A group of young African-Australians will take to the stage at St Albans’ Bowery Theatre later this week for an Australian-first performance of the musical of ‘Once on This Island’.
The performances, from Thursday, April 28 until Sunday, May 1, will be the first live stage production of the musical by an all African-Australian youth cast, the Nguvu Moja Group.
Based upon the novel ‘My Love, My Love’ by Rosa Guy, the musical uses multi-faceted narration to explore the life of a peasant girl on a tropical Afro-Caribbean Island who uses
the power of love to bring people of different social classes together.
“Being the first of its kind, we believe this is a monumental moment for young people and the state of Victoria. Critical backing from Victorian state government grants and African-Australian leaders and organisations have provided real opportunities for young Victorians who have not had the opportunity to perform or have ever seen people that look like them on stage,” a group spokesperson said.
Performer Jesse Dutlow said joining the ‘Once on this Island’ cast had been an “eye-opening and affirming experience”.
“I’ve been a performer for most of my life and often when I have had an opportunity to create, whether in an academic or professional context, I’ve been the only Black person in the room. I’ve been expected to provide “the Black perspective”, shoehorned into certain roles or styles of performance and many times been overlooked because I don’t fit certain stereotypes,” Jesse said.
“Because our Blackness has been a unifying factor, we are free to be ourselves as individuals in ways that we previously couldn’t. I have had the joy of designing our production’s artwork which will be used in the promotional material and the show’s programme. Being a part of this production has inspired me to continue my pursuit of a career in the arts and I’m so proud of what we have created together.”
