Playwright Geoffrey Atherden's Black Cockatoo tells the true story of the 13 Aboriginal men who were smuggled to Europe to compete against the English more than 150-years ago.

Weaving between the past and present, the narrative follows a group of activists seeking to expose the truth about sporting hero Johnny 'Unaarrimin' Mullagh.

Leading this group of fierce truth-tellers is protagonist Brandon, played by proud Tiwi/Arrernte man Joseph 'Wunujaka' Althouse who said he found it easy to resonate with his character.

IN OTHER NEWS:

"Brandon represents the more arced up, ready to go to war, young Aboriginal activist and that's something that I resonate with personally," he said.

"Having been around protests ever since I was very little, you kind of tap into that energy of; we've got to take up space, and we've got to fight and we've got to shout and we've got to scream."

His upbringing played a crucial role in directing him down the path, toward a career in the performing arts industry.

"I've always really been interested in activism and being a positive force in Aboriginal communities," he said.

"I discovered theatre and performance as a way of protest and activating black voices."

The director of Black Cockatoo, which will play at the Wagga Civic Theatre on Saturday evening, Wesley Enoch said: "Few would know about the first-ever Australian team to tour to England; the fact that it was made up of 13 Aboriginal cricketers from Western Victoria.

"The decision to have an all-Indigenous cast, where the actors are playing all the roles including white English characters, is a way of owning the whole story and providing commentary on the race politics."

Upon joining the production Mr Althouse was unaware of this part of Australia's history which is well known and celebrated within Great Britain - calling it a shame and a "systemic issue".

He said taking to stages across the nation to bring forth what Geoffrey Atherden described as "little known piece of our history" has been a rewarding experience.

"Getting to occupy space is always really important as black people... it's why we make art," he said.

"It's fun to be able to punch up and provide that commentary for audiences to think critically about their place in that kinship system and what possibilities they have to be able to transcend from that system."

Mr Althouse invites Wagga to learn and "have a stake in this story" as it is presented on the Civic Theatre stage this weekend. Tickets are available here.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: