Image by Damian Vincenzi
Ras-Samuel oozes charm. He bounds into the room with plenty of energy, fresh from a dramaturgy session for his upcoming show, The Hyena.
Ethiopian born Ras-Samuel is a star of stage and screen with credits that include shows at the Malthouse, Victorian Opera, Melbourne Shakespeare Company, Melbourne Theatre Company, and a blockbuster film you may have heard of, Planet of the Apes.
Ras-Samuel is currently in production for a one-man show at the Bowery Theatre at the St Albans Community Centre and even with all this success, he’s hungry for more acting opportunities, something he tells me in conversation at Western Edge’s head office in Newport’s impressive Substation arts precinct.
“I’m grateful, but it’s not enough. I have more to give. Just like this upcoming show, The Hyena at the Bowery,” says Ras-Samuel. “I’ve been waking up at 3 am everyday and just writing. The story is pouring out of me right now.”
The conversation quickly moves to the importance of representation of people of colour in the media.
“I came to Melbourne from Sydney where there wasn’t so much of an African community. Whereas here in the West, it’s amazing. Such a big community,” he says. “It’s wonderful when you walk around in the West to see the diversity of people of different cultures and backgrounds. We need to see this diversity reflected on stage and screens.”
“The African community in Australia is still a young community and we are discovering who we are. That’s why a lot of us look to the African-American culture in music and film. You know, it’s dope. It’s great.”
Building community, according to Ras-Samuel, is about expanding on those influences by telling our own stories.
Western Edge who are producing and supporting Ras-Samuel to create his show also believe in the power of performance and theatre to build community and enable expression using storytelling.
“I’ve been working with Western Edge since 2018 as a support artist and Sub30 Ensemble member. Western Edge do a huge amount of work with community to amplify the voices of people in the west. They do a lot of work with young people, working with them to find their voice and express themselves in their own way,” says Ras-Samuel.
“There are parts of my story in the show which are challenging. Life isn’t always straight-forward or easy, especially if, like me, you come from a migrant or refugee background. The beauty of doing a show like this, is that we can be together in that moment, and build our understanding and sense of community as well.”
The Hyena is the gripping tale of Samuel as he travels from Ethiopia to Australia, marred by abuse, homelessness, crime, and time in juvenile detention. In this one-man performance, Samuel bares his heart, shares his story and all his learnings on his path to “righteousness”.
The Hyena is on at the Bowery Theatre, 14-15 March for tickets go to creativebrimbank.com.au
