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Gaban by Brook Andrew at the VCA. Under violet light, a projected face looms across marble-panelled walls as Miela Anich as Memory stands barefoot on an earth mound among white museum plinths, one bearing a chained black boulder.
Gaban by Brook Andrew at the VCA. Under violet light, a projected face looms across marble-panelled walls as Miela Anich as Memory stands barefoot on an earth mound among white museum plinths, one bearing a chained black boulder.

Gaban

Gaban

by Brook Andrew

by Brook Andrew

Brook Andrew's post-dramatic play Gaban, meaning "strange" in Wiradjuri, delves into the complex legacy of cultural imperialism and colonisation perpetuated by anthropological museums worldwide. Through interlinked stories of Powerful Objects, personified cultural artifacts in colonial collections, and characters embodying the museum's institutional power, the play explores the re-awakening of ancestral memories and the colonial fall-out.

Designed during my masters studies at the Victorian College of the Arts, the scenography for this premiere production sought to ground the post-dramatic, abstracted work within the physical parameters of a black box studio theatre. Drawing inspiration from the historical legacy of museums as sites of colonisation and cultural control, the set design reflected the stark, impersonal architecture of a contemporary museum, with marble-textured floors and walls nodding to the refinement of colonised lands into symbols of imperial wealth and dominance. A corner staging configuration and wraparound levels maximised the modest space, accommodating 12 performers and supporting the play's staging needs.

Role

Set & Costume Designer

Producer

VCA School of Theatre

Venue

Studio 4

Collaborators

Director: Budi Miller
Lighting Designer: Ikshvak Sobti
Sound Designer: Jack Burmeister
Vision Designer: Océane Federow-Yemm

Photography: Drew Echberg

The full set in open light: marble-veined floor and corner walls, white circular plinths displaying a chained boulder and a hessian-covered mound, with Ella Ferris as Photo, Guy Knowler as Massacre and the cast spread across the space.
The full set in open light: marble-veined floor and corner walls, white circular plinths displaying a chained boulder and a hessian-covered mound, with Ella Ferris as Photo, Guy Knowler as Massacre and the cast spread across the space.
Ella Ferris as Photo, barefoot in a torn one-shouldered shift, sits on the chained boulder watching Guy Knowler as Massacre, in a slouch hat, braces, wool breeches and riding boots, holding a bottle.
Ella Ferris as Photo, barefoot in a torn one-shouldered shift, sits on the chained boulder watching Guy Knowler as Massacre, in a slouch hat, braces, wool breeches and riding boots, holding a bottle.
Miela Anich as Memory, in a white broderie nightgown, speaks centre stage as Wiradjuri and English text is projected over a starry sky on the walls, the cast watching from plinths and steps.
Miela Anich as Memory, in a white broderie nightgown, speaks centre stage as Wiradjuri and English text is projected over a starry sky on the walls, the cast watching from plinths and steps.
Guy Knowler as Massacre, shirt bloodied, grins over a rifle at Gabriel Cali as Witness, lying in long johns in a pool of stage blood, while Ella Ferris as Photo kneels beside him.
Guy Knowler as Massacre, shirt bloodied, grins over a rifle at Gabriel Cali as Witness, lying in long johns in a pool of stage blood, while Ella Ferris as Photo kneels beside him.
Miela Anich as Memory kneels on the earth mound wrapped in hessian, beneath a projected line in English and Wiradjuri, while Ella Ferris as Photo sits on the boulder behind.
Miela Anich as Memory kneels on the earth mound wrapped in hessian, beneath a projected line in English and Wiradjuri, while Ella Ferris as Photo sits on the boulder behind.
Nicola Ingram as Tree, in a stained, torn linen dress, headphones around her neck and wounds painted on her arms, laughs with arms open before a projected forest, Guy Knowler as Massacre seated behind.
Nicola Ingram as Tree, in a stained, torn linen dress, headphones around her neck and wounds painted on her arms, laughs with arms open before a projected forest, Guy Knowler as Massacre seated behind.
Nicola Ingram as Tree leans against a bare tree trunk on a plinth, eyes closed, while Aram Geleris as Museum, in a frock coat, and Frazer Shepherdson as Judge, with a clipboard, stand on the marble steps.
Nicola Ingram as Tree leans against a bare tree trunk on a plinth, eyes closed, while Aram Geleris as Museum, in a frock coat, and Frazer Shepherdson as Judge, with a clipboard, stand on the marble steps.
Under red light, Gabriel Cali as Witness lies on the marble floor with Ella Ferris as Photo kneeling by him, as Guy Knowler as Massacre levels a rifle and Endrico Botha as Guilt, in a balaclava, and Cassidy Dunn as Evidence, in a ruff, look on.
Under red light, Gabriel Cali as Witness lies on the marble floor with Ella Ferris as Photo kneeling by him, as Guy Knowler as Massacre levels a rifle and Endrico Botha as Guilt, in a balaclava, and Cassidy Dunn as Evidence, in a ruff, look on.

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© Casey Harper-Wood 2026

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Colophon

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I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I work. I pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge their connection to creativity, culture and storytelling. Sovereignty has never been ceded.

Casey Harper-Wood

Subscribe to my newsletter

Occasional notes on new work and whatever else has caught my eye.

© Casey Harper-Wood 2026

|

Colophon

|

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I work. I pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge their connection to creativity, culture and storytelling. Sovereignty has never been ceded.

Casey Harper-Wood

Subscribe to my newsletter

Occasional notes on new work and whatever else has caught my eye.

© Casey Harper-Wood 2026

|

Colophon

|

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the traditional custodians of the unceded land on which I work. I pay my respects to Elders, past and present, and acknowledge their connection to creativity, culture and storytelling. Sovereignty has never been ceded.