Tonight marks the debut of Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly), a new work that's "confronting" yet weaves in "big joy" by First Nations artist Kirli Saunders.
On from Thursday to Saturday at Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC), Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly) is the result of five years of development work through MerrigongX. The show champions the strength and healing of First Nations women.
“It’s about connection to country and kin and our ways being an antidote to the bigness of life,” Kirli says.
“First and foremost, this show is written for women, it's for Blak women and Blak queer women, it's for our community. It’s also for our allies, for people who want to be on this journey with us.
“It's a work that holds space for survivors and for the weight of confronting the violence and racism and sexism that our mob face. There's some pretty heavy themes in there, but woven in with the grief and rage there is joy, big joy.”
Kirli is a proud Gunai woman with ties to Dharawal country. She is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates to connect and make change. Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly) draws on Kirli’s books, Returning (Magabala, 2023), and Eclipse (Allen & Unwin, 2025). The work includes songs from her music project, Cooee.
“This show culminates all of these stories, mixed in with personal anecdotes from the last five years, talking about how connection to country has been the balm and the blessing to everything that’s happened in the world in that time,” Kirli says.
“People can expect anecdotes, songs, poetry… they can expect to laugh and be challenged in their ideas and to be encouraged to stand beside us.
“I hope for the mob watching that they feel really seen and mirrored back and understood, because so often Blak stories don't get to find their way onto the stage, especially developing stories.”
Kirli is a member of Merrigong’s First Nations Advisory Council and has previously been a board member there. She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2022 for her contribution to the arts.
“I’ve been working with Merrigong for a while, building relationships with them and supporting them on their engagement with First Nations people,” Kirli says.
“I think [the work] grew out of that – this beautiful creative mentorship and the encouragement to put my story on stage.
“That's the magic of MerrigongX – they take stories in their emerging stages and give them a home and a way to unfurl, in a way that's meaningful and helps you find a way to tell your story more effectively as the work develops.”
MerrigongX aims to provide independent artists the resources needed to produce high-quality theatre. Artists are given the chance to develop their work alongside other emerging creatives, and to bring powerful and innovative ideas to the stage.
“I’m stating personal stories in Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly),” Kirli says.
“Sometimes I was thinking ‘Who is going to want to hear about what it’s like to be a survivor, or experience racism when you go to the supermarket, or the kind of nitty-gritty everyday life of a Blak queer woman?
“But Leland [Kean, the show's director] has been really beautiful in constantly reminding me that so many people hold these stories. Something like 2.8 million women are survivors, and that's just the people who report it. And then 3% of the population is mob – so there are stories here that will really feel relevant to people.
“So every time I run into that fear where my very vulnerable personal experiences are up on stage, I keep feeling empowered to tell that story because there's so many of us who never get the chance to.”
Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly) brings together the talents of Leland Kean (director and production designer), Tad Souden (cinematographer), Corey Potter (lighting designer), Dominic Hinton (vision and sound realiser) and Mark Chester Harding, Kirli’s co-writer in Cooee and the show’s score producer.
“The team is amazing – it's been really nice working with them,” Kirli says.
“All of the sisters in the community who danced in the show – they’re in the video that Tad's taken, we spent time on country filming with some local aunts and sissies and little ones.
“You're going to see some of my mob, my family and friends up there on stage, you're going to see the power of women. And the importance of country and culture and kin being the thing that keeps us all going and will carry us into this new chapter.”
Yandha Djanbay (Go Slowly) will be at IPAC from Thursday, February 20 to Saturday, February 22, starting at 7.30pm. It is a MerrigongX show, so there is no set ticket price. Audiences can reserve a spot online, then pay what they feel the performance is worth after seeing it. The show runs for 60 minutes without an interval and is suitable for ages 16 and up.
Kirli’s book Eclipse is set to launch with Collins Booksellers Thirroul at Ryans Hotel on March 19. Local poet Dr Tamryn Bennett will yarn with Kirli about the work and Mark Chester Harding will offer a musical performance.
