John Marsden's picture book 'The Rabbits' is an illustrated story of a herd of rabbits invading the world of marsupials – representing white invasion of indigenous land in Australia.
Through these cute characters a generation of children were introduced to the harrowing story of what white colonists did to the indigenous people not so long ago. 'The Rabbits' is now an opera, with Kate Miller-Heidke providing the score and narration. The heartbreaking story and wonderful illustrations of 'The Rabbits' comes to life on stage through haunting music and elaborate costumes.
Performing one of the marsupials Jessica Hitchcock read the book back in primary school, though it was a whole other experience seeing the illustrations recreated. “They're just so vibrant and colourful in the book and to see them on stage in almost the exact same fashion – it's amazing for both us and the audience.” Part of that recreation are the large, quirky animal costumes made for the performers, which Hitchcock says were more than a little trying to work in. “It was difficult, but the costumes definitely help with the character as well.”A singer-songwriter as well as a performer, Jessica has played classical piano for a long time, but started singing since when around 17 years old. When Opera Australia approached her about 'The Rabbits', Jessica says it all took off from there. “I've been doing this for about five years now, and it's pretty much what I want to be doing for the rest of my life.”
As for the performing/ songwriting balance, Jessica talks about having to set time for herself away from the stage to work on her own music. She's hoping to release new music this year so everyone can see what she can do, but “when you're doing something like 'The Rabbits' or something else with intense content, you need to put all your emotional energy and focus into the show.”
As an indigenous person herself, being a part of a story like 'The Rabbits' has been incredibly important. “I enjoy telling indigenous stories obviously, and working with Kate Miller-Heidke has been great because she takes into account how hard it is for us.” For the indigenous performers to tell such a harrowing story every night must be bittersweet – a harsh reminder of what happened, but an important step in more indigenous stories blossoming on a national scale. Jessica says Kate knew what kind of story 'The Rabbits' was trying to tell, and is the best musician she has ever worked with.
The book version of 'The Rabbits' was always a little hard to categorise – it was a picture book for children, but the themes were so adult that many of the kids who read it wouldn't fully understand it until later in life. Hitchcock says the stage show is similar in that way, but that she's witnessed plenty of kids with an understanding of at least the basic themes of the show. “They definitely think about it. I've heard little kids ask as they're leaving the theatre, 'when are the babies coming back?'” One of the great things about having children in the audience – you get that raw reaction.Hitchcock talks about how many Australians tend to forget how recently these events actually happened. “I still know people who were part of the stolen generation, and they're only in their fifties,” she says. “It's still a really raw emotion for them, and this issue gets swept under the rug a lot of the time.” She hopes that audiences see how relevant the story is today, and even though it's told by rabbits, marsupials and a bird, “it's about what humans did to each other, and how we hope to never have something like that happen again.”
