Dhinawan Burraalga Yaraay by Donna McLaren
Dhinawan (Emu) and Burraalga (Brolga) are best friends and mothers, who lose their valued friendship over jealousy and revenge. The breakdown of their friendship has tragic consequences for themselves and their community, and eventually requires intervention by the highest authority: Bubaabidi, The Creator Himself.
Donna McLaren is a Gamilaraay woman from the Wirrindjarung people in the Warrumbungle region of North Western New South Wales. She is the daughter of Lynne (McLaren) and Don Gayford and granddaughter of Jack McLaren (Cain) and Edith McLaren (nee Leslie) from Burra Bee Dee Aboriginal Reserve, Coonabarabran. Donna is a teacher, linguist and author and has published extensively across many different forms of writng. She is passionately committed to language reclamation and wishes to strengthen her skills at writing for theatre to utilise the oral and visual communicative modes it can lend in supporting culturally centred language immersion experiences.
Dhinawan Burraalga Yaraay was presented at the Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival on 26 January 2019 at Carriageworks for Sydney Festival.
Playwright – Donna McLaren
Director/Dramaturg – Andrea James
Performers – Aunty Colleen O’Grady, Colin Kinchela, Katie Leslie, Nathan Leslie, Jason Munro, Megan Wilding
Special thanks to Aunty Bronwyn Spearim