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Although he is alone on stage in his solo show, Bones, actor-playwright Julian Noel is surrounded by the presence of generations of his family.
The Queenstown-based performer plays eight characters in the show, directed by Martine Baanvinger, which is being staged in Dunedin this weekend as part of the TAHI Ōtepoti festival of solo performance.
An earlier version of Bones was presented by Noel at the Dunedin and Nelson Fringe Festivals earlier this year, and was nominated for 10 awards.
“Since then, the show has evolved with mainly subtle shifts, as I learn more about each character,” Noel said.
Described as “raw, funny and profoundly moving”, Bones enables Noel to bring eight family members to life using a table, three chairs, a suitcase, and a handful of everyday objects to explore memories.
At its heart lies a simple truth: at some point, someone in the family has to tell the truth.
“In the show, I explore that idea of the stories families live in, and how we never challenge them,” Noel said.
Bones transcends culture, touching the universal experiences of love, loss, abandonment, belonging, resilience and forgiveness.
“Although my own family’s stories are based around my Māori heritage, I believe these kinds of experiences are universal,” he said.
“Essentially, if we don’t own up to the reality of family stories, we are going to keep passing that on to future generations.
“Bones is quite a powerful and challenging piece, it takes the audience on quite a journey, so it is important to find the humour as well,” he said.
For more than 40 years, Noel has worked across theatre, television, film and community arts, mostly in Australia.
Coming home to New Zealand seven years ago and experiencing the cultural dissonance and politicisation of Māori, was quite a shock to Noel.
“Ultimately, that feeds into the play as well,” he said.
Performances of Bones will be held this Friday, October 16, at 6pm, and Saturday, October 17, at 8pm, at Te Whare o Rukutia. The show is 90 minutes long.
Performances in the TAHI Ōtepoti festival run until Sunday, October 18, in central Dunedin.
For information and tickets, visit dunedinartsfestival.co.nz