Given the stunning national and international line-up Fergus Linehan has produced for the 2008 Sydney Festival, it is a great thing indeed to see so many Sydney-siders enjoying the arts en masse with such enthusiasm. With the riotous success of Festival First Night, I was on a cultural high when I entered the theatre for my first show of the year – Ngapartji Ngapartji – and I was not disappointed. Not only is this a knock-out Australian work, it acknowledges a higher purpose than to simply entertain, and pursues this goal with humour and integrity.

The brainchild of Big hArt’s Scott Rankin and key performer, Trevor Jamieson, Ngapartji Ngapartji has been a project eight years in the making. Meaning ‘I give you something, you give me something,’ this is much more than theatre. It is a cross cultural adventure, acknowledging injustices of the past yet recognising the importance of keeping culture alive, specifically through language. Jamieson, along with his Spinifex people of the Western Desert, is intent on taking the audience on a theatrical and historical journey of learning. Early in the show we learn to sing the childhood favourite ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ in the traditional Pitjantjatjara language, actions and all. Whilst we giggle at ourselves and our situation, it is evident that there is a deep and palpable resonance for the Indigenous performers, watching a predominately Anglo-Australian audience using their ancient language. Audience members and all who are interested can take part in online lessons in the language at http://www.ngapartji.org/ which documents all the initiatives of this important arts and community organisation.

Although learning from each other and the preservation of culture is a prevalent theme in Ngapartji Ngapartji, Jamieson and his fellow performers have stories that must be told. He narrates through song and performance the tragedy of his people’s inadvertent involvement in the Cold War, when the British government performed atomic tests in the outback at Maralinga. He explains the pathetic efforts made to inform the Aboriginal communities of the tests, and the devastating long-term effects on their health, causing widespread blindness and cancer. Butoh dancer Yumi Umiumare joins Jamieson in an intense physical and vocal response to this dark period in Aboriginal history, paralleling the fallout of Hiroshima. Yet what is refreshing about Ngapartji Ngapartji is that there is no ‘blame game’ involved. We are welcomed into the Spinifex people’s world, taken on an intense journey of learning, and yet frequently, we laugh. Jamieson’s physical antics and jokes, matched with the cheeky comments of the Senior Aboriginal women, mean that the bond between audience and performer is never strained, and the production is all the more powerful for it.

What makes the performances even more impacting is that these are Jamieson’s family, blood relations and community members - Indigenous Australians directly affected by the events. Simply sitting in the audience was a humbling experience. Rankin and Jamieson understand the value of understatement and emotional balance perfectly, so that one significant moment is left until the very end. Without unnecessary drama and presented so very simply, I found myself with tears in my eyes.

Every effort is made to ensure this performance encourages cross cultural communication and so we find delightfully ‘western’ references throughout the show, particularly in the music. Bob Dylan, John Fogherty, Burt Bacharach, David Bowie, even Talking Heads ‘Once in a Lifetime’ is performed in the Pitjantjatjara language. While this is immediately appealing, it is Andrew MacGregor’s shakuhachi playing that lingers in the soul. Genevieve Dugard’s set design captures the heart of the outback people, and allows for extreme physicality, video projections, musicians and artwork to be created before our eyes. The cast is a group celebrating not only their Aboriginal heritage, but ancestry from Japan, India, Greece and New Zealand. Supporting the performers onstage there is a devoted production crew, researchers, translators, musical directors, teachers and filmmakers, all working towards the same goals.

It has been difficult to write this review and try to encompass the entire experience of Ngapartji Ngapartji, and I’m afraid I fall incredibly short, only scratching the surface. The show is the most important Australian work to inhabit our theatres for a long time, although this is not just theatre. This is an extraordinary long-term project that will achieve great things for its people, and I only hope that more Australians become a part of it, simply by sitting in the audience and joining in the cultural exchange.