’s room, which doubles as the police station that her aunt Rochelle attends.

Also noteworthy is when a painting is “brought to life” and video projections that appear above the stage that help to build a damning portrait.

The Black Woman of Gippsland is a compelling real-life story, rich with meaning that reaches deep into Victoria’s dark past.

It is playing at Southbank Theatre, The Sumner until 31st May, 2025.