Blak Yak is a young and vibrant community theatre. We were established in 1993 with two entries in the State One-Act Drama Festival. We then went on to christen the City of Gosnells Don Russell Performing Arts Centre with its inaugural production (and our first full-length play), The Creature Creeps.

We pride ourselves on the diversity of our productions and the enthusiasm with which we embrace innovation and originality. Blak Yak is responsible for first presenting Terry Pratchett's plays in Australia, starting with Mort in 1997, and successively building a reputation as being the premiere theatre group staging adaptations of the popular novels.

Not afraid to take chances, Blak Yak has presented original WA-written plays (Give a Dog a Bad Name) and original stage adaptations of the movies The Last Supper and Dead Poets Society, as well as popular television shows such as Frontline, Red Dwarf and Men Behaving Badly. We are always open to new ideas and new talents.

We have also won many awards - particularly, it would seem, for our one-act repertoire. Our 2002 one-act play, Can't Stand Up for Falling Down won Best Play at the Southwest Drama Festival, and Best Play, Best Director and Best Actress at the WA State Drama Festival. We won back-to-back accolades when Two Women and a Chair won Best Play and Best Actress at the 2003 WA State Drama Festival. Additionally, our Youth Production, Cloud Over the Morning, won Best Youth Play - the first time a theatre group has ever won Best Play in both the Adult and Youth sections.

Jarrod Buttery,
President,
Blak Yak Theatre