Watch Ilbijerri Theatre’s JACK CHARLES V THE CROWN now!

Watch an extraordinary tale told by one of Australia’s living treasures, Uncle Jack Charles.

Based on his life and spoken in his own words, Jack Charles V The Crown made its world premiere on Arts Centre Melbourne’s Fairfax Studio stage as part of Melbourne Festival 2010, and then enthralled audiences once again on the same stage in 2016.

You can now watch this incredible production for free as part of ACM’s VicNAIDOC Week 2020 digital program. Uncle Jack Charles is an Australian legend: veteran actor, musician, Koori elder and activist, but for a good portion of his 74 years he has also been an addict, a thief and a regular in Victoria’s prisons.

From Stolen Generation to Koori theatre in the 70s, from film sets to Her Majesty’s prisons, Jack Charles V The Crown runs the gamut of a life lived to its utmost. Charles’ unswerving optimism transforms this tale of addiction, crime and doing time into a kind of vagabond’s progress – a map of the traps of dispossession and a guide to reaching the age of grey-haired wisdom. Accompanied by a three-piece band, this one man show is a theatrical delight brought to us by ILBIJERRI Theatre Company, Australia’s longest running First Nations theatre company.

Recommended for ages 15+. Contains strong language and adult themes. Filmed at Belvoir Theatre, 2011. The production is available for viewing until Friday 24 July at 7pm.

Read more about this performance at the Arts Centre Melbourne website.

More about ILBIJERRI Theatre Company: ilbijerri.com.au

Gabi Bergman

Gabi Bergman (she/her) is a Melbourne-based performer and educator, and the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AussieTheatre.com. She holds a double degree in Theatre Studies and Film/Screen Studies, along with a Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in the arts, Gabi brings her deep love of storytelling to the stage, the page, and the classroom. A lifelong lover of theatre, she spends more on tickets than she’d like to admit. Her most prized possession is her ever-growing collection of theatre programs.