Rhoda Roberts in My Cousin Frank is powerful, enlightening and entertaining. My Cousin Frank is an unmissable experience with one of Australia’s greatest artistic and cultural leaders, Rhoda Roberts AO. Join Rhoda in a special evening of personal storytelling as she shares tales of her first cousin Frank, a boxing champion – who was the first Aboriginal Olympian – and the irrepressible Roberts family of Lismore.
‘These are important stories about the places we call home, our shared past, and aspirations for a better tomorrow,’ says Roberts. ‘The Roberts fighting family of Lismore story is set in a time where poverty and authoritarian control ruled, enforced by the government’s Aborigines Protection Board policies. Through the richness of love and the Roberts work ethic, Frank rose above this and was the pinnacle of athletic achievement entering the new world of the Olympic Games.
‘I am so proud to be telling an element of our family story.’
Directed by Kirk Page, Rhoda brings the fighting spirit of Frank and her mob to life on stage with My Cousin Frank as she recalls a family’s journey from the tumultuous era of dispersal and silence to navigating a world controlled by government policy.
Rhoda Roberts AO is a Widjabul Wia-bal woman of the Bundjalung nation. She is an award-winning producer, artistic director, journalist, broadcaster, actor and arts advisor. Amongst her many achievements Rhoda co-founded Australia’s first national Aboriginal theatre company, was the first Aboriginal presenter on prime-time TV, founded and directed the Festival of Dreaming and was Head of First Nations Programming for the Sydney Opera House. Roberts was awarded an Order of Australia in 2016 for distinguished service to the performing arts.
Rhoda is NORPA’s Creative Director of First Nations.
My Cousin Frank with Rhoda Roberts – Saturday, 24 August at Star Court Theatre Lismore. Friday 30 and Saturday 31 August at Byron Theatre. Tickets at www.norpa.org.au.
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