The subject of Dylan Van Den Berg’s WHITEFELLA YELLA TREE is the distressing impact of colonisation on indigenous life and culture.

Van Den Berg’s play is set in the early 19th century as British settlements increasingly encroached on Aboriginal lands. The play is a two-hander with the indigenous characters being Ty from the River Mob and Neddy is from the Mountain Mob. For ease of staging they are both dressed in  modern attire.

They meet under a lemon tree and a romance ensues. Their closeness is disturbed when Neddy’s sister is taken away  from the family by the white settlers.

Neddy is determined to get his sister back and disappears for a while. Each time he is away Ty’s anxiety increases. His anxiety is emphasised by a thunderous wall of sound (composer Steve Toulmin)  and some striking lighting design (Kelsey Lee).

The bond between the couple manages to stay in tact as they manage to avert the gaze of the white oppressors who disapprove.

Declan Greene’s and Amy Sole’s production is a good one. The performances by the two actors, Callan Powell as Ty and Guy Simon as Neddy, are excellent. There is plenty of playfulness/light humour in some of their interactions.

Mason Browne’s  set features the ‘skeleton’ of a lemon tree in the centre of the stage. Against the back wall is the outline of the surrounding hills and countryside.

Dylan Van Den Berg’s WHITEFELLA YELLA TREE is playing the SBW Stables Theatre, 10 Nimrod Street, Darlinghurst until 23rd September 2022. Performances  are Mondays to Saturdays at 7pm; Saturdays at 1pm.

https://griffintheatre.com.au/whats-on/whitefella-yella-tree/

Featured image Guy Simon as Neddy in Dylan Van Den Berg’s Whitefella Yellow Tree at the SBW Stables Theatre. Production photography by Brett Boardman