A great human howl for the damage done to earth, this world premiere from acclaimed dance theatre company Marrugeku brings a haunting speculative future to life.
Envisioned in dialogue with Yawuru and Bardi custodians, choreographer Dalisa Pigram and director Rachel Swain’s latest work draws on a powerhouse ensemble of Indigenous and settler-diasporic performers from Australia, South East Asia and Melanesia to question the cost of survival.
Set in a time of great middens and drowned Country, Ngurragabu [from the last night/next/tomorrow] catapults audiences into visual artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s monumental petrified mangrove forest, inspired by past-future archipelagos connecting northern Australia to east Indonesia.
Techno-futurist music, immersive projections and a stunning set create a world unlike any other, where every movement asks how we might live differently with one another – and with the planet.
Urgent without losing hope, Ngurragabu rewilds the future as a place of radical possibility.
NGURRAGABU DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE
Stage 1: creative development
Broome, April 2025
Stage 2: creative development
Carriageworks, Sydney
Nov/Dec 2025
Stage 3: creative development and community sharing
Broome, May/June 2026
Final Development and Premiere
Dec/Jan 2027
Concept: Dalisa Pigram and Rachael Swain with Patrick Dodson
Choreographer: Dalisa Pigram
Director: Rachael Swain
Created with and performed by:
Zachary Lopez, Gusta Mara, Stanley Nalo, Jada Narkle, Darci O’Rourke, Taj Pigram, Bhenji Ra, Syarifuddin Sahari and Zee Zunnur. Understudy: Malati Angus
Cultural Dramaturg: Patrick Dodson
Dramaturg: Hildegard de Vuyst
Landscape Futurists/Researchers: REALMstudios (Cate Wallace, Damien Pericles and Maximiliano Olivares Croxatto)
Composer: Corin Ileto
Additional music: Daniel Nuhan
Sound Designer: Michael Toisuta
Set Designer: Abdul-Rahman Abdullah
Costume Designer: Matthew Stegh
Digital Media Designer: Sohan Ariel Hayes
Lighting Designer: Damien Cooper
Associate Lighting Designer: Eben Love
Cultural Knowledge Circle: Bolo Angus (Bardi), Malati Angus (Bardi), Dianne Appleby (Yawuru), Theresa Ardler (Gweagal, Gadigal and Bidjigal), Bibido McCarthy (Bardi Jawi), Bart Pigram (Yawuru), Lloyd Pigram (Yawuru).
Song (Loorreen): Lullumb recorded by Bolo Angus and Malati Angus
Production:
Technical Director: Mitchell Dunn (FreeFlow Projects), Mike Smith (Sep 2025 – May 2026)
Production Manager: Meredith Rehberg
Stage Manager: Abby Dinger
Audio and Video Technician: Raine Paul
Lighting Technician: Eben Love
Company Manager: Denise Wilson
Computational Design & Circular Research Consultants: Arch_Manu / UNSW
Computational Design and Scenic Fabrication: Composite.Sydney (Richard Blackwell, Max Melamed, Louis Lamont)
Costume Assistants: Araks Nazarian and Ash Kok
LiDAR capture: Pete Hill
Produced by Marrugeku
Executive Producer: Michaela Coventry
Creative Producer: Natalie Smith
Producer (Nov 2025 – March 2026): Hazem Shammas
