Jane Harrison

Jane Harrison is an indigenous Australian writer and playwright. She is descendant of the Muruwari people of New South Wales, from the area around Bourke and Brewarrina. Jane grew up in the Victorian Dandenongs with her mother and sister.

Biography

Jane Harrison began her career as an advertising copywriter, before beginning work as a writer with Ilbijerri Theatre Company. Her most well-known work is "Stolen", which received critical claim, and has toured nationally and internationally.

Plays

tolen

In 1992, the Ilbijerri Theatre Co-operative commissioned Harrison to write "Stolen", a play about the lives of five Aboriginal people from the “stolen generations” J. Harrison (2000) "Stolen". Strawberry Hills (NSW): Currency Press (Author’s biography on 1st page) ] .

Tackling the issue the Stolen Generations, "Stolen" premiered at the Playbox Theatre, Melbourne in 1998, and has had productions every year since - in Melbourne and country Victoria, Sydney, Adelaide, and Tasmania, the UK (twice), Hong Kong and Tokyo, along with readings in Canada and New York ( 2004). In Sydney, it was performed at the Sydney Theatre Company, directed by Wayne Blair.

"Stolen" won (along with "Aliwa!" by Dallas Wimmar) the Kate Challis RAKA award. It was studied on the VCE English syllabus, and the NSW HSC syllabus.

"On a Park Bench"

"On a Park Bench" was created through workshops at Playbox and the Banff Playrites Colony.

The play was a finalist in the Lake Macquarie Drama Prize.

"Rainbow’s End"

"Rainbow's End", or "Rumbalara" tells the simple, yet complicated story of three generations of Aboriginal women; young Dolly, her mother the happy-go-lucky Gladys, and the wise and stern Nan Dear, living in their shanty perched on the flats of the Goulburn River in 1950s regional Victoria. The play was directed by Wesley Enoch.

"Rainbow’s End" premiered in 2005 at the Melbourne Museum, and toured to Mooroopna, and to Japan in 2007.

"Blakvelvet"

"Blakvelvet", Harrison’s most recent play, won the 2006 Theatrelab Indigenous Award.

Other works

Harrison also contributed a chapter to "Many Voices, Reflections on experiences of Indigenous child separation", which was published by the National Library of Australia, Canberra. This work was also related to the theme of the stolen generations.

References

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SHORT DESCRIPTION=Contemporary Indigenous playwright
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