Mother, a one-woman play written for acclaimed award-winning actor Noni Hazlehurst (A Place To Call Home) is the newest work from Daniel Keene directed by his long-time collaborator Matt Scholten.
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Christie (Noni Hazlehurst) has found herself at the fringe of the world. Homeless, aging, living on the outskirts of suburbia, she attracts the curiosity of the locals with the story of her colourful, troubled life.
Christie’s story is part truth, part fiction and even she is no longer sure which is which. Beneath her wild exaggerations and fantastic tales of loves lost and struggles overcome there are the haunting truths that she would rather forget.
Delving into the significance of our primary relationships, this performance will leave the audience haunted with understanding and sympathy for those living on the edges of society.
“Matt’s productions of Daniel Keene’s work have been wonderful, and I have the greatest respect for Daniel’s writing,” Hazlehurst said.
“I believe he is one of the best playwrights we have. I have wanted to do a one-person show for many years, and am delighted that Daniel and Matt are keen to work with me to present something of substance, intelligence and heart.”
Hazlehurst said the collaboration to bring Mother to life started when she was taken by a young actress she was mentoring to a production of The Crucible directed by Scholten.
“I just wanted to meet Matt and know what his way of working was,” Hazlehurst said.
“I’ve always found it difficult to work with people who are more interested in showing me their ego and importance than just bringing a beautiful work to life.
“What followed from that meeting were a number of years where we talked about the arts, what the arts meant to us, the writers that we loved the kind of work we wanted to do.”
Hazlehurst said Scholten was, and is, Keene’s most favoured director.
“Daniel loves the way Matt approaches his work, so I’d always been an admirer of Daniel’s as well and we just got together,” she said.
“Matt said, ‘what would you do if you could have your druthers, if you could do anything you wanted?’ And I said, ‘I’d love to do a one-woman show. I’ve never done that’.”
Mother has been nominated for two Helpmann Awards in 2016 for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Play and Best Regional Touring Production.
Mother will be performed at Twyford Hall on October 28 and 29 to sold-out audiences. The hall’s committee said it was an example of the standard of production the Bega Valley Shire would be able to enjoy should its grant application be successful.
