Ace moves

Tell us about you – what are you passionate about in terms of your performance work?
My mob is Wakka Wakka (Central Queensland) Kombumerri (Gold Coast) and I also have Norwegian, German and English ancestry. In terms of my performance and choreographic work I am passionate about telling stories that were silenced for too long. I have a platform to share the truth of our shared history that my own mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-grandfather didn’t have. I think educating our country through art is one of the most impactful ways that we have to share the truth of this country’s history, change racist perceptions of Aboriginal people and celebrate our Blak Excellence.

What does Evonne Goolagong Cawley mean to you? What was it like meeting and seeing Evonne’s reaction to the play?
Evonne Goolagong Cawley is a beacon of success for all First Nations mob. She showed the world what we can be capable of and what I can be capable of. For me it wasn’t tennis but striving for the best in performing and choreographing despite what I was told growing up as a young Aboriginal dancer – that my skin was too tanned/not tanned enough/physique not the right fit for ballet etc.

I first met Evonne before one of our first showings of Sunshine Super Girl and again at our performance in Darwin Festival this year. It would have to be one of the most nerve-racking moments in my career to perform in front of the same person that you’re telling the story of. But thankfully she loved the show and also told me that her partner Roger said I danced just like she played tennis. This was probably the best compliment of my career!

Katina Olsen talks with Evonne Goolagong Cawley during a development of Sunshine Super Girl in 2018. Photo: Jhuny-Boy Borja

What were your first thoughts when you read Andrea James’s script?
I cried with joy when I first read Andrea’s script. I could see myself in the story and my mum as she also grew up on a dirt floor like Evonne. I felt like this story was sharing a part of our history that the rest of so-called Australia needs to hear. I think Andrea was genius in how she interwove those significant parts of Blak history with Evonne’s personal story.

Tell us about your central character. What drives them?
Barbara is Evonne’s big sister and Mum’s little helper. She played tennis with Evonne and was one of the ‘Goolagong Three’ but also took on a lot of the housework. I would say that Barbara has a caring warmth about her in how she looks after the family but is also very stoic and a strong character, being a support for Mum Linda and the family when Kenny passed away.

Katina Olsen as Evonne's sister Barbara with Kirk Page, Jax Compton and Lincoln Elliott in Sunshine Super Girl. Photo: Paz Tassone

‘ I don’t think we could’ve told this story without dance. There is so much movement in tennis and I think contemporary dance is the perfect medium to communicate that physicality.’

What's a big idea or theme in the play that your role is integral in exploring?
I play a number of characters in the play; Barbara, Faith Martin, Margaret Court and Cecil Dicker at the petrol station (my favourite) just to name a few. I think all of them play a part in encouraging and supporting Evonne to be the best that she could be and strive to the top of her game. We’re shown what can really happen when a young Aboriginal girl has the love and support of an entire community behind her, and where that can take her.

You share a movement director and choreography credit with Vicki Van Hout on the show. Can you touch on why the show embraces physical theatre and dance to tell Evonne’s story?
I don’t think we could’ve told this story without dance. There is so much movement in tennis and I think contemporary dance is the perfect medium to communicate that physicality. Dance has an ability to play with abstraction without miming a tennis game for 90 minutes. Not that it’s not interesting to watch tennis, but having all of the possibilities of dance and the magic of theatre can really help communicate the story and take audiences on a journey.

Katina Olsen as Margaret Court with Ella Ferris, Jax Compton and Lincoln Elliott in Sunshine Super Girl. Photo: Paz Tassone

What’s the most exciting aspect about working on Sunshine Super Girl for you?
Movement directing and choreographing for theatre is something that I’ve wanted to lean into more recently in my work. Also for me as a performer, dancing and acting in the same show has always been a bit of a dream too. So to do all of that while at the same time telling a story about an incredible person like Evonne Goolagong Cawley has been an absolute career highlight.

And finally, how good is your tennis game?
Not great! Haha. I’m good at mimicking shapes because of my dance background but I’m not as good as the other cast members (Jax Compton is our tennis champ of the cast). I mean I CAN hit a ball… I think the rest of the cast are surprised when we’ve played a few games on tour together.

Sunshine Super Girl is on stage until 16 December at Southbank Theatre.