TNA's ATF 2015: Richard Frankland, Keynote Address
Channel: Australian Plays Transform
Date: 05/02/2015

At the 2015 Australian Theatre Forum in Sydney, singer/songwriter, author and film maker Richard Frankland shared his insights into the use of theatre for "collective healing" and the opportunities to address the burdon of "cultural load" that is experienced by Indigenous Australians.

"The arts is a wonderful tool that, if enabled, if properly resourced, Aboriginal and Islander people can contribute to the cultural tapestry of this country in ways that are unimaginable."  

Richard J. Frankland is one of Australia’s most experienced Aboriginal singer/songwriters, authors, poets and filmmakers. He is regarded by the various industries he works in as a polymath. His theatre works include Conversations with the Dead and, most recently, Walking into the Bigness, which premiered at Malthouse Theatre in August 2014. Richard has worked on the frontline of Indigenous issues for the past 25 years and his projects encompass community capacity building, ranging from organisation establishment, community capacity building, preventative violence workshops, healing circle establishment and cultural immersion programs. Richard’s aim has been to facilitate the voice of Indigenous Australians and bridge the gap between black and white.
 
Video clips referenced in this keynote courtesy of Koorreen Enterprises (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5esN-BYn4Q), Chamber Made Opera (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8pLrzlrTF4) and Malthouse Theatre (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKjnf7kQ7GM).

SEE ALSO:
http://www.richardfrankland.com.au/
http://www.australiantheatreforum.com.au/
http://australianplays.org/blakstage