Fremantle stars Michael Walters and Michael Johnson surprised the students of Governor Stirling and Balga high schools at a showing of 'So Long Suckers', the latest production by the Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company on Wednesday, but Johnson insisted those on stage were the stars of the show.
“We came out here to chat to some young kids who have come out to watch the show and also sit in the crowd ourselves and watch the guys,” Johnson said.
“It’s a story of three leaders in Australian history, they twist it with some modern stuff and it’s about the history of Australia and indigenous history as well.”
After watching the show, speaking with the cast and answering questions afterward, Johnson had a glowing review of the production.
“It was a fantastic effort by the actors and the writers. They’re a very talented crew,” he said.
“It’s a very special play, and for all people out there it’s a great show to watch and get behind.”
With Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round starting tomorrow and the football world ready to showcase the vast contributions of indigenous players to the game, Johnson said the importance of cultural contributions through art and sport has been amazing.
“You look around the AFL and there’s a huge amount of Aboriginal players and it’s always been like that. To see a theatre company based with indigenous artists, who are well known within the WA arts community is massive for our culture.”
Johnson’s association with the production goes back further than just his contribution as an audience member, according to the artistic director of Yirra Yaakin Kyle Morrison.
Significant round for "proud" Walters
“It was great to see ‘Son Son’ and Michael Johnson here,” Morrison said.
“’Johnno’ and I actually grew up in the same area, both played for Belmont juniors and these opportunities we have in sport and art to create lives and aspirations is really important.
“Arts and sports have been such strong vehicles for self-representation and authentic voices from our own people.”
As Yirra Yaakin and Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round display, theatre and sport can provide the platform to communicate key messages.
'So Long Suckers' was often comical, sometimes confronting, but always thought provoking and the message portrayed was of personal significance to Morrison.
“One of the things we talk about in the play is police, grog and jail,” he said.
“Growing up in Armadale and Belmont, that was part of the culture I grew up in.
“So (in the show we ask) what is the contemporary culture, what is the classical culture we’ve come from and we begin to ask the questions of where we are today, who we are and where we’re heading.”
Morrison said the issue of alcohol awareness was an important piece of the production, and to have Walters and Johnson in attendance to further provide a positive example was greatly beneficial.
“We’ve made a crazy show about where we should be heading (as a culture),” he said.
“(We ask) what have we lost because we’ve been drunk and what could we achieve when we’re sober and we drop the chains and get out of the ‘fog of grog’ and people like Michael and ‘Son Son’ are helping show the way for that as well.”
Morrison said having Walters and Johnson in the audience only further displayed the strong cultural partnership between Freo and Yirra Yaakin.
“Seeing the two Noongar boys here to support our art and our story telling really gives us a sense of community,” he said.
“The kind of role models that Sonny and Michael are is really beautiful, to have that kind of support is amazing, and we really are thankful to the Fremantle Dockers for this cultural partnership.”
To book tickets visit www.ticketek.com.au, go into any Ticketek agency or call 1300 795 012. So Long Suckers premiers at the Subiaco Arts Centre from 26 May.
