The Visitors at Arts Centre Melbourne

THE VISITORS

By Jane Harrison
Directed by Wesley Enoch

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?

After its Sydney Theatre Award-winning premiere production at the 2020 Sydney Festival, Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison’s The Visitors will be reworked for this brand new production directed by one of Australia’s most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch, and starring Wiradjuri actor Luke Carroll, Wiradjuri and Gamilaraay actor Beau Dean Riley Smith, and Gumbaynggirr and Wiradjuri actor Dalara Williams.

Part of Sydney Opera House’s 50th anniversary program and co-produced by STC and Moogahlin Performing Arts, 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.

Approx. duration 1 hr 15 mins (no interval). Subject to change. More info.
Content Infrequent coarse language, themes of racial violence, and intergenerational trauma. Subject to change. More info.

Authors

• Jane Harrison