Details

The Cherry Pickers was written by the Aboriginal rights activist, poet and writer Kevin Gilbert in 1968. Told by a group of itinerant cherry pickers, this landmark piece chronicles survival, describing a world in which the Aboriginal people live on the fringes of society, facing discrimination, left to scratch out a living in the land that was once theirs. Challenging the received (and often white) wisdom about the indigenous people, this play starkly indicts welfare dependency, and asks how a rich and ancient culture can survive amid economic disadvantage. Gilbert insisted that the play be performed only by an all-Aboriginal cast; he didn't live to see the first full production of the text in 1994, now considered a modern classic.

Cast/Performers

Wayne Blair, George Bostock, Luke Caroll, Elaine Crombie, Lillian Crombie, Margaret Harvey, David Page, Tessa Rose, Pauline Whyman

Creatives/Company

Author: Kevin Gilbert
Company: Sydney Theatre Company
Director: Wesley Enoch
Design: Stephanie Blake
Lighting: Mark Pennington
Music: Wayne Freer