The definition of tribunal is a body established to settle certain types of dispute or a court of justice.
The aptly named TRIBUNAL is the title of the group devised presentation by Powerhouse Youth Theatre from a concept by Karen Therese.
This is no kangaroo court, more a possum panel presided over by Aunty Rhonda Grovenor Dixon, in full fur regalia, as she convenes a number of characters to give testimony of the treatment of refugees in Australia.
Thankfully, Aunty Rhonda is no brash Judge Judy and we hear, simply and eloquently, personal stories, oral histories, and verbatim transcripts from minority ethnic Afghan Hazaras theatre practitioners fleeing oppression, from disillusioned aid workers as frustrated and confused as their wards, from hardened detention centre operatives, from lawyers, from experts on psychological effects of sustained detention, and from Islamic feminist rappers.
And we hear Aunty Rhonda’s story, of her father’s rise from alcoholism to activism, and the fight he instilled in her.
There’s a didge, a smoking ceremony and the serving of tea, and the play ends with a Q & A between audience members and the performers.
TRIBUNAL – break it into two syllables and you get tribe and unity. This show is a simple plea and fervent wish that all the tribes that make up Australia – the indigenous, the invaders and the newly arrived ….. could create and embrace a common unity, in other words, a community.
TRIBUNAL is a curated conversation about our connections with culture – the indigenous, the European, the Asian and the Middle Eastern.
It’s a multilingual, multicultural and multi-generational discussion on the politically contentious attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers, advocating a quantum of compassion, a required amount of succour and solace, that lies at the heart of true humanity.
PERFORMANCE DATES
12 August – 20 August
PERFORMANCE TIMES
Wednesday – Sunday, 7pm
VENUE
SBW Stables Theatre
10 Nimrod Street, Kings Cross, NSW
TICKETS
Bookings 02 9361 3817 or griffintheatre.com.au
Tickets $30
Transaction fees of $4 for online bookings and $5 for phone bookings apply