THE STORY

When Jackie began the development process of the Honouring in 2017, they experienced a deep heaviness. The process was re-opening Jackies trauma wounds. It was emotionally unsustainable, traumatic, and morbid. Jackie realised that to able to deliver a meaningful outcome - a work that would be safe, and of benefit to the Indigenous community to witness and absorb, they would need to shift their approach in creative inquiry. Over a two-year period of creative developments, Jackie problem solved how to use the project to facilitate closure - a method of purging and healing. Out of a history of forbidden traditional grieving came A re-creation of Ceremony. The process became intentional, and included pulling together a team who were not only brilliant in their respective professions, but who could all hold space for and support each other. By closing night of the world season premiere of The Honouring, at Yirramboi Fest 2019, Jackie felt that much of the wounds had now become scabs. They felt a deep sense of catharsis. In addition, the feedback from the local Blak & broader community about how the show impacted them, was affirming, positive and profound. 

Jackie reflects on a two-and-a-half-year journey through the pandemic, having grown and shaped how they engage with the craft of storytelling and embodied practices - facilitating safe community spaces for creative reflection. The Honouring was the catalyst for this. It was the beginning of a much larger picture which has directly impacted diverse community spaces in multifaceted ways.

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The Honouring represent more than the story itself, it symbolizes a commitment to, and an unfolding of community, healing, ritual and expression.

The Honouring has been programmed for a remount in FRAME Festival, at Arts House, Narrm/Melbourne in March 2023. More details to come.

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