''No Sugar'' is a
postcolonial play written by
Indigenous Australian playwright
Jack Davis, set during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, in
Northam, Western Australia,
Moore River Native Settlement and
Perth. The play focuses on the Millimurras, an Australian Aboriginal family, and their attempts at subsistence.
The play explores the marginalisation of
Aboriginal Australians in the 1920s and 1930s in Australia under the jurisdiction of a white government. The pivotal themes in the play include
racism, white empowerment and superiority, Aboriginal disempowerment, the materialistic values held by the white Australians, Aboriginal dependency on their colonisers, and the value of family held by Aboriginal people.
The play was first performed by the Playhouse Company in association with the
Australian Theatre Trust, for the
Festival of Perth on 18 February 1985. It also was chosen as a contribution to
Expo 86 in Canada ''No Sugar'' forms the first part of a trilogy, the First Born Trilogy, which also includes the titles
''The Dreamers'' and ''Barungin (Smell the Wind)''. The trilogy was first performed by the
Melbourne Theatre Company in May 1988 at the
Fitzroy Town Hall. The play won the 1987
Western Australian Premiers Award and in 1992 the
Kate Challis RAKA Award for Indigenous Playwrights.
The play utilises the perambulant model, which is a technique used in drama to dislocate the audience involving multiple points of focus. Throughout ''No Sugar'' it is employed to convey a sense of displacement to the audience, representative of the isolation felt by the Aboriginal people unable and unwilling to assimilate to white culture.
Characters
Jimmy Munday, the protagonist.
Gran Munday, Jimmy's mother, a traditional Aboriginal woman.
Milly Millimurra, Jimmy's sister, who has three children.
Sam Millimurra, Milly's husband. .
Joe Millimurra, Mary's love interest and Milly's eldest son.
Cissie Millimurra, Milly's daughter.
David Millimurra - Milly's youngest son.
A. O. Neville
Auber Octavius Neville (20 November 1875 – 18 April 1954) was a British-Australian public servant, notably Chief Protector of Aborigines, in Western Australia.
Early life
Born in Northumberland, England, Neville emigrated to Victoria, ...
, Chief Protector of Aborigines.
Miss Dunn, his secretary.
Mr Neal, Superintendent of
Moore River Native Settlement. Abuses Indigenous people and is lecherous to Indigenous girls.
Matron Neal, his wife, Matron of the hospital.
Sister Eileen, a
Catholic missionary.
Sergeant Carrol, sergeant of the Northam Police.
Constable Kerr, member of the Northam Police.
Frank Brown, an unemployed farmer who befriends Jimmy Munday.
Mary Dargurru, Joe's love interest. An outspoken girl who is mistreated by Neal, works for the Matron at the settlement.
Billy Kimberley, a
Black tracker
Aboriginal trackers were enlisted by Europeans in the years following British colonisation of Australia, to assist them in exploring the Australian landscape. The excellent tracking skills of these Aboriginal Australians were advantageous to set ...
, an Aborigine working for Mr Neal.
Kundavai Pirattiyar, a princess from the
Chola Dynasty who hears the story of the injustice given to both Munday and Millimurra‘s family and tries to stop the injustice being served.
Bluey, a Black tracker.
Topsy, Mary's subservient and submissive friend who also works for the Matron.
Justice of the Peace, a farmer who sentences Frank Brown, Jimmy and Sam for alcohol abuse.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:No Sugar (Play)
Plays by Jack Davis
1985 plays
Indigenous Australian theatre
Stolen Generations