David Milroy
David Milroy is a playwright, director, and activist working in Western Australia. He writes plays that tour aboriginal communities, addressing contemporary problems in those communities and contributing to cultural maintenance by retelling traditional stories. His main stage productions address issues central to the lives of native peoples in Australia, such as the forced destruction of families that resulted in “the lost generation,” and the current projects by mining companies that threaten “galleries” of ancient rock art important to sustaining traditional culture. He visited the Institute in Fall of 2008, kicking off a semester of Thursdays at Four presentations.
The interview can also be downloaded as a video podcast (317.9 MB) or an audio file (.mp3 - 54.8 MB).
In the interview, David describes the stages of his evolution as a performer and writer, starting with his accidental entrance into acting when a traveling troupe lost a member to the lottery. He also reflects on his situation as an interpreter of indigenous culture and history to the dominant culture.
The theatre company with which David is associated, Yirrayaakin, has a website: http://www.yirrayaakin.asn.au/. He has contributed two works, King Hit and Windmill Baby, to the anthology, Contemporary Indigenous Plays (Currency Press Pty Ltd, 2007), which also features work by Larissa Behrendt, Vivienne Cleven, Wesley Enoch, and Geoffrey Narkle. One can learn more about the issues surrounding the preservation of Australian rock art from this site: http://www.standupfortheburrup.com/.