Entertainment
21 May, 2023
Trusting your gut feeling
Play by Indigenous for Indigenous children to take stage across the Cape
JUTE Theatre Company’s residency program Dare to Dream is set to begin its tour across the Far North with an all-First Nations play, I Gut this Feeling, aiming to teach children to trust their intuition.
From May 22 and for 13 weeks, the all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cast and crew will bring I Gut This Feeling to Mossman, Weipa, Mapoon, Lockhart River and Normanton to build safer communities.
Aimed at school students from years 4 to 9, I Gut this Feeling, directed by Isaac Dandric, tells the story of a young girl, Djirra, trying to make her way back home through a strange world, showcasing the importance of trusting your gut when things don’t feel right.
JUTE’s creative producer Monica Stevens said Dare to Dream, established in 2016, aimed to inspire Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to express themselves through theatre.
“Embracing the heuristic spirit of Dare to Dream’s residency program, I Gut this Feeling is a culmination of everything Dare to Dream stands for, primarily the positive impact theatre can make on the lives of young people in remote centres,” Ms Stevens said.
“I Gut this Feeling is a twohander, 30-minute show. We spend a week in the community. First, we do a school performance, and then we do a residency that teaches children about trusting your instincts – if you’re in danger how to protect yourself.”
The protagonist of I Gut this Feeling, Jamaylya BallangarryKearins, who plays Djirra, said remote Indigenous communities needed representation.
“The foundational themes of the play focus on intuition in moments where your gut doesn’t feel quite right,” Ms Ballangarry-Kearins said.
“Representation is crucial. I’m a big believer that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people need to be the controllers of their narrative, and theatre is narrative-driven, so to bring that industry is super important.
“I’m very Aboriginal, so it’s nice to have someone who looks like me go up there and plant a seed of growth and for them to learn this information in a kind and safe space.”
I Gut this Feeling is also based on the Westpac Safer Children, Safer Communities work program objectives covering sensitive topics, focusing on addressing and preventing childhood trauma.
“We want kids to find the confidence to speak up if something’s wrong, and the program identifies for them trusted people and organisations in their community,” Ms Steven said.
For more information on the Dare to Dream program, visit the JUTE website or click the following link in our online edition: https://bit.ly/42XkE8t
