_{Cover Image: Jessie Ward and Calen Tassone in At What Cost? Image by Daniel J. Grant.}

At What Cost?

Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company

Subiaco Arts Centre

17 July – 1 August, 2026

Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company’s rendering of Nathan Maynard’s At What Cost? finds a way of lightening our hearts with humour before sharpening our minds to the reality that sometimes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and efforts made on a bureaucratic level, divorced from lived experience, have impacts that are painful and harmful and that can drive families apart.

At What Cost? provides a storytelling experience that demands nothing of us except an open heart and a willingness to listen, rather than deliver unqualified commentary.

But this is no mere polemical work either. Its spectacle is as worthy as its political provocation. The play, brought home in a final monologue performed powerfully by Tassone, is also, at its heart, a dry, irreverent celebration of relationships and family.

In a world where everyone has a so-called ‘expert opinion’, At What Cost? asks about the meaning of Indigeneity in a way that shifts the conversation on identity from speaking for (and over) First Nations People to listening and learning from those who hold knowledge and experience. It asks us what basic respect looks like and how, under the guise of cultural connection, the lines between respect and cultural appropriation can become blurred.

Maynard’s script is plentiful in its dry humour and transgressive joy. It’s about Boyd; his wife, Nala, who is pregnant with their first child; and Daniel and Gracie, a young pair forming a connection that becomes harder to reckon with as the story continues. Boyd and his pregnant wife are keepers of Putalina, a sacred Aboriginal site in Lutrawita (Tasmania), where the remains of William Lanne, a historical figure who is considered the last surviving male of the Putalina (Oyster Cove) clan, are about to be returned from Britain in a sacred ceremony that will peacefully release his spirit after years of being held in colonial museum archives.

At What Cost? courses with commentary, humour and wit that takes a strong stance. Yirra Yaakin is a theatre company that has stood its ground since its inception in 1993. Meaning “Stand Tall” in Noongar, Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company has not been afraid to ask difficult questions, and At What Cost? shows a willingness from Artistic Director Maitland Schnaars (Nyaki-Nyaki) to be strong in that stance, and not bend to simplified versions of complex and often misunderstood topics.

At What Cost? is directed by Schnaars, who engages with prolific Trawlwoolway (Tasmanian) playwright Nathan Maynard’s script with sensitivity to the balance of humour and rage. Schnaars doesn’t deliver the subtext to the audience on a silver platter, which feels exciting – we are unsure until several crucial moments at the end about where the weight of the story lands. It hits home towards the final scenes of the play, leaving an open wound for Boyd, the most compelling character. Boyd is a mixture of saucy repartee and family values, which makes for an interesting character. His strength, leadership qualities and conviction in the right way to claim Aboriginality seem to make him the most vulnerable to the changing bureaucratic landscape.

The script imbues Indigenous vernacular with energy and makes it ring with pleasure and good humour. The play brings so much of the subversively colloquial to the core of the performance – often dry, and with a healthy dose of innuendo.

I loved the synergy between Calen Tassone and Jesse Ward, and the dialogue had a momentum that never left me bored. Sometimes the sense of pace lent too much rush, which detracted from the themes’ gravitas.

While the characterisation of the connection between Jarrad Inman (Noongar) and Honor had potential that felt a little unfulfilled, I did enjoy Inman’s gregarious portrayal of Daniel Mansell, a young Palawa man brought up in Naarm (Melbourne) who returned to live in Putalina (Oyster Cove) two years ago. His cheekiness and earnest desire to do right by both his new lover and his Palawa family are played well by Inman. Aimee Honor finds her place eventually, but her performance lacks the embodiment of the material at hand.

Matthew Erren’s lighting ignites the warmth of the characters as well as the tenderness of the characters’ connection to nature. Matt McVeigh’s costume design plays stylishly with natural, muted tones. Sound design by Dazastah has a real mix of rhythm, traditional singing and bassy electronica that makes the show feel very contemporary while including a sense of connection to family and ancestors.

Tassone’s performance centres the show on an unyielding axis of Boyd’s firm belief in, and definition of, Aboriginality. Tassone’s passion and rage, which blend so eloquently with grief, are at varying moments blunt, playful and raw. There’s nothing apologetic about his perspective. And Boyd does indeed pack a punch with his political and cultural fervour.

At moments when Gracie, a PhD history student played by Honor, reveals that she is a great-great-grandchild of William Lanne before insisting on attending the final sacred ceremony reserved for members of the family only, things become irreversibly tense. Claiming that she is feeling “culturally unsafe” when she is denied access is a climactic moment. This moment got me – it piqued something. It’s easy to talk, to use the “right” language to protect ourselves with words that are not ever backed up by action. For example, the idea of the effrontery of “cultural sensitivity” – at least in the context of At What Cost? – is a blunt commentary on the pitfalls of the mere politics of identity without meaningful action.

As a non-Indigenous audience member, what came to light was how out of touch I was with contemporary discourses on the politics of Aboriginality. I was shocked at how little I was aware of, and At What Cost? brought home, in no uncertain terms, a level of understanding and concise analysis of one side of the debate.

I left thinking about the lives of people I know – Aboriginal friends and colleagues – and how this very dynamic must feel and play out in their own lives. I wondered how much rage these friends need to mask in front of someone who doesn’t understand the complexities of Indigeneity. I left feeling moved, rather than taught. I felt edified, and rarely spoon-fed an idea. At What Cost?, while also offering moments of light-heartedness, is a strong work and stands tall in its emotional depth and political complexity.

At What Cost? runs until 1 August, 2026 at Subiaco Arts Centre. Book here.