GURR ERA OP
“Easily the most affecting work I’ve seen this festival season”
– Anna Freeland, ABC
“Ghenoa Gela and her ensemble offer a masterful blend of art and activism, leaving an indelible mark on the hearts and minds of those who are privileged to see this powerful and timely production”
– That Show Blog
“Deeply felt and powerfully delivered… I highly recommend GURR ERA OP both as a theatrical experience and an educational one”
– Geraldine Higginson, Dance Australia
Produced by Force Majeure in association with ILBIJERRI Theatre Company
World Premiere: Sydney Festival 13-19 January 2024
Naarm season: Arts House and RISING, 12-16 June 2024
Meanjin season: Brisbane Festival, 11-14 Sept 2024
Join four mainland-born Torres Strait Islander women as they battle against the rising tide threatening their home, culture and identity. GURR ERA OP (“the face of the sea” in Meriam Mir) is a celebratory sharing of culture and a call to action in the face of climate devastation, interweaving hybrid Torres Strait Islander contemporary storytelling, movement and spoken word.
What would you do if you could never go home? Is your culture bound by place or by self? What happens to your identity when the physical place that holds your ancestral foundations disappears?
These are some of the questions the storytellers grapple with daily as they watch their motherland, family and communities suffer the onslaught of climate change. The Torres Strait Islands are currently on the front lines – but ultimately, your home is next.
Award-winning choreographer and performer Ghenoa Gela (My Urrwai, Sydney Festival 2018) presents her landmark work, in a culmination of many years of creative association with Force Majeure. Now in collaboration with ILBIJERRI Theatre Company’s Amy Sole, the result is a vivid imagining of loss, and a call to action for a better future.
“GURR ERA OP - The Face of the Sea - is my ‘something’. You too can do something!”
Call your local member, contact the Minister for Climate Change, sign petitions, or donate to help protect Zenadth Kes, the Torres Strait Islands.
CREATIVE TEAM
Elders/Cultural Consultants/Advisors Anson Jack Gela, Annie Gela, Agnes Santo, Meo Sailor, Mua Sailor, Nancy Nawie, Patricia Dow, Sarah Gela, Joshua Thaiday
Creator, Director, Writer and Performer Ghenoa Gela
Performer Aba Bero
Performer Berthalia Selina Reuben
Performer Taryn Beatty
Associate Director / ILBIJERRI Theatre Creative Associate Amy Sole
Associate Director / Force Majeure Artistic Director Danielle Micich
Set & Spatial Designer Katy Moir
Costume Designer Lisa Fa'alafi
Costume Associate Tracy Datson
Lighting Designer Kelsey Lee
Composer and Sound Designer Ania Reynolds
Sound Associate Carl Polke
Stage Manager Bronte Schuftan
Assistant Stage Manager Tom Kelly
Production Manager Mark Haslam
Impact Advisor Anna Weekes
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Major Festivals Initiative, managed by Creative Australia, its Arts Funding and Advisory Body, in association with the Confederation of Australian International Arts Festivals Inc., commissioned by Sydney Festival, RISING, Brisbane Festival and Ten Days on the Island.
The 2022-2023 development of GURR ERA OP was supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW and assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body.