Ian Michael on Commune

Ian Michael is an emerging director, actor and current 2022 Richard Wherrett Fellow at Sydney Theatre Company. We first connected with Ian through our support of a play he was directing at the Blue Room Theatre in Perth, and he was one of the first people who came to mind when we were thinking about contributors for our next journal. This is Ian Michael on Commune*:

I think of theatre. The gathering of people from places all over, people who press pause on their differences and sit in the dark and share that collective breath, their hearts beating in synchronisation, the moment of stillness before the applause erupts and the responsibility of artists who hold an audience and reflect the world, our histories and stories back to us.

As a Noongar man, I think deeply on the accountability to Elders, Community and family. From them I’ve learned and continue to learn about the values I carry with me, the role I play in the present and future and what it means to be a storyteller.