'Mother' tells the story of the homeless woman Christie, who has been pushed out of society and living in a harsh world.
The production toured in Melbourne and Tasmania over an eight week period last year. Off the back of its success, Noni Hazlehurst (former 'Play School' star) returns to deliver her powerful performance in ‘Mother’.
Image © Serena Ryan
The show will be toured through metropolitan and regional areas of New South Wales and Queensland for a six week period. "It has evolved. I am a year older and the world is a different place. And it comes to bare on the subject matter. Homelessness isn't going away. It's getting worse, particularly in older women," Noni says. The production is described as being intense, but funny. It's a tragic story of homelessness, aiming to educate the audience on what it means to live on the outer edges of society and the circumstances in person’s life that leads them to this dark place.
"She’s not a particular type of person, she's just a woman who happens to be homeless and who has a background story, from choices that govern her every move," Noni says of her character Christie. The inception of this one woman show began over a year ago, when Noni met with director Matt Scholten and writer Daniel Keene and discussed the concept of the play. Ten days later, Daniel came back to Noni with the script for ‘Mother’.
Image © Serena Ryan
"It's the most beautifully written piece of work and I'm so privileged to do it," Noni says. She sees the production as a challenge, a way to broaden her skills as an actor. In her career, she hadn’t had the chance to work on a project like this up until now, and when the chance came Noni could hardly refuse: "I wanted to be the person solely responsible for taking the audience on a journey every night," Noni says.
The challenge of a production like this was something Noni always wanted to tackle, especially one with a subject matter that is so timely to what is happening in society. “It’s fairly full on all the time, but I do enjoy the challenge. Leaping into the unknown. Every show is different. I never found it difficult to empathise with people or to walk a mile in other people's shoes," Noni says. Her active imagination and ability to observe people and her surroundings have helped her develop character.
In her research for the role, she spoke with people who work with the homeless and people who suffering from homelessness themselves. "You don't have to walk very far around the capital city to engage with homeless people," Noni says. She takes the audience on a journey, exposing people to the issue on stage in a more comfortable environment than being confronted by it directly on the streets. “It’s a far gentler way of exposing people to the issue,” she says.
Mother Tour Dates
27 September – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (NSW)28 September – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
29 September – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
30 September – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
1 October – Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
7 October – Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre NSW
8 October – Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
12 October – Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
13 October – Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
14 October – Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
15 October – Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (NSW)
18 October – Glasshouse Arts Conference and Entertainment Centre (NSW)
20 October – Ipswich Civic Centre (QLD)
21 October – Sandgate Town Hall (QLD)
22 October – Empire Theatre (QLD)
25 October – Lake Kawana Community Centre (QLD)
27 October – Riverway Arts Centre (QLD)
29 October – Centre Of Contemporary Arts Cairns (QLD)
