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The National Black Theatre was a theatre company run by a small but dedicated group of Aboriginal...

The National Black Theatre was a theatre company run by a small but dedicated group of Aboriginal people based in the Sydney suburb of Redfern. The original concept for the theatre grew out of political struggles, especially the land rights demonstrations which at the time were being organised by the Black Moratorium Committee. The centre held workshops in modern dancing, tribal dancing, writing for theatre, karate and photography, and provided a venue for new Aboriginal drama. It also ran drama classes under Brian Syron who conducted the first of a planned series of six week fulltime workshops for his students who included Jack Davis, Freddie Reynolds, Maureen Watson, Lillian Crombie, and Hyllus Maris. These people went on to become household names in the Aboriginal community for their work in the Australian theatre and film industries. Street theatre was well organised by the Aboriginal community in Redfern by 1972 as a form of political action. Its value in publicising issues was used to support many protests and rallies in the early 70s. Gary Foley recalls one action to support the establishment of a legal service. Informal and formal theatrical performances were staged to