By Isobel Morphy-Walsh
Directed by Dr Rachael Maza (2024 Premiere Production)
& Andrea James (2026 Remount Production & National Tour)

Step into a powerful story of culture, memory and healing in this moving new theatre work from ILBIJERRI Theatre Company.

Murrun has returned to the watering hole. The same one Aunty Aggie used to take her to. The sacred one. Present and past collide. There she meets her old friend Gunawarra. The Black Swan. And there ensues their story. One of continuation of culture, creation and stories of Blak women’s healing.

Gunawarra Re-Creation by Taun Wurrung writer Isobel Morphy-Walsh is a contemporary play that explores the continuation of culture through stories passed down between three generations of women.

Adapting its narrative from the traditional Kulin story of Gunawarra – the black swan, and how they came to have black feathers – the work is set on Taungurung Country and traverses Blak women’s strength, survival and healing in a profoundly emotive production.

“[Gunawarra] deals with creation stories. It deals with Taun Warrung (Taungurung) cultural, spiritual and religious beliefs. It also deals with the experience of violence to female bodies and the recovery from that violence. It has conversations about Stolen Generations and the way in which their trauma can be passed on to the next generation … To see my culture. To hear my language. To see my traditional dance on a mainstage is beyond my wildest dreams and beyond my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Telling this story has been a gift. Weaving creation stories with narratives of today are vital in understanding who I am and the culture I come from.” Isobel Morphy-Walsh

Following an acclaimed premiere season of Blak in the Room at Melbourne Theatre Company, experience this powerful and deeply moving work when it comes to QPAC as part of its 2026 national tour.

Gunawarra Re-Creation is part of Clancestry. Find out more about Clancestry.