focusinterview.
T E A C H E R S
W I T H
H E A R T
GARLAMBIRLA WITH SOUL
Local teachers Madge Hair and Simon Smith have inspired their students with an amazingly successful local production that has evolved into the Garlambirla Youth Theatre. FOCUS caught up with the duo to find out more about the evolution of the project and how the students are making it their own.
C
an you briefly tell us a bit about yourself and the role you play in the production? Simon: My name is Simon Smith, and I am a music teacher at Coffs Harbour High School. I am also the Musical Director of Garlambirla Youth Theatre (GYT). I work in collaboration with Madge Hair, the Director of GYT and the cast and crew of GYT to create original music and arrange existing songs to complement the musical’s GYT performs. I conduct the 14 piece GYT band and can’t help joining in at times, whether it be on the bass, guitar or my favourite, the tambourine! Madge: I am the scriptwriter and co-director. Our patron is Stephen “Baamba” Albert, one of the original actors from Bran Nue Dae in Broome. In a few paragraphs, can you outline what the production is about? Garlambirla: A Musical with Soul, is an original musical based on the shared histories of Garlambirla, otherwise known as Coffs Harbour, on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. The plot of Garlambirla follows the Creation
56 coffs coast focus.
Where did the inspiration for the producAncestors on their journeys through Gumtion originate? baynggirr country and touches on significant The inspiration came from the old Gumpoints of cross-cultural contact. Gumbaynggirr baynggirr people, the ancestors. We include country comprises sky, land and sea, saltwater respect for the old people in all our warm-ups and freshwater, and this is reflected in the before shows and rehearsals. surprising and colourful set. When did the project begin? The re-enactment of these The project began in 2012, cultural stories is supported although the idea had been by traditional and contemmulled over for a few porary dance and a full years before that. Of band pumping out e This innovativ course, the GumbaynSoul, Reggae and es at br show cele ggirr creation stories Ska classics, plus of m the continuu have been around for some solid Aussie ul tif au be life on the 50,000 years or more, singalong numbers nt da un and ab nds, as la r from the time before like Solid Rock, Yil ir gg yn ba Gum itional the sea levels rose. Lull and Blackfella told by the trad Did you need to have Whitefella. custodians . ” permission from the This innovative local Traditional Owners show celebrates the to include their stories? continuum of life on The script was developed the beautiful and abundant through extensive consultation with Gumbaynggirr lands, as told by Gumbaynggirr students, families and elders, the traditional custodians. Audiences are invitacademic research and moments of inspiraed to share this experience, and learn who is tion from country. As part of the consultative actually guiding us when we look up into the process, students travelled to important sites night sky, or out to the shining islands.
“
with elders and listened to cultural stories on country. The show and GYT have also been endorsed by the Garlambirla Guuyu - girrwaa Aboriginal Elders Corporation, Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative, Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance Aboriginal Corporation and Yarrawarra Cultural Centre. Does the production tell the less positive side of colonisation and its effects on the local indigenous population? Were the students involved enthusiastic from the beginning or did this grow as the production progressed? In the beginning, a core group of 40 musicians, dancers, actors, artists and stage crew were excited to perform Garlambirla. The production really gained momentum after the students attended cultural tours, led by our local Indigenous elders, to significant sites to the north and south of Coffs. As a result, the cast and crew gained a sense of the cultural significance of the stories, and were then able to tell these stories with passion and respect. The success of the original performances also enhanced the show’s popularity amongst the students, with almost 100 past and pres-