No Sugar was groundbreaking for Australian theater: it was one of the first major works written, directed, and performed by Indigenous artists (first produced by the Australian National Playwrights’ Conference, directed by Andrew Ross, with an all-Noongar cast). It reclaims narrative authority from the “Aborigines Welfare Board” archives and demands the audience witness systemic violence without flinching.
Set in the 1930s, the play follows the Millimurra family, Noongar people from Western Australia, as they face the harsh realities of the Great Depression and ongoing government control. Forced from their land, they are moved to a ration depot at Moore River Native Settlement—a real mission modeled on the notorious “native settlements” where Indigenous people were subjected to colonial oversight, harsh discipline, and forced labor. The title refers to the denial of basic supplies like sugar, symbolizing the deprivation and control over Indigenous lives. jack davis no sugar pdf
No Sugar (1985) is a powerful Australian play by Jack Davis, a prominent Indigenous playwright, poet, and activist. It is the second work in his “First Born” trilogy (following The Dreamers and preceding Barungin ). Here’s a detailed critical review: No Sugar was groundbreaking for Australian theater: it
★★★★½ (4.5/5) – Essential reading for Australian literature, postcolonial studies, and anyone interested in First Nations theater. Forced from their land, they are moved to