SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

New kid on the block Kartanya Maynard opens up about season two of Heartbreak High (out now) and the importance of storytelling

You’re an actor, musician and a poet. Tell us about your early memories of storytelling.

I’ve been a performer since before I could talk. I remember being at a festival in my Aboriginal community down in Tassie when I was two years old, and my parents couldn’t find me. Eventually they spotted me dancing on the side of the stage in a singlet and my undies.

You’ve joined the cast of Heartbreak High. What can you tell us about your character, Zoe?

[Going into the show] I did feel like I was a new kid at school. Zoe is so confident and has a really deep belief and conviction in what she says. She also has a little bit of a temper and

I’m excited to see how that looks on screen. It’s one of those fun things as an actor when you get to play with emotions that you don’t feel comfortable showing yourself.

How did returning to high school make you reflect on your teens?

If I look at my teenage self, the thing that I envy about Zoe is her confidence. I wish I’d realised [back then] that being me is great.

The show doesn’t feel like an adult interpretation of the teenage experience, which can happen...

I agree and [the writers are] also good at adapting. One of the reasons Zoe [who is an opinionated celibacy advocate] came about was from an audience response. There has been a discussion in gen Z culture where they’re basically saying, “Not all of us like having lots of sex” and “There is a bunch of us who don’t want to be sexualised.”

You’ll be making your main stage debut in June in Sydney Theatre Company’s production of Stolen,

which tells the story of five members of the Stolen Generation. What has this experience been like so far?

My family was affected by the Stolen Generation, so this project has an extremely special place in my heart. I feel like I owe this story [to] my great-grandma. I’ve also thought about what it’s going to bring up for me, because I feel like I carry that trauma with me. I don’t know how

I’m gonna react.

What do you hope audiences take away from the production?

I hope they leave with a better understanding of what the children of the Stolen Generation went through, and that we always acknowledge what happened and make sure that it never happens again.