A classic tale retold in the language and culture so close to home, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company’s Hecate (in collaboration with Bell Shakespeare) is a theatrical masterpiece. Distinctive stage design, the beauty of visual cues and the smooth confidence with which the cast delivered their parts, Hecate was an immersive and evocative experience.

Hecate production shots 1 Cr Dana Weeks.jpg

To me, Shakespeare’s traditional Macbeth on its own is a block of language that is very difficult for me to decipher (old English wasn’t on my school syllabus). Imagine my surprise when I discovered I’d be watching it--completely in the Noongar language.

And yet, perhaps this language barrier was exactly what I needed to grasp the significance of the play. Relying heavily on the scene by scene synopsis provided, I found myself focusing on the cast’s expressive body language more than anything. Hecate’s immediacy--the collective breath from behind you, beside you, in front of you, or the thump, thump, thump of the haunted knockings from beneath your feet--proves that the language of theatre is universal.

Even without being able to understand dialogue the production as a whole was mesmerizing; the grief, the guilt and the madness came through in a way that traditional Shakespeare never could have.

Hecate production shots 2 Cr Dana Weeks.jpg

Perhaps the most interesting difference between Hecate and conventional renditions of Macbeth is actually in the name. Where most productions remove the character of Hecate, director Kylie Bracknell instead explores the connection between women and life by centering the play around the character. Hecate’s continuous observation and occasional interference is also a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness between man and earth.

Of course, the fact that the play itself was entirely in Noongar language--an endangered language--is a beacon of hope for other Indigenous creatives to be able to express their art holistically, with no compromise. It is important to recognize that art such as Hecate can be celebrated by a variety of audiences.

A dramatic experience that is in a class of its own, Hecate is a hypnotic production that takes Noongar heritage and constructs a culturally enlightening performance.