Cut the Sky, Sing the Land at the Regal Theatre

It is not often that you get to experience spoken word, song, contemporary and interpretive dance, visuals and theatre in the same production, but Cut the Sky delivered the goods.

 West Australian Theatre Company, Marrugeka, gets you really thinking about cultural and environmental issues of today through art and drama. It ignites your imagination by raising some seriously important questions about Indigenous land rights, climate change, extreme weather events and sex workers.

 The production, directed by Rachael Swain and choreographed by Dalisa Pigram and Serge Aimé Coulibaly, brought the Indigenous ways of caring for the land to the hearts of the audience, visually allowing you to consider climate change through another lens. The production was foreshadowed by the poetry of artist Edwin Lee Mulligan, which was a real highlight in this world premier of contemporary art.

 During Cut the Sky, we were transported through time and into the lives of the people in the Kimberly. We learned of the stories, hardships, fears and anxieties of the characters from all walks of life throughout the performance. The poetry of Mulligan and the characters of Cut the Sky – indigenous and Non-Indigenous mining workers, a geologist, a sex worker, a displaced traditional owner and a protestor – really gave form to the ideas that have played out through the Kimberly over time.

 The interpretive and contemporary dance stirred a mixture of emotions. At times it was elegant and beautiful, which very quickly turned into thrashing, yelling and swearing. It was breathtaking, and very well received by the audience whose applause was resounding.

This boundary-pushing visual sensation truly questioned the value humanity places on the earth and the sky. It was awe-inspiring and thought provoking. Would definitely recommend.  ~ A ~

Georgia Murphy