Presented by the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health and Digi Youth Arts, 'The Truth Is' explores themes of family, culture and identity.
‘The Truth Is' is The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health's latest project. Comprising a cast of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who attended IUIH clinics, the play is supported by Indigenous theatre company, Digi Youth Arts and offers the aspiring actors a chance to tell their story.
The Institute for Urban Indigenous Health works with local communities to increase health service access among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Alongside practical measures such as healthcare clinics and maternal health programmes, the organisation is using theatre as a tool to engage younger community members.
Very few Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people have access to culturally safe primary health care and with high rates of youth suicide, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse, young Indigenous people are growing up in increasingly challenging circumstances.
“It's part of our community engagement strategy,” explains IUIH chairperson, Jody Currie. “Western medicine is very important in closing the gap but we also need to do things that encourage cultural resurgence, expression and art for our overall wellbeing.
“The play is about strength of identity and people being able to have a voice in an urban setting. We want to debunk that myth that 'real' Aboriginal people live in remote communities because, in actual fact, we live here. It's to empower these young people and to provide a space and a place where their voice can be heard.”
'The Truth Is' was written by the young cast members and put together through a series of workshops.
“We did have a writer, but the kids had input into the play and there was constant feedback. We ran four workshops with the kids before the play was written so that everyone could get to know each other and start telling their story. The stories that they told were real stories and that was what helped to develop the play.”
Centring on Charlie, a young Indigenous Australian who grew up in 'a town smaller than the city and bigger than the country', Currie hopes that 'The Truth Is' and other arts-orientated initiatives run by the IUIH will instil young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island actors with a new sense of self-esteem.
“Building that self-esteem inoculates us. It's like a flu shot to things surrounding drug abuse or alcohol abuse because it stops young people from feeling negative about themselves and empowers them to make their own choices. Being able to do that is such an amazing thing. They're little kids from Woodridge and they're now a part of the Twelfth Night Theatre.”
The IUIH has built on its relationship with the Twelfth Night Theatre, turning its ground floor into new community arts space, The Watch House.
“It's a brand new space for cultural revival, the Institute rents it and has a partnership with the Twelfth Night Theatre and also we're part of the 'Clancestry, A Celebration of Country' festival program. We saw it as an opportunity to spread performances and it's been a great thing for us.”
'The Truth Is' will be staged at The Watch House, The Twelfth Night Theatre from February 20-22.
