swim is the debut work for the stage by Mununjali poet Ellen van Neerven, one of Australia’s finest and most awarded writers.
Sizzling hot concrete. Rainbow towels on half-dead grass. On a hot summer’s day, bodies of all shapes, colours and sizes journey to the public pool longing to do one thing…
Genderfluid protagonist E negotiates the space between the men’s and women’s change rooms. They flex in front of the cute pool attendant. As they step onto the diving blocks, the words of their Aunty come to them — and suddenly, the crystalline blue tiles give way to much deeper water.
swim is delicate and tough, honest and achingly beautiful — and it muses on everything from the sovereignty of water to gender identity and the binding strength of culture and family. Told with cheek and heart by Baad/Yawuru performer Dani Sibosado (Bran Nue Dae), Griffin Theatre Company is proud to premiere this work on Gadigal Land at Carriageworks before it travels to HotHouse Theatre in Albury Wodonga.
Don your goggles and get ready to hit the fast lane.
swim contains spoken descriptions of child abuse, grooming, transphobia and racism. The play also contains references to sexism, sexual abuse, suicide, self-harm and violence. The production makes use of haze.
This special performance of swim is accompanied by a pre-show conversation with the author of the play, Ellen van Neerven.
