BREC to host landmark Aboriginal theatre
Powerful Aboriginal theatre piece, The 7 Stages of Grieving, is coming to the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre in August, produced for the first time by an Aboriginal theatre company.
Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company is embarking on a tour of the one-woman play written by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman in 1995.
Told by a single compelling narrator, ‘Everywoman’, she traces seven phases of Aboriginal history – Dreaming, Invasion, Genocide, Protection, Assimilation, Self-Determination, and Reconciliation. Mailman and Enoch’s script is a potent expression of resilience and survival, as well as humour, joy and strength. This production is an engaging, moving and ultimately empowering recognition of the loss of identity and Country and the will to fight back.
On its debut, The 7 Stages of Grieving was lauded as a landmark Australian work and a radical act of Aboriginal theatre-making. More than 30 years on, it remains relevant not only as a snapshot of the past, but as an urgent act of truth-telling.
“Yirra Yaakin is a powerhouse company with a long history of supporting new talent and new stories. It is an honour they have chosen The 7 Stages of Grieving,” Enoch said.
“I love that so many powerful artists have taken on the show over the 30 years and made it their own almost as a rite of passage. Now Bobbi Henry brings her immense skill and power to this new production. She is a truly deadly artist and powerful storyteller.”
It will be performed in Bunbury by Noongar / Yamatji actor Shontane Farmer, graduate of the prestigious WA Academy of Performing Arts. She will be directed by Bobbi Henry, who leads the all-female creative team.
“The 7 Stages of Grieving is an inspiring story of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. It’s very exciting to have an all-female team of amazing creatives who encourage and support each other in all aspects of the creative process,” Henry said.
The text is currently part of the Year 12 ATAR Drama and English Literature syllabuses and provides students with an opportunity to explore the emotional and political experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
BREC Executive Director Fiona de Garis said she attended the Perth premiere of this production with BREC’s Elder in Residence, Aunty Dr Lynette Narkle.
“I travelled to Perth to see the premiere of this production with BREC’s Elder in Residence, Aunty Dr Lynette Narkle, and we were both struck by a work that remains every bit as powerful, relevant and necessary today as it was when it first premiered more than 30 years ago,” she said.
“The 7 Stages of Grieving is an extraordinary piece of Australian theatre – honest, funny, heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful. I am delighted that Bunbury audiences and local students will have the opportunity to experience this landmark work brought to life by an exceptional team of Western Australian First Nations artists.”
The 7 Stages of Grieving will be performed at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre on 13 August 2026. Tickets are available online at bunburyentertainment.com, or through the BREC Box Office.