The 7 Stages of Grieving - Grin & Tonic Theatre Troupe

Overview

Before Deborah Mailman became one of Australia’s most-loved performers, and before Wesley Enoch took on the role of artistic director at Queensland Theatre Company, they wrote The 7 Stages of Grieving. That was in 1995, the one-woman play helping shape their careers that followed. Twenty years later, it remains among their best works.

The 7 Stages of Grieving shares personal stories and public grief, all stemming from the state of Indigenous Australians and the impact of Aboriginal history. Decades may have passed; however, this narrative of hope stemming from hurt, and of reaching for reconciliation beyond tragedy and simply surviving, is as timely and topical today as it was then.

Here, Chenoa Deemal takes the lead in the latest staging of a performance that doesn’t just tell a wealth of tales but opens up a conversation about issues that continue around the country. Theatre is rarely as funny, devastatingly sad, politically relevant and culturally profound as this.