Merrigong Theatre Company is set to present Gunai artist and writer Kirli Saunders' captivating one-woman show, Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly), as part of their Mainstage season from the 17-20 June at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
After receiving a rave response and standing ovations after its debut in the MerrigongX 2025 season, Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly), will entertain Wollongong audiences in storytelling which centres love, grief, and responses to the 2024 referendum, making space for sorrow and rage while honouring joy as a form of resistance and a legacy of those who came before.
Taking its title from a Dharawal phrase, the work is both an acknowledgement of ancestral strength and a hopeful offering for the future, extending connection to Country, to community, and to the resilience of Matriarchy.
Saunders' powerful work holds space for survivors and boldly addresses the ongoing impacts of violence, racism, and sexism faced by Aboriginal people, particularly women, and features stunning visuals from 15 First Nations women based on Dharawal and Wodi Wodi lands.
In the one-woman show, Saunders intertwines personal monologues with songs and poems from her acclaimed poetry collections Eclipse (Allen & Unwin, 2025) and Returning (Magabala, 2023), in a celebration of her inherited strength, her identity as a Blak queer woman, and the wisdom found in slowing down.
Saunders is a proud Gunai Woman, an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist, writer, singer- songwriter and consultant. She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to the arts in 2022.
"Yandha Djanbay gives voice to the stories I haven't yet told. It speaks to our ways, offering a reminder to move slowly and find calm amid chaos through connection to land, sea, and sky," she said.
"The journey of this work so far has been deeply rewarding, and I'm excited to share it as widely as I can, so all of us may find a way to move a bit slower."
Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly) features an team including Director and Production Designer, Leland Kean, First Nations Emerging Producer, Lillie Paton, Vision and Sound Realiser, Dominic Hinton, Cinematographer, Tad Souden, and Lighting Designer, Corey Potter.
Merrigong Theatre Company is a not-for-profit company which operates Wollongong's premier performing arts venue, Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC) and the city's key civic and community venue, Wollongong Town Hall.
This name serves as a constant reminder that their venues rest on unceded First Nations land. The company's name, 'Merrigong' reflects the Dharawal word for the Illawarra region's distinctive escarpment, a landmark of supreme cultural importance.
Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly) will run from 17-20 June.
It is recommended for ages 16+, due to references to sexual violence, gendered violence, and racism. Haze / smoke is also in use.
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