It’s over 30 years since I began the process of writing Stolen. Stolen, for me, began with a small ad in the newspaper in 1991: “writer/ researcher wanted for production of The Lost Children, no experience necessary”. That ad changed my life. It was an opportunity to learn how to write a play, but it was more an opportunity for me to explore my own Aboriginal heritage. I had grown up with an  Aboriginal mother and had always known I was Aboriginal but was not connected to extended family or community.

What followed was six years of discovery. I read everything I could about the Stolen Generations, met with community, workshopped scenes with the members of Ilbijerri, some of whom were stolen themselves. I learnt of the heartbreak and intergenerational trauma of the Stolen Generations, but also the burning desire to come back ‘home’ to family, place and culture. My brief was to tell many stories, not just one, and to not depict Aboriginal people as all having the same experiences. It was a huge privilege and responsibility to be the conduit for the telling of this story and I was supported throughout the writing process by Ilbijerri and all of the actors who workshopped the play throughout those years. We premiered the play the year after the Bringing Them Home report was delivered and the wider public was becoming aware of this terrible period of our shared history. People were shocked and upset – rightly so. The play was an immediate success – a bittersweet experience for all of us.

Since then the play has been performed around Australia and in other parts of the world including Hong Kong, Japan, UK and with readings in New York and Canada. The play has been placed on English and Drama curricula and it is heartening to know that younger generations get to know and understand about this story, as its impacts are still being felt today. In fact, First Nations children are still being removed from their families at much higher rates than the non-Indigenous population, which should shock and dismay us all.

To have a new production almost 20 years after its premiere is amazing but again, the feeling is bittersweet, as it means that this story has resonance at this time. I have been blessed with amazing directors, cast and crew in the telling of this story – the director and cast bring their own rich lived experience to the storytelling and I am again so grateful for this glorious team and thank them for their commitment and craft in allowing an audience to witness this narrative. I thank audiences for opening their hearts and minds, and, in doing so, in a small but symbolic way, paving the way for better future outcomes for First Nations people in our country.