Stillbirth

A wake-up call

A man is trapped in a room in a house. The family of the house is unaware of his presence. The country is embroiled in a war of independence. The days of white minority rule are numbered, but the lines between black and white are stark. Will the family learn of the man’s presence or will he haunt their memory for years to come?

As part of the Playwrights program in Winter Nights 2020, an initiative supporting the development of four new scripts. Each work will undertake a week-long development, but will not present anything publicly as part of Winter Nights.

How are you developing your work?

The project will be undergoing script development. Readings of the play will inform concurrent revisions of the play-script. The process will be documented through written responses and a photographic journal.

What are you excited about in this project, and what are you hoping to get out of it?

As an emerging playwright, it is my hope that the dramatisation of the script as part of this development will allow me to draw on performers’ unique skills to strengthen the story. I am interested to see how the director and performers will interpret the script.

What are you exploring?

Stillbirth explores the relationship between ‘the present’ and ‘the past’. It examines our collective failure to remove the shackles of colonialism by challenging audiences to recognise the ways in which freedom is often illusory. ‘Stillbirth’ is a confrontation – a wake-up call.

Who is in your team?

Our project team is comprised of myself (playwright), Sam Nerida (director/producer), Julian Hobba (dramaturg), Mararo Wangai (performer), Astrid Tshidibu (performer), Ben Sutton (performer), and Nduta Gathoga (performer).

A playwright development, as part of Winter Nights 2020
Supported by Minderoo Foundation