A play about a Dunedin hero is coming home, writes Gillian Thomas.
For the past three years, Renee Lyons has made a living from telling one story. She's told it in Edinburgh, she's told it in Melbourne, she's told it all over the country but until now she's never told it in the city where the story has its home: Dunedin.
Lyons' solo show Nick: an accidental hero, to be performed at Arts Festival Dunedin from Friday, tells the story of Dunedin man Nick Chisholm, who was left with locked-in syndrome after suffering a stroke following a rugby accident.
The play explores Nick's journey, the people in his life and the unlikely road to true love, all of which sees Lyons play no fewer than six characters.
Far from being a story just about a man with a disability, Lyons' creation is what reviewers have alternatively described as ''an absolute laugh-out-loud comedy'' to ''an inspiring tribute to the way ordinary people rise to challenges posed by extraordinary hardship''.
Lyons points to several events that inspired her to write the play.
''The first one was coming out of drama school aged 32 and finding there was very little work for women of my age. So I knew I had to create my own work and making a solo show had been on the cards from very early on.
''Then I stumbled across Nick's story on the internet and realised that I knew his brother, 7 Sharp reporter Matt Chisholm. I got in touch with him and asked him how he thought Nick might feel about me doing it and it evolved from there.''
The more she researched, the more she knew she had a compelling story to tell and at the heart of it was what Lyons describes as Nick's ''tenacity and refusal to give up''.
''He believed in himself - he went through absolute hell but he got to the point where he decided to fight. That is what fascinates me. The point where someone decides to not give up and to fight and how different the trajectory life takes as a result.''
Lyons says it was a tough decision choosing which characters to put in the show and in fact which ''story'' to tell. ''It's a story of many layers and so many people have been involved in supporting Nick and getting him through it.''
Lyons plays Nick's mother, a quintessential Kiwi mum; Boyd, his childhood best mate, who was there every day for the two years Nick was in hospital; Liam, his friend - they shared a history of addiction and needed each other but for very different reasons; Nicola, who fell in love with him on the internet and is now his wife; and Soo Young Kim, a fictional character used as a story-telling device. Nick Chisholm attended the play's premiere.
''He laughed, he cried, he was probably pretty overwhelmed because I dragged him up on stage to receive applause! But he seemed very touched by it and happy with it. I heard him laughing the whole way through it so it was comforting to know he was engaged and I'd got it `right'.''
Audiences on both sides of the world emotionally connect with the play, according to Lyons.
''Some of my favourite moments are when people come up after the show to share their own experiences, which happens a lot.
''In Edinburgh I invited Gavin Hastings, the well known Scottish rugby player, to the show. His wife has been relatively recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He does a lot of publicity and fundraising events for research into treatment and cures and he and his wife are tackling her disability in a similar way that Nick has - head on. He was moved by the story.''
The play has influenced Lyons' own life trajectory.
''It has been a staple form of employment, off and on, since I created it in 2011. I perform it anywhere - schools, living rooms, theatres, halls. The show is so deeply embedded in me now!
''I landed a lead role in a feature film without having to audition, after the director came to see the show. I also got work doing another solo performance, Verbatim, based on my work in this show. It has taught me skills as a producer, how to tour a show, discipline and craft. It's been quite life-changing, actually.''
Lyons says she is excited to be bringing the play to Dunedin.
''It's exciting and nerve-racking ... there are two characters from the show that haven't seen it yet, who will no doubt be there. I'm sure a lot of local people will know Nick and it will be great to get an insight into his life. I think the humour of the show is also very suited to a Dunedin audience.''
The show: Nick: an accidental hero plays at the Fortune Studio, Friday October 10 to Saturday, October 18 at 6.30pm. No performance Monday.
