Reviews

The song ‘Sisters are doing it for themselves’ could have been written for Jenny and Angie Wynter – two sisters from Toowoomba who are finally living out their dream of pop superstardom in a show they have written – and perform in as ‘themselves’. The girls tell their tale of being taken to Toowoomba to live with their Grandma after a tragic family loss.

Liz Newall’s Toast premiered at the Blue Room in 2017, winning their award for Best Production. Black Swan’s remount has allowed this locally written gem to reach a wider audience, in a very successful short season. The story of three sisters, grappling with the loss of their mother and the sale of their family home, is a well-drawn look at changing relationships.

When free-spirited indigenous artist Renee is asked what part of Australia she comes from she doesn’t say Coffs Harbour or Korora (er, where’s that?), she says ‘The Big Banana’ (oh, yes, right, I’ve been there!). And when asked how far back she goes, she says, proudly,’60,000 years!’ The opening night audience at the Ensemble thundered their applause at this, and Gumbaynggirr writer Brittanie Shipway, creating and playing Renee, must have known that she had arrived.

This event, in a blend of ceremonial actions and traditional narrative, bravely invites the audience to step into the world of the mystic and unreal.

While gathering, the audience was invited to write a word on a ribbon and decorate a metal ring which was carried and used to make ceremonial gestures throughout the journey.