The Visitors

A Moogahlin Performing Arts & Sydney Theatre Company Production

By Jane Harrison
directed by Wesley Enoch

Visitors leave. Right?

On a sweltering day in January 1788, seven clan leaders gather on a sandstone escarpment overlooking the harbour. The attendees, six of them Elders and one new initiate, catch-up, laugh together, share a meal and compare notes. But beyond the friendly banter, protocols, and hospitality, a momentous decision is waiting to be made.

A mysterious fleet of giant nawi is amassing in the harbour and as they creep closer, these seven representatives must choose unanimously: whether to send these strangers on their way or welcome them?

Having recently been awarded Best Mainstage Production and Best Ensemble at the 2023 Sydney Theatre Awards, Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison’s The Visitors embarks on a national tour directed by one of Australia’s most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch.

Co-produced by Sydney Theatre Company and Moogahlin Performing Arts, The Visitors is at once a riveting, deeply researched insight into one of the most impactful and painful days in Australia’s history, and a hugely entertaining study of how communities respond to change and the unknown.

★★★★★ “a powerful and contemplative performance that challenges the mind and moves the heart”
- TIMEOUT

★★★★ “powerful, authentic First Nations storytelling”
- THE GUARDIAN

Creative Team

Playwright: Jane Harrison
Director: Wesley Enoch
Associate Director: Liza-Mare Syron
Cultural Liaison: Aunty Yvonne Simms
Set & Costume Designer: Elizabeth Gadsby
Associate Designer: Shana O’Brien
Lighting Designer: Karen Norris
Composer & Sound Designer: Brendon Boney
Associate Sound Designer: Amy Flannery
Senior Dharug & Dharawal Language Teacher: Corina Norman
Dharug & Dharawal Language Teacher: Jordan Ryan-Hennessey
Voice Coach: Charmian Gradwel
Fight Director: Nigel Poulton
 

_{Image by Rob Hookey. Featuring 2023 cast.}