Theatre has the power to emotionally empower audiences, introduce them to new ideas, and send out messages to both members of a cultural group, and simultaneously those outside that group. As part of many ongoing initiatives by Queensland Theatre over the years, a greater emphasis has been put on telling the stories by First Nations playwrights, creatives and actors. The latest, which just finished its season at the Billie Brown Theatre in Brisbane, was Dear Brother.
While the premiere season has now concluded, we have had the privilege to ask Lenny Donahue, one of the co-creators of and actor in Dear Brother, a few questions around the historical inspiration, creative process, presentation of and aspirations of the production.
Lenny Donahue, a descendant of the Djabugay people from Far North Queensland, has an extensive background in acting and performance, including work with Digi Youth Arts and Country Arts WA. He has performed at major cultural events like Sydney Opera House’s Homeground and Woodford Folk Festival, and holds an Advanced Diploma from the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts. In 2016, Lenny represented Australia as a delegate at the Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam.
Please read on for our full Q&A, complemented by imagery from the production:
Can you share a bit about yourselves and the journey that led to the creation and production of Dear Brother?
I’m Lenny Donahue, a proud djabugandji dayal from Kuranda and Mareeba. Tibian and myself first met at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts, where we formed a dance known as eXcelsior alongside fellow ACPA alumni Benjin Maza, Jeremy Ambrum, Joshua Thaiday, Benjamin Creek, Manduway Dutton and Sydney Narrier. In 2018 Blakdance approached us about applying for funding to have a creative development, once we were in the creative space we all agreed that the creation of this work should be a full-length production that we should bring to stage. Using the various topics of mental health, intergenerational trauma, masculinity, racism, deaths in custody. Also, we wanted to acknowledge and pay homage to all the great people in our life that played a significant role either in our personal or professional lives.
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on First Nations storytelling in arts organisations, such as Queensland Theatre establishing a Head of First Nations Theatre. What are your thoughts on this trend, how does Dear Brother contribute to this movement, and what do you hope both First Nations and broader audiences take away from your work?
This is a great opportunity to allow first nation artists to tell first nation stories, using a form of storytelling that has been within our blood for over 65,000 years. Dear Brother allows the audience to see what we as indigenous men go through trying to survive within these two worlds that is today’s society. We would like our audience to have a better understanding of what it’s like to be black fellas navigating the world which we walk in.
One thing Dear Brother pitches itself as doing, is challenging the public perceptions of “Aboriginal masculinity”. Can you talk to how this work explores these perceptions?
The exploration of this work and finding Aboriginal masculinity, stems from the relationships we have with the male figures not only within our lives but friends and family, being dads, grandfathers, uncles and brothers. Showing the vulnerability of these characters within our production and how each one of them is nurtured to become the man they want to be. Another thing we would like the audience to take away is being able to see themselves or someone they know that is represented in our work.
Dear Brother is set to weave together dance, music, and poetry into its narrative. How did you decide to use this mix of mediums, and in what ways do they enhance the storytelling?
Throughout our performances with eXcelsior we always played with integrating these elements of storytelling, as we all did not major in dancing whilst at ACPA, we either graduated as actors and musicians yet dancing has always been a big part of our background. And it all came naturally for us as this form has been used for thousands and thousands of years.
The concept of masculinity is set to be central to Dear Brother, but the play also aims to focus on themes like brotherhood, escape, and connection. How do you balance these themes to create a multi-layered experience for the audience?
The themes are balanced out by allowing each character to have these experiences at some point within this story, whether it being masculinity, escape from today’s reality, racism, connection and vulnerability. And the drive of these themes comes from our own experience or even friends and family. This story is based upon indigenous men, but the story can also be perceived as being universal as the audience can connect to similar story lines of the characters.
What has your experience been like working with BlakDance, Queensland Theatre, and Brisbane Festival to bring this season of Dear Brother to life on-stage, alongside your collaboration with the creative team?
All organizations have been great and really supportive to bring this project to life. Blakdance has been our major support with producing our earlier creative developments and exploring the topics we wanted to bring to life on stage. Queensland Theatre played a major role in seeing our vision of the project and taking a chance to give us the opportunity to present our show as a world premiere at the Brisbane festival.
How have audiences responded to Dear Brother, and has their feedback surprised you in any way?
The feedback from the audience has been positively great, our message was received well and the audience connected to the characters. Either seeing themselves or someone they know through the story. And it’s a story that is needed today.
What has been a highlight of your work on Dear Brother so far?
The highlight for me so far has been the fact that I co – wrote the show and performed in it alongside the remarkable talent of Tibian Wyles, Benjin Maza and Kelton Pell. And knowing that our story is making an impact for the next generation.
What advice would you give to those who aspire to follow a similar path and enter the performing arts industry?
I would say just keep working towards your dreams and ambition, if you have a goal take your shot. One thing we always wanted to do was create work not only for ourselves but the next generation of storytellers.
What are your plans, hopes and/or aspirations for Dear Brother going forward?
We plan on and hope to tour the show back to our homes and communities we come from in Queensland, but also a national tour would be great as this work speaks to all men. Our other plans to try and pitch it as a film or tv series.
While this was Lenny Donahue’s Queensland Theatre debut. Here’s hoping we see them and their works creating, contributing to and/or performing in future works soon. We would like to sincerely give them thanks for their time and insight during a busy time for them, to respond to our questions.
While Dear Brother has unfortunately concluded its Queensland Theatre season, the second of two First Nations works presented by Queensland Theatre this year, there is more to come in the space coming 2025 and beyond. The 2025 season is set to feature Dear Son, which is based on the letters of 12 men from the community, each writing to their son, father or nephew – with works contributed by Stan Grant, Troy Cassar-Daley, Johnny Liddle, and more. I would also like to pass on my thanks to Queensland Theatre and the publicity team at IVY PR for facilitating this opportunity.
This is on-top of it being a year of development, as 2025 will see Queensland Theatre spotlight new works through their First Nations Development Program and offer a design-focused Professional Development Program to empower a range of artists from the communities. Additionally, they are launching the Creative in Cairns initiative, which will celebrate the region’s natural beauty and cultural significance, while supporting the creation of stories that connect to the deep history and traditions drawing from millennia of experiences and storytelling.
