QTC’s 2015 production of The 7 Stages of Grieving directed by Jason Klarwein and performed in Bille Brown Studio incorporates contemporary Indigenous drama conventions to create dramatic meaning. The 7 Stages of Grieving is a wise and powerful play about the grief of Indigenous people and the hope of reconciliation. The play expresses the significance of the stories of the Indigenous people by using dramatic elements, Indigenous drama conventions and a nomadic performer, Chenoa Deemal, to communicate the hard truths of the lives of past and current Aboriginal people. Through the use of symbol, role, and time and place this message is expressed in an extremely powerful and effective way which illustrates the grieving that Indigenous people have had to endure over many generations. Jason Klarwein smartly manipulates symbol to retell the emotional stories of Indigenous people and display the grieving that process that Aboriginal people have went through. The 7 Stages of Grieving uses a variety of symbolic words and phrases, props, and a powerful set design in order to emphasise the history of the Aboriginal people and the stories they have to share. A poignant example of symbol within the performance occurs in the last scene. Klarwein interestingly includes an extract from “The Apology Speech” by Kevin Rudd. Klarwein adds a scene, which was not in the original performance where the stage dims, and the nomadic performer leaves the stage through a door hidden on the back wall of the stage. Deemal leaves this door open and a bright white light escapes shining over the dark stage and the previously drawn circles on the stage. The use of this intriguing white light represents the innocence of the Aboriginal people, the light itself symbolises the hope that Indigenous people possess of reconciliation. Symbolism of the Aboriginal people is further expressed through the circles that have been drawn on the stage using different colours of sand throughout the performance. The colours of which these circles have been drawn in symbolises the Aboriginal culture and they also have a strong connection to Deemal and her hometown. Symbolic phrases are used in the performance to demonstrate the importance culture is to Aboriginal people and how they hav