Stolen (2005 - Schools season)

'What do you do when you meet your mother for the first time in 26 years? Shake her hand? Give her a hug? Do I show her me footy photos and my school reports? ...Will she feel like my mother? ...I don't even know what having a mother feels like.'

In this remarkable play by local writer Jane Harrison, the lives of five young people are revealed, exposing the heart of one of the most complex and controversial issues in our country today. Taken from their mothers and removed from their families, five Aboriginal children struggle to survive in a society intent on destroying their culture and crushing their identity.

Co-produced with Victoria's indigenous theatre group Ilbijerri, and directed by Wesley Enoch (Seven Stages of Grieving), Stolen is an extraordinary testament to the endurance of Aboriginal culture and the strength of the Aboriginal family. At this time in our nation's history, their stories are a poignant and powerful reminder of our need for family, history and heritage.

This production is the Schools season of Jane Harrison's much-celebrated play about the Stolen Generations. It is also the last iteration of the play by the Malthouse Theatre.