No Sugar (play)
Encyclopedia
No Sugar is a play written by Jack Davis
which is intended to expose Australia
n racism
. It is a story set during the Great Depression
, in Northam, Western Australia
, Moore River Native Settlement
and Perth
. The play focuses on the Millimurras, an Australian Aboriginal family and their attempts at subsistence.
The play explores the marginalisation of women and Aborigines within 1920s and 1930s Australian society. The pivotal themes in the play include racism, white empowerment/superiority, Aboriginal disempowerment, the materialistic values held by the white Australians, Aboriginal dependency on whites and the value held by the Aborigines of family.
A. O. Neville
, the Chief Protector of Aborigines
during the period in which the play is set, appears as a character.
The play was first performed by the Playhouse Company in association with the Australian Theatre Trust, for the Festival of Perth on 18 February 1985.
Gran Munday, Jimmy's mother, a traditional Aboriginal woman, she dislikes the new 'white mans' ways and strongly believes in the importance of family. She is the matriarch of the family and supports her son and daughter and grandchildren. Gran is a supporting character.
Milly Millimurra, Jimmy's sister, who has three children. She stands up for what she believes is right and does her best to care for her children. She dislikes being treated badly, but realises there is nothing she can do.
Sam Millimurra, Milly's husband. Frequently caught with Jimmy breaking the law but is not as outgoing and vocal as his brother-in-law. He understands that they are treated unequally, but really does nothing to try and stop it. He is a supporting character.
Joe Millimurra, Mary's love interest and Milly's eldest son
Cissie Millimurra , Milly's daughter
David Millimurra - Milly's youngest son
A. O. Neville
, Chief Protector of Aborigines
Miss Dunn, his secretary
Mr Neal, Superintendent of Moore River Native Settlement
Matron Neal, his wife, Matron of the hospital.
Sister Eileen, a Catholic
missionary
Sergeant Carrol, sergeant of the Northam Police
Constable Kerr, member of the Northam Police
Frank Brown, an unemployed farmer, who makes friends with Jimmy after agreeing to buy him alcohol.
Mary Dargurru, Joe's future wife, lives at settlement
Billy Kimberley, Black tracker
, an Aborigine working for Mr Neal. He enforces discipline against the other Aborigines and 'tracks' runaways. For this reason he is viewed by the Aborigines as something of a traitor or "black crow." Billy is caught between the white and black societies. His tribe was killed by whites and in order to survive he works under Mr Neal, but noticeably his policemans uniform is "ill-fitting".
Bluey, Black tracker
Topsy, Settlement girl, assisting Matron
Justice of the Peace, a farmer who sentences Frank Brown, Jimmy and Sam for alcohol abuse.
Jack Davis (playwright)
Jack Davis , was a notable Australian 20th Century playwright and poet, also an Indigenous rights campaigner. He was born in Western Australia, in the small town of Yarloop, and lived in Fremantle towards the end of his life. He was of the Aboriginal Noongar people, and much of his work dealt with...
which is intended to expose Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. It is a story set during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, in Northam, Western Australia
Northam, Western Australia
Northam is a town in Western Australia, situated at the confluence of the Avon and Mortlock Rivers, about north-east of Perth in the Avon Valley. At the 2006 census, Northam had a population of 6,009. Northam is the largest town in the Avon region...
, Moore River Native Settlement
Moore River Native Settlement
The Moore River Native Settlement was the name of the now defunct Aboriginal settlement and internment camp located north of Perth and west of Mogumber in Western Australia, near the headwaters of the Moore River.- Name change :...
and Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. The play focuses on the Millimurras, an Australian Aboriginal family and their attempts at subsistence.
The play explores the marginalisation of women and Aborigines within 1920s and 1930s Australian society. The pivotal themes in the play include racism, white empowerment/superiority, Aboriginal disempowerment, the materialistic values held by the white Australians, Aboriginal dependency on whites and the value held by the Aborigines of family.
A. O. Neville
A. O. Neville
Auber Octavius Neville was a public servant, notably Chief Protector of Aborigines, in Western Australia.-Early career:...
, the Chief Protector of Aborigines
Protector of Aborigines
The role of Protectors of Aborigines resulted from a recommendation of the report of the Select Committee of the House of Commons on Aborigines . On 31 January 1838, Lord Glenelg, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies sent Governor Gipps the report.The report recommended that Protectors of...
during the period in which the play is set, appears as a character.
The play was first performed by the Playhouse Company in association with the Australian Theatre Trust, for the Festival of Perth on 18 February 1985.
Perambulant model
The perambulant model is a technique used in drama to dislocate the audience involving multiple points of focus. Throughout No Sugar it is employed to convey a sense of displacement to the audience, representative of the isolation felt by the Aboriginal people unable and unwilling to assimilate to White Culture.Characters
Jimmy Munday, the protagonist, is an Aboriginal man who despises the fact he is not equal in society and is not regarded as a 'person' by the government. He has a heart condition which leads to his death after arguing with Mr Neville at the Australia Day celebrations.Gran Munday, Jimmy's mother, a traditional Aboriginal woman, she dislikes the new 'white mans' ways and strongly believes in the importance of family. She is the matriarch of the family and supports her son and daughter and grandchildren. Gran is a supporting character.
Milly Millimurra, Jimmy's sister, who has three children. She stands up for what she believes is right and does her best to care for her children. She dislikes being treated badly, but realises there is nothing she can do.
Sam Millimurra, Milly's husband. Frequently caught with Jimmy breaking the law but is not as outgoing and vocal as his brother-in-law. He understands that they are treated unequally, but really does nothing to try and stop it. He is a supporting character.
Joe Millimurra, Mary's love interest and Milly's eldest son
Cissie Millimurra , Milly's daughter
David Millimurra - Milly's youngest son
A. O. Neville
A. O. Neville
Auber Octavius Neville was a public servant, notably Chief Protector of Aborigines, in Western Australia.-Early career:...
, Chief Protector of Aborigines
Miss Dunn, his secretary
Mr Neal, Superintendent of Moore River Native Settlement
Moore River Native Settlement
The Moore River Native Settlement was the name of the now defunct Aboriginal settlement and internment camp located north of Perth and west of Mogumber in Western Australia, near the headwaters of the Moore River.- Name change :...
Matron Neal, his wife, Matron of the hospital.
Sister Eileen, a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
Sergeant Carrol, sergeant of the Northam Police
Constable Kerr, member of the Northam Police
Frank Brown, an unemployed farmer, who makes friends with Jimmy after agreeing to buy him alcohol.
Mary Dargurru, Joe's future wife, lives at settlement
Billy Kimberley, Black tracker
Aboriginal tracker
In the years following British settlement in Australia, aboriginal trackers or black trackers, as they became known, were enlisted by settlers to assist them in navigating their way through the Australian landscape...
, an Aborigine working for Mr Neal. He enforces discipline against the other Aborigines and 'tracks' runaways. For this reason he is viewed by the Aborigines as something of a traitor or "black crow." Billy is caught between the white and black societies. His tribe was killed by whites and in order to survive he works under Mr Neal, but noticeably his policemans uniform is "ill-fitting".
Bluey, Black tracker
Topsy, Settlement girl, assisting Matron
Justice of the Peace, a farmer who sentences Frank Brown, Jimmy and Sam for alcohol abuse.