NGAPARTJI NGAPARTJI
Project Creators: Trevor Jamieson, Scott Rankin and Alex Kelly BRIEF OVERVIEW Ngapartji Ngapartji, Pitjantjatjara for “I give you something, you give me something” tells the true story of the Spinifex people (a clan of the Pitjantjatjara people) of the Western desert who were moved off their lands to make way for British atomic testing carried out between 1953 and 1965. Test sites in the arid rangelands of South Australia remain uninhabitable for the next 250,000 years, after bombs almost the size of the Hiroshima were dropped there. Since 2006, Ngapartji Ngapartji has sold out to a national audience of 30,000 with standing ovations at every performance. Its evolution over a nine year period has seen hundreds of people, both indigenous and non-indigenous, explore new ways of working together. PROJECT CREATORS Trevor Jamieson - Key Performer / Co-creator / Arts Mentor, is a Spinifex man, so the story is personal. A talented performer and experienced film and stage actor, his performances include Plain Song by David Whitton for Black Swan Theatre Company, Crying Baby for the Marrugeku Theatre Company/Stalker Theatre Company production in Darwin in 2000 and Deck Chair Theatre Company’s production of King for this Place by Neil Murray. Scott Rankin - Writer / Director/ Co-creator/ National Creative Director of Big hART, is known for his work in comedy, mainstream theatre, experimental community based projects, film and television. His work has been included in Tasmania, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Edinburgh Festivals and his plays have set box office records and received exceptional reviews. Alex Kelly - Creative Producer /Co-creator. Alex is a media/arts practitioner and producer who has demonstrated innovative leadership through her arts-led work with Indigenous, regional and youth communities. Alex facilitates arts spaces and large collective projects. Alex became involved with Big hART' in 2003, the Ngapartji Ngapartji project commenced in early 2005. AWARDS: Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 - Winner Best Lead Man Trevor Jamieson
Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 - Nominee Best Mainstage Production
Sydney Theatre Awards 2008 - Nominee Best Director
Deadly Awards 2008 - Most Outstanding Achivement in Film, TV and Theatre
NT Innovation Awards 2008 Finalist “…this is more than just a night out at the theatre. From the very beginning there is real exchange between audience and performers … the extremely moving story of the Spinifex people and an important reflection on Australia’s darker past.” ARTSZINE “… a rewarding theatrical experience. This is due in part to Jamieson’s charisma. He is a storyteller and mime artist of elegant range and he can be very funny as he satirises white occupation, and equally moving as he dramatises the black response…presents a case for tolerance of racial and ethnic difference through an exploration of language. ” THE AGE “ … an experience of a nation’s journey told by master storyteller and co-creator of this work, Trevor Jamieson, and it’s not to be missed. Through monologues in native tongues and English translations, and sublime movement and projection we begin to understand that this is not one man’s tale, but the tale of many“ THEATRE NEWS “Jamieson is a charming and persuasive storyteller. Through gesture as well as words, he is the tour guide on a voyage that veers between laugh-aloud humour and silence–inducing anguish. This is an inclusive plea for understanding and justice and a sharp reminder that we have strong sympathy for the dramatic stories of foreigners while ignoring tragedy at home” THE AUSTRALIAN | 
