Zac James on Equity

Zac James is a Wongi, Yamatji and Murri man, actor and theatre maker. This is his eloquent take on Equity*:

Equitable change, it’s a mouth full.

For a very long time, theatre has been the place to share stories, to stage our issues. To shed a light on the grim underbelly pinning our collective societies and, for a long time, there has been a drive for equality within that space. Equality without equity however lead to tokenistic gestures and unsafe spaces for more vulnerable minorities.

For Aboriginal people, for myself, as a proud Aboriginal man, theatre of the 21st Century has been a mixture of trauma, dispossession and caricatures of our beings.

For Aboriginal people, for myself, as a proud Aboriginal man, theatre of the 21 ^st Century has been a mixture of trauma, dispossession and caricatures of our beings. Oftentimes written by people that were not even First Nations. Yet there is change, a slow ripple that is growing into a chasm. A gaping hole that is being filled with our voices, full bodied, proud and triumphant.

Equity is making the space for people to tell their stories the way they are intended to be. To empower and enrich our families, our friends, the people we’re born to create art for. This change is power and it’s a welcome one.

* Zac’s words were first published in our fifth journal, Equity. 100% of all revenue generated through journal sales will be distributed to First Nations community projects through TheFulcrum.Fund. ⁠Copies can be purchased here .