2.5

It is through the set that the audience discovers, in all its entirity, what a unique Australian identity is; that is, what it really means to be Australian. The set is a gateway to how the playwright challenges the way stereotypical Australian characters and ideas are expressed. The set is a depiction of the// themes and issues // that are relevant to understanding the play. //Through// the use of minimal props and symbolic set, //ideas can be communicated to the// audience //more effectively//. In the play //The Seven Stages of Grieving // by Wesley Enoch and Deborah Mailman, symbolic set pieces, such as, the playwright utilises the use of words to evoke emotion through the audience, the use of images in the background projected on the screen to symbolise a clear assimilation process and the use of music where the audience is confronted with Aboriginal issues and concerns. Another major example of symbolism in the play is in the prologue where there is a large block of ice suspended by seven strong ropes in the background. It is melting, dripping onto a freshly turned grave of red earth. The dripping water from the block of ice is symbolic of the tears of a ‘weeping rock’ that are falling onto their spiritual lands. The seven ropes suspending it in the air are symbolic of the seven stages of Aboriginal history; Dreaming, Invasion, Genocide, Protection, Assimilation, Self Determination and Reconciliation. During this scene, an atmosphere is created for the audience where they start to think about what the scene may be foreboding or revealing about any proceeding scenes. The symbolism in this scene is, very much so, a way for the playwright to establish the groundwork for what the play is going to be about, it is useful to the audience as a reference point for what the storyline is going to entail. The set is therefore a way of making the audience realise that there is much more to things than just looking at them at face value. The fact that they are depictions of Aboriginal history means that they are distinctly an Australian image. They are interesting because they portray the many different aspects of Aboriginal history, but also, the continuing struggle for equality. The images depicted in this particular type of Australian theatre, that is, relevant to a contemporary audience, are interesting because they represent the suffrage, accomplishments and triumphs of the Aboriginal people. The set is a portrayal of what the composer wants to communicate to the audience which reflects what they feel about issues like these such as equality, persecution and hegemony. The set, along with the props and images on the stage, portray a clear message that Australian images in plays are important as well as their accompanying ideas. This message is commonly used throughout Australian plays, such as //Ruby Moon// by Matt Cameron and the previously mentioned //The Seven Stages of Grieving//. Messages like these tell the audience what to believe by manipulating what they want them to feel in terms of Aboriginal culture and its subsequent effects.