The Visitors

Merrigong Theatre Company presents a Sydney Theatre Company and Moogahlin Performing Arts production:

The Visitors

Visitors leave. Right?

By Jane Harrison

After its Sydney Theatre Award-winning premiere at the 2020 Sydney Festival, Muruwari playwright Jane Harrison’s The Visitors will be reworked for this brand-new production directed by one of Australia’s most celebrated directors, Quandamooka man Wesley Enoch.

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: should they send these strangers on their way or welcome them?

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.