THE DREAMING

Renowned Indigenous playwright and director, Leah Purcell has a new challenge. She’s putting on a play for the three to eight year olds.

“They’re your hardest audience. I’m a little bit nervous,” says Purcell.

She has written a play for the Sydney Theatre Company’s education series, Actor on A Box.

The Dreaming is a modern amalgamation of dream time stories repurposed for the theatre.

“It’s a contemporary version of stories that I was told by my grandparents and uncle, stuff that I had read and stories that have been published,” says Purcell. “I’ve taken the value out of those stories and molded them all into this one story.”

The piece goes for about 15 minutes and is performed by Angeline Penrith, who mimes to a prerecorded narration by Purcell.

Following the play, there are a series of activities including colouring-in, hand prints, singing and dancing.

Purcell used her own grandson as inspiration for the production.

“I looked at my grandson’s play box, and I said, what can I pull out of this to make a show?”, says Purcell.

And she has an important objective for the piece.

“One of my goals when I was writing this was: how do I keep the story alive in these young people? This might be their first encounter with indigenous stories and indigenous people,” says Purcell.

Apr 12-23, Sydney Theatre Company, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, from $12, 9250 1777, sydneytheatre.com.au