Six Aboriginal women have come together at a campsite in Yorta Yorta Country, gathered there by family matriarch Neecy (Roxanne McDonald), hoping to reconnect them with the land. There’s Wanda (Angeline Penrith), single mother to five; her sister Margie (Dalara Williams), cagey about her relationships; Carol (Tasma Walton), the only Aboriginal woman in senior management at a museum; and newcomer Jadah (Tuuli Narkle), a photographer there to document their gathering. There’s also teenager Chantelle (Dubs Yunupingu), who the others perceive as at risk, having had brushes with the law and currently embroiled in an abusive relationship.

The cast of Winyanboga Yurringa. Photos © Brett Boardman

Andrea James’ Winyanboga Yurringa (Yorta Yorta for ‘Women of the Sun’) was first seen at Carriageworks in 2016, originally a Belvoir commission that was conceived as a follow-up of sorts to SBS miniseries Women of the Sun. An adaptation of Hyllus Maris and Sonia Borg’s novel of the same name, the miniseries was regarded as ground-breaking for its exploration of Aboriginal womanhood through time, covering the 1820s, 1890s, 1930s and 1980s. James’ play takes place in the present day, and in this sensitively directed production by Anthea Williams, proves...