Dignified Anger at The Old Church on the Hill, Bendigo

Name: Dignified Anger at The Old Church on the Hill, Bendigo
Start: 2026-05-22T09:00:00+10:00
Location: The Old Church on the Hill

Schedule

Fri, 22 May, 2026 at 09:00 am

UTC+10:00

Location

The Old Church on the Hill | Bendigo, VI

Dignified Anger: Stories for a Perilous Now
Doors open 7.00pm, Show starts at 7.30pm
In these ‘perilous (and chaotic) times’, some long-established dangerous ideas still abound: such as ‘survival of the fittest’, that we ‘humans should dominate nature’, and that ‘men are superior to women’. Have we, the brilliant human race, blown it?
In Dignified Anger: Stories for a Perilous Now, veteran performers Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky and Penny Glass have created a new show that is a poignant, passionate and uplifting affirmation of humanity, championing the stories and songs of people who, through the ages, have stood up to those who benefit from these all-to-present, exploitative ideas.
Watch the trailer here:

“OMG this is good stuff. Class act. Highly recommended. Go!” (Hamish Sewell, Qld)
Written and performed by renowned Australian storyteller and one-time Bushwackers Band founder, Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky and theatre worker/musician Penny Glass - recently returned from twenty years creating theatre in a Chilean men’s prison – together they bring a wealth of personal and professional experience to their storytelling theatre, lubricated with music on old time 5-string banjo, quenas, flute, bodhran, harmonica, bones and spoons.
“What a magical, mystical, uplifting afternoon. Thank you.” (Beccy Wandell, Qld)
Taking its cue from the Latin American concept of La Digna Rabia - Dignified Anger, the show brings to life women who led Latin American indigenous communities to defy mines and dams on their country; the wisdom of the humble Australian bushman Bill Harney (1895-1962), who returned from WWI with a hatred of war; the 14th century tale that asks, ‘What do women desire most, above all else’ - the answer may surprise! – and the unacknowledged history of the Aboriginal man on Australia’s two-dollar coin.
“Beautifully structured, important storytelling for our times.” (Therese Collie, Qld)
These central stories are carried on original music and songs from folk legends such as Chilean Victor Jara, Bob Dylan and Australian Shane Howard, and are seamlessly linked with cryptic personal tales: recollections of growing up in Australian migrant families; of coming to terms with our indigenous-colonial history; and … a love story.
"Enduring spirit – shine on brightly. It does us a power of good.” (Alan Simpson, Castlemaine, Vic)
Show history:
After the debut at the 2023 Woodford Folk Festival, the show has toured all mainland Eastern states of Australia. In 2024 they played a bunch of house concerts/theatres in Brisbane and the Sunshine coast. In 2025 the show toured Melbourne and regional Victoria, East Gippsland, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. In 2026, we are going to Wollongong, Tathra and our final show will be in Bendigo.
Full gig details: https://www.janwositzky.com.au/dignified-anger/
BIOS
Jan ‘Yarn’ Wositzky OAM grew up listening to the stories of his Czech-Scots family, tales of dangerous escapes in post-WW2 Europe and sailing to Australia. As a teenager Jan honed his storytelling skills cracking jokes down the back of the school bus – jokes being classic three-part structure - then in 1971, playing the tea-chest bass, he became a founder of the renowned Australian folk band, The Bushwackers.
They toured Australia and Europe for a decade, then Jan moved on to a career that combined stories and music, with acclaimed solo and ensemble theatre shows such as The Go-Between: William Murrungurk Buckley and Canakkale: Gallipoli.
He’s written award-winning television documentaries, many ABC radio features and best-selling oral history books with the likes of Phar Lap strapper/trainer Tommy Woodcock, and ‘up north’ with Yanyuwa, Garrwa and Wardaman people. Jan also takes honest Australian history performances into schools.
This show with Penny Glass, Dignified Anger, is Jan’s first significant move away from telling exclusively Australian stories. (www.janwositzky.com.au for full bio.)
Penny Glass grew up listening to stories from her Australian-Jewish and Polish-Jewish families, stories of migration, displacement and a community that disappeared in the Holocaust.
In the 1970s Penny took to the streets with clowning and Commedia dell’Arte, studied community theatre at the Victorian College of the Arts, then in the 1980s and ‘90s nurtured her activism with political theatre and Latin American solidarity in Brisbane. In 1998, after many years working and touring Australia as an actor/musician and community theatre worker, Penny migrated to Chile with her son.
There, in that long, thin country with a rich history of oppression and resistance, she collaborated with diverse communities to create theatre, most notably for twenty years with male prisoners in Santiago. In 2012, Penny co-founded Colectivo Sustento, an organisation renowned internationally for community activism through theatre and gardening.
Penny teaches theatre skills for social action in technical institutes and universities (Chile and Australia) and is a published researcher. Dignified Anger brings Penny back to her roots in performance and storytelling.