The Bone Feeder brings together many cultures

The Bone Feeder brings together many cultures in Palmerston North

Press Release: for immediate release
15th March 2010

Fresh from its sell out success at the Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, The Bone Feeder comes to The Globe in late March for three performances only. Combining Asian storytelling with Western theatre traditions, The Bone Feeder is the story of a young man who travels to the Far North in search of his great great grandfather’s bones.

Ben is a typical Kiwi teenager. Impulsive, trying to live up to parental expectations and still finding his place in the world, his world is unexpectedly shattered by the death of his father. In a bid to fulfil a promise to his father and unravel the mystery of a family heirloom, he travels to the Hokianga in search of his Chinese past. What he finds will challenge his life.

Renee Liang, the playwright, says that the story is inspired by the real-life shipwreck of the S.S. Ventnor, an English steamer, which in 1902 was chartered to take 499 coffins of Chinese men who had died in NZ back to their home villages in Canton. The men had worked mainly as miners in the goldfields of Otago, though some also lived in the West Coast and in Wellington. It was believed at the time that returning to your home in China was a paramount duty. Failure to do so would result in family shame and a restless spirit.

However, life was tough for the migrant Chinese in New Zealand and many died before they could return, of disease, accidents or of old age after they failed to make enough money to pay for the return ticket. The local Chinese community set up a subscription-based fund, the Shin Tong society. This was intended to collectively raise money to repatriate these bodies. It took many years to raise enough money to charter the ship. Great care was taken in the mass exhumations so that the spirits of the dead would arrive whole to their family. These dreams were shattered when the SS Ventnor sank near the Hokianga harbour in 1902. However, many of the bones were washed up, found by Maori and taken to urupa (family cemeteries) for safekeeping.

The Bone Feeder takes up the story in the present day, when Ben, a fifth generation Chinese New Zealander, decides to search for the bones of his great great grandfather whose bones were lost when the Ventnor sank. On the way, he meets some strange characters who may – or may not – be ghosts. Largely ignorant of the traditions of Chinese and Maori, he must learn from them – to understand his own heart. The outcome of his mission will surprise and delight.

Audiences in Palmerston North will be the first to see this new NZ play in a fully theatrical setting. While the play was performed in Hamilton in an outdoor setting, staging the play at The Globe will allow the use of theatrical ‘magic’ to fully immerse the audience in the story. Simon Zhou, the young Chinese Kiwi director, says that he’s excited about accessing the technical resources of The Globe. “We’re drawing inspiration from Asian theatre forms such as shadow-play, use of vibrant fabrics and puppetry,” he says. “But our advantage is that we also have access to full theatre lights, technical expertise and an experienced lighting designer, Nik Janiurek.”

Central to the staging of the play is the inclusion of musicians playing traditional instruments from the Chinese and Maori cultures. Not only do these musicians provide the soundscape for the play, but they will also perform a suite of music specially written for The Bone Feeder. Drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese and Western melodies, composer Andrew Corrêa (a Kiwi of Indian descent) also makes use of the improvisational talents of the musicians, which includes fourth-generation ghuzheng (Chinese zither) player Xiyao Chen as well as erhu (two-string violin) player Jessica Tsai.

With a cast that includes veteran Maori actor Melvin Wani (seen regularly on Shortland Street) and four rising stars from the Kiwi-Asian community, Jae Woo, Benjamin Tse, Jamie Banks and Peter Huang, The Bone Feeder is sure to be an experience for the eyes, ears and most of all the heart.

For more information and images, visit www.bonefeeder.weebly.com.

The Bone Feeder as part of the Festival of Cultures 2010

The Globe – Palmerston North
Tuesday March 30th @ 7 pm
Wednesday March 31st @ 12.30 pm and 7 pm
Performance duration 75 minutes, plus a free Q+A after each show.

Tickets $22 full, $18 concession, $15 students (for matinee).
Door sales only. Reservations (recommended) can be made by phoning The Globe on (06) 351 4409, or online at foc.co.nz.

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