Based on a true story, new production Kill The Messenger explores observations made about institutionalised racism towards indigenous Australians from the perspective ofNakkiah Lui.
In her home town of Mt Druitt, Lui observed a man in extreme pain with an undiagnosed stomach cancer. Seeking care from the hospital, the man was refused treatment under the suspicion of using drugs, attributed partly to his indigenous heritage. Consequently, the man committed suicide in a nearby park.
Outraged by her observations, the fiercely intelligent and witty law student began writing a play in protest. Just one year later, Lui’s grandmother fell through a hole in the floor of her publlic housing home. She too died resulting from a lack of attention from theAboriginal Housing Office.
Finding herself into the middle of these stories, Lui finds her voice in an attempt to out institutionalised racism and ingrained attitudes in the events occuring around her.
Possibly the most fitting candidate to fill the role, Lui plays herself – making her debut on the professional stage.
Kill The Messenger will run from Saturday February 14 to Sunday March 8 at Belvoir Street Theatre, tickets can be purchased from the website for $70.
