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An Aboriginal man who is pushed to his limits by a racist society creates the gammonest super hero alter-ego; Marlu Man. Armed with a pouch full of ping pong balls, a polony sandwich (yes polony, not devon) and a thirst for justice, Marlu Man kidnaps online trolls and dishes out punishment in his fortress of solitude, Mum's shed. Marlu Man, half kangaroo, half pox. All hero.
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Director Biography - Zac James
Zac James is a Traditional Owner, Wongi, Yamatji man and an experienced writer and prolific workshop facilitator. Zac studied performance at West Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA). As the Creative Director of Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company, he wrote and was Librettist for the first ever Aboriginal Hip Hop Oprah – Ice Land as well as the Kaatijin series, a series of children’s work in which Traditional Indigenous Dreaming stories have been adapted into theatrical shows and toured for young people.
Over the last two years, Zac James’ work has been seen by over 120,000 young people across metropolitan and regional Western Australia. Zac still gets fanart in the mail from the audiences to his shows.
As an actor, Zac has featured in 8MMM: Aboriginal Radio (ABC/Netflix), Shadow Trackers (SBS/ NITV), and the play Conversations with the Dead (Yirra Yaakin) and recently wrote and performed in the highly successful, sold out show, Kangaroo Stew. He was a recipient of Screen
Australia’s Pitch Short Black development program and his writing credits include Kaarla Kaatijin, Ice Land: A Hip h'Opera, Djinda Kaatijin, Bilya Kaatijin, Kangaroo Stew and as part of a TRI-NATIONS initiative, the radioplay Walk. Recently Kangaroo Stew was pitched for national tour and met with incredible response, a full Western Australia tour to be conducted in 2022. In addition, Zac recently won the outstanding Regional Writing Talent award at the ScreenWorks Australia Pitch O’Rama for ABC.
Over the last two years, Zac James’ work has been seen by over 120,000 young people across metropolitan and regional Western Australia. Zac still gets fanart in the mail from the audiences to his shows.
As an actor, Zac has featured in 8MMM: Aboriginal Radio (ABC/Netflix), Shadow Trackers (SBS/ NITV), and the play Conversations with the Dead (Yirra Yaakin) and recently wrote and performed in the highly successful, sold out show, Kangaroo Stew. He was a recipient of Screen
Australia’s Pitch Short Black development program and his writing credits include Kaarla Kaatijin, Ice Land: A Hip h'Opera, Djinda Kaatijin, Bilya Kaatijin, Kangaroo Stew and as part of a TRI-NATIONS initiative, the radioplay Walk. Recently Kangaroo Stew was pitched for national tour and met with incredible response, a full Western Australia tour to be conducted in 2022. In addition, Zac recently won the outstanding Regional Writing Talent award at the ScreenWorks Australia Pitch O’Rama for ABC.
Director Statement
‘Marlu Man’ is the accumulation of a lifetime of experiences both tragic and triumphant from my perspectives of being a First Nations man living in contemporary Australia. The basis of the ‘event’ the script revolves around was the murder and subsequent trial that led to my nephew’s murderer walking free after a mere 16 months in jail. Justice is a term that does seem to shift, dependant on the colour and culture of the person being judged. Often, those that face the highest oppression within modern society are granted the least amount of justice for the atrocities that are thrust upon them. ‘Marlu Man’ is an imaginative and comedic telling of what would happen if those that are granted little justice, decide to take it into their own hands. As a First Nations writer, I have used a comedic medium to offer a discussion into the way social media, racism and the current Australian Legal system impacts so deeply on my Aboriginal people.
From a Directors perspective, the story is one that is crucial. The current dialogue within the world is demanding a conversation driven by POC/First Nations people around inequality and ‘Marlu Man’ offers this. The story is vibrant, the language used is deep, weighted and relevant. The script itself is clear and offers much possibility for visual interpretation and I am excited to bring the paper to life. It cannot be understated how unique ‘Marlu Man’ is. It presents the common ‘super hero’ trope in an almost satirical sense, allowing the comedy to cushion the breadth of issues being raised within the piece. In my opinion, this will allow audience members who do not identify as POC/First Nations to feel welcome to a discussion. Comedy is often
a safe way to portray issues often too difficult to be presented in an earnest capacity, I look forward to weaving that discussion onscreen.
First Nations Content Statement ‘Marlu Man’ revolves around the case of Elijah Doughty (ED), a young First Nations (Wonguktha) teenage boy that was tragically murdered in Kalgoorlie. This murder lead to widespread protests throughout Australia and then globally as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) eventually went on to use ED as a banner of the inequality First Nations/POC experience.
The man responsible for the murder was charged with ‘reckless driving causing death’ spending a mere 16 months in prison. The media fallout was tragic and deeply impactful on many Aboriginal people around the globe but especially to the direct family of ED. They are still struggling with it. The Writer and Director of ‘Marlu Man’ is Zac James, a Traditional Owner (Tjiwarl) Wongi, Yamatji and Murri man. He is Elijah’s Uncle. Zac has been writing stories from a First Nations perspective for the past 14 years, some time spent as the Creative Director of Yirra Yaakin Aboriginal Theatre Company and others as a passion based approach to exposing the issues First Nations people of Australia face day to day. ‘Marlu Man’ is a Blak story, it is based on true events. It is crucial to present this conversation to mainstream society as not only a form of entertainment but also to educate.
From a Directors perspective, the story is one that is crucial. The current dialogue within the world is demanding a conversation driven by POC/First Nations people around inequality and ‘Marlu Man’ offers this. The story is vibrant, the language used is deep, weighted and relevant. The script itself is clear and offers much possibility for visual interpretation and I am excited to bring the paper to life. It cannot be understated how unique ‘Marlu Man’ is. It presents the common ‘super hero’ trope in an almost satirical sense, allowing the comedy to cushion the breadth of issues being raised within the piece. In my opinion, this will allow audience members who do not identify as POC/First Nations to feel welcome to a discussion. Comedy is often
a safe way to portray issues often too difficult to be presented in an earnest capacity, I look forward to weaving that discussion onscreen.
First Nations Content Statement ‘Marlu Man’ revolves around the case of Elijah Doughty (ED), a young First Nations (Wonguktha) teenage boy that was tragically murdered in Kalgoorlie. This murder lead to widespread protests throughout Australia and then globally as the Black Lives Matter (BLM) eventually went on to use ED as a banner of the inequality First Nations/POC experience.
The man responsible for the murder was charged with ‘reckless driving causing death’ spending a mere 16 months in prison. The media fallout was tragic and deeply impactful on many Aboriginal people around the globe but especially to the direct family of ED. They are still struggling with it. The Writer and Director of ‘Marlu Man’ is Zac James, a Traditional Owner (Tjiwarl) Wongi, Yamatji and Murri man. He is Elijah’s Uncle. Zac has been writing stories from a First Nations perspective for the past 14 years, some time spent as the Creative Director of Yirra Yaakin Aboriginal Theatre Company and others as a passion based approach to exposing the issues First Nations people of Australia face day to day. ‘Marlu Man’ is a Blak story, it is based on true events. It is crucial to present this conversation to mainstream society as not only a form of entertainment but also to educate.
