Synopsis

On 6 December 1938, Aboriginal activist William Cooper led a deputation to the front door of Melbourne’s German Consulate, following the violence of Kristallnacht and in protest against the mounting Nazi persecution of European Jews. Eighty years later, his great-great niece Andrea James takes to the stage with fellow playwright Elise Hearst, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, to explore the remarkable legacy of their ancestors.  

Featuring in the production as themselves, the writers explore the ways in which they are marked by the struggles and achievements of their ancestors, how contemporary Australians are affected by the legacy of those who came before them, and how this forms our understanding of modern Australian identity.

Bright World spans three worlds: the past in Austria and Australia, the present in Australia, and an imagined world where past, present and future collide. The play uses heightened and lyrical theatrical language, disrupting traditional dramatic conventions and postdramatic techniques.

The performance styles include magic realism, heightened naturalism, play with genre conventions, deconstruction, verbatim conventions, contemporary stand-up comedy, reportage, and multimedia. Immersive elements include an interactive/participatory Bat Mitzvah. Music and sound will be controlled directly by the performers onstage through laptops and record players.

This production has been developed with input from cultural advisors who have expertise in the Koorie and Jewish heritages and traditions.