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Zindzi: I was really drawn to all of those things. But also the Greek nature of it. I love Greek tragedies in the way that they deal with epic proportions β of violence, sex, premonitions and fate. And they are always about families and the domestic. For Aleshea to put a Black lens on that is super clever. When you read the play, you can really feel it. Sometimes the letters are all over the page.
And that might be a provocation to go into some deep emotional state. Aleshea gives the actors choices β really bizarre, big choices β which you might not instinctively make on your own. Shari: Aleshea gives a reader as close as possible to a theatrical experience through the page. She encourages the reader to use their imagination. Zindzi: The play is a mash-up of Western and Greek tragedy, but in a new, fresh take because it features the Black experience.
Within those genres, we see the epic nature of violence and death. The way the play draws inspiration from those two genres is really helpful for tone. It tells us that it's not naturalistic and we need to have fun with it. Shari: It also forces you to question who those stories are usually reserved for β who usually gets to perform those epic genres and stories out on stage?
In this world, Aleshea was very deliberate in putting the Black experience on stage and asking who gets to own the human experience. Zindzi: In recent history, Sydney Theatre Company has begun programming work that centres the Black experience. I am really proud to be part of this juncture in history in which the theatre industry is finally recognising the vitality and importance of stories like Is God Is. We bring so much of ourselves to the production. I also get to be part of that, because this is part of my experience.
