John Harvey's Heart is a Wasteland will make its Western Australian debut this month.
Described as a humorous and deeply heartfelt play, the story - which follows a turbulent love affair that unfurls over a four-day drive to Mparntwe/Alice Springs - is a soul-warming battle of egos that recognises everyone's worthiness of, and right to, love.
Co-directed and performed by Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company's artistic director Maitland Schnaars with performer Claire Fermo, the play will take place in the Main Auditorium at Subiaco Arts Centre from October 17 to the November 1.
For more than 30 years, Yirra Yaakin - "Stand Tall" in Noongar - has produced theatre that is exciting, insightful, authentic, and culturally resonant.
Heart is a Wasteland sees Raye, a country-folk singer, playing one back-water pub after another along Australia's vast desert highways. Trying to make a living in the hope of returning home to her young son Elvis, her lyrics blaze through the landscapes of love and longing. A chance meeting and Raye's life becomes entwined with that of another wanderer, Dan, a miner disconnected from community.
Their journey is fraught with their own personal struggles and a developing romance, exploring themes of love, loss, and the search for belonging. The play combines storytelling with original songs by Lydia Fairhall, creating an intimate portrait of two individuals grappling with their past and present. Fermo performs the songs that are a fundamental narrative force that both guides the story and reveals the characters' emotional depths.
"The experience of watching the show is like sitting down to your favourite album and going along with the songline and the story and following that, as you do when you listen to your favourite album," said Harvey.
Schnaars said there is "a growing canon of plays written by Aboriginal Playwrights, which he calls "slices of life drama".
"The heart of these plays is not specifically about being Aboriginal, they are exploring universal themes, themes that are relevant to everyone," he said.
"It's just that these themes are explored through our eyes, Aboriginal eyes.
"Heart is a Wasteland is another one of these types of plays. At its heart it is a love story. It's about two people who meet at a point in their lives where they needed to feel loved. The play speaks to the need we all have to connect, to not feel alone.
"It is written with a complexity, passion and rawness that speaks to everyone who has felt that need, irrespective of the reasons. John Harvey, a Saibai Islander (Torres Strait) has written a play that I am deeply proud to be presenting here in Western Australia for the very first time."
Heart Is a Wasteland was originally produced by Malthouse Theatre with Brown Cabs, premiering at Beckett Theatre in June, 2017. The script development was supported by Footscray Community Arts Centre and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.
Heart Is a Wasteland will be shown from the 17th of October – 1st of November. Opening Night will take place on Tuesday 21st of October.
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