The Stolen Generations is one of the most harrowing chapters in Australian history. Exploring the impact of the trauma of the period is a challenging and confronting task. Yet, there is something immediately striking about Jane Harrison’s play, Stolen, which is currently Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 1 Theatre. This is a play that does not hold back or attempt to shy away from the atrocities of the period. Instead, it focusses on the continuing impacts of the Stolen Generations on First Nations people to this day. 

To this effect, Noongar man Ian Michael says the following in his Director’s Note:

“The bitterness lies in how resonant the lives of these characters feel today, how there isn’t a single First Nations person in this country who hasn’t been affected by the government’s policies of forced removal.”

This production of Jane Harrison’s play comes around 25 years after its debut at Sydney Theatre Company’s Wharf 1 Theatre. Released shortly following the Bringing Them Home report, the play confronts some of the most challenging themes in Australian theatre and does so in a way that only reinforces the institutional horror that so many endured.

The play centres around five people, Sandy, Ruby, Shirley, Jimmy, and Anne, who, as children, were stolen from their families and moved to government homes. Each of them have different experiences and diverging perspectives on their lives, but for each of them, their views are underpinned by the trauma they have suffered. 

Emotion and injustice are at the heart of this play and the performers (Jarron Andy, Mathew Cooper, Kartanya Maynard, Stephanie Somerville, Megan Wilding) do a superb job of capturing every bit of emotion that the text and Michael’s directorial vision have to offer. Andy in particular is extraordinary in his ability to convey the terrors of what the audience is witnessing and the impact this has. The innocence of the children is contrasted to the atrocities they are facing which makes the play even more poignant. 

The set and lighting are also incredibly well done, contributing to the nightmarish feel. The set feels sparse, with only a large, grimy bed in the foreground. The size of the set gives the feeling of empty space and highlights a world that towers over these five children. The use of dolls to portray the adoptive parents is also incredibly effective.

The themes that the play deals with are confronting and the acting of the five performers on stage only adds to a feeling of horror and unease. In this regard, Michael and his directorial team have created a production that does not allow the audience to look away from the issues it seeks to address and this is certainly a strength.  

Stolen is a play that will be viewed in a multitude of ways. To some, it will be a reminder of a shameful chapter in Australia’s history and a deeply confronting reflection on the impact of that trauma. To others, it will extend beyond this and recognise that oppression continues to affect First Nations people to this day. But ultimately, this is a story of loss, grief and horror which is something that no-one involved in the production shies away from. This is a display of acting at its absolute finest and the exploration of emotion throughout the production is nothing short of extraordinary. There is no doubt that this is a confronting watch but it raises issues with which every Australian must grapple. Without a doubt, a must-see. 

Rating: ★★★★★

Stolen plays at Wharf 1 Theatre until 6^th July. For more information, click here.

Photo credit: Daniel Boud