Shakespeare on the Noongar Stage: Language Revival and Hecate

Hecate is the first adaptation of a complete Shakespeare play in one Aboriginal language of Australia. Performed entirely in Noongar language, this retelling of a well-known yarn about a Scottish king is a landmark work of both theatre and language restoration. Impacted by colonialism and suppressed until the 1970s, the Noongar language of the southwest of Western Australia is endangered, yet it thrives here in this work, adapted by Kylie Bracknell, performed by a full Noongar cast, and presented at Perth Festival, 2020. Shakespeare on the Noongar Stage contains the complete play, accompanied by a glossary and three chapters outlining the process of developing and creating a professional stage production with a cast who became both language learners and performers, and where song was at the heart of their success. This dazzling project is brought to life in an accessible book designed to inspire language recovery and restoration in Australia during the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032).