Elise Hawthorne
Gran, Nan, Mum, Child – intergenerational trauma.
2019 Green Room Award-winning performer, Sandy Greenwood brings her hit one-woman show, Matriarch to the Old 505 Theatre at this year’s Sydney Fringe Festival and what an absolute masterpiece in the art of storytelling it is.
A beautiful collaboration between First Nations female creatives, Gumbaynggirr woman Sandy Greenwood and new director, Tagalak woman, Jasmin Sheppard.
Weaving together the stories of four generations of Gumbaynggirr women, Matriarch is an original and dynamic one-woman show that explores themes around cultural identity, the intergenerational effects of the stolen generations and what it means to be a fair skin, black woman in modern Australia.
Combining story, dance and music, Matriarch is a celebration of the strength and resilience of first nations women – true Blak Matriarchs.
The impact of this remarkable performance and heartfelt storytelling will not leave me ever. Sandy morphed into each character effortlessly. I don’t think I have seen anything like it in my 50 plus years of theatre experience. Sandy was her Great-grandmother ‘Gran’; she was her Nan and was also her mum and at times herself. I heard and saw these women speak beyond the grave. I got to know these amazingly resilient human beings. I learnt all about their peaceful home country by the river, their youth torn apart by dispossession, marriages ups and downs, and heartbreak on a level that made me want to reach out and help. What was clear to all was the quiet strength of character of these remarkable women which has obviously been passed on down the matriarchal line to Sandy.
Intergenerational trauma runs in my family as it does in many others. I felt honoured to hear Sandy’s family stories, deeply saddened by them too.
Matriarch is a performance and family tale of survival against the odds that deserves to be aired for all to see. Do not miss Matriarch if you love storytelling (and acting) at its very best.
Dates: 3 September to 7 September, 2019
Venue: Innocent Bystander Touring Hub – Old 505 Theatre, 5 Eliza Street, Newtown
Start:6:30 pm
Duration:60 minutes
Presenter:Jinda
Productions
For tickets go to: https://sydneyfringe.com/buy-tickets
Sandy Greenwood is a First Nations actress from the Dunghutti, Gumbaynggirr and Bundjulung tribes of Australia. Sandy graduated from the Queensland University of Technology in Creative Industries (BA Hons.,First Class). Sandy has performed with Australia’s leading theatre companies, including the Sydney Theatre Company and Ilbijerri Indigenous Theatre Company. She has worked internationally at the Seattle Theatre Company and won roles in film and TV, including US blockbuster Killer Elite alongside Robert De Niro.
Matriarch photo © Melbourne Fringe Festival
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