In search of ancient roots: The Bone Feeder

In 1902, SS Ventnor was sailing near Hokianga with the coffins of 499 Chinese migrants on board, on their way to final burial in ancestral villages in China. The unfortunate ship struck a rock – and all coffins together with 13 seamen were lost in the waters of Hokianga Harbour.

The Bone Feeder, a full-length play by second-time playwright Renee Liang, is the story of a young man who travels to New Zealand’s Far North in search of his great-great-grandfather’s lost coffin. 

“When I heard the story of SS Ventnor,” says Liang, a second generation Chinese New Zealander, ”I just couldn’t get it out of my head. I started thinking about how we are all migrants one way or another, how we adapt to changing circumstances and how we all have to figure out where we fit in.”  In a poignant twist, the bones washed up on the beaches of Northland for many years after.  Many were found by local Maori and taken for safekeeping, some being buried in ancestral urupa (cemeteries).

Renee Liang says that the play is much bigger and more complex to stage than her previous play Lantern (also supported by  Asia:NZ’s arts programme). With a cast of five actors, five traditional Chinese musicians and one Maori musician (playing traditional taonga puoro), The Bone Feeder merges European theatre innovations with traditional Chinese storytelling. 

The use of live music for everything from sea shanties to sound effects (for example, bird calls and a dramatic storm scene), is a reference to the traditions of Chinese theatre, in which troupes of actors would travel from town to town with their own small orchestra.  Shadow-play and puppetry are also concepts borrowed from such travelling artists, whilst modern stage and lighting effects are used.  “We hope to create an atmosphere where magical events are commonplace and the audiences are taken on a journey, “ Liang explains.

Not surprisingly, The Bone Feederpacks a strong emotional punch.  One audience member commented, “The play really drew us in from the first scene – by the end I was crying.”  The story got a strong response not only fromChinese New Zealanders who watched it, but also from many Maori, who identified with the family and spiritual themes.  A number of school groups came to see the play and were invited up on stage afterwards to meet the cast and look at the instruments.  The play also evoked some strong memories in European New Zealanders, some of whom remembered growing up alongside Chinese families.

Hong Kong-born director Simon Zhou drew on both his Chinese roots and his childhood growing up in small-town New Zealand to stage the play.  “He really directed this from his heart,” Liang says.  Actors Jae Woo, Peter Huang, Jamie Banks, Melvin Wani and Benjamin Teh showed their dedication, not only rehearsing the play alongside study and jobs, but also travelling from as far away as Tauranga to attend rehearsals. 

Indian New Zealander Andrew Correa researched traditional Cantonese folk melodies to create the score and sound effects, working with Hamilton-based group New Nature, whose members are young musicians from China and Taiwan. He also collaborated with taonga puoro musician Rob Thorne to create the Maori elements of the soundscape, evoking the ancient world of the Hokianga.

In early 2010, The Bone Feeder toured Hamilton  for  the Hamilton Gardens Summer Arts Festival and later Palmerston North,during the Festival of Cultures.  Performances in Hamilton, staged as an outdoor ‘experience’ in the Chinese Garden, were a sell-out success; the play also got good audiences and reviews in Palmerston North. Nearly 400 people have attended performances so far.

Renee has big plans for The Bone Feeder. In November the play will be the subject of a workshop at The Auckland Performing Arts Centre (TAPAC) as part of a program funded by Creative New Zealand, where Renee will be mentored by established playwright Fiona Samuel.   Renee hopes to take the play to Wellington, Auckland and especially the Far North, in the near future.  “I drew a lot of inspiration from the landscape and people of the Hokianga – I’d like to be able to take the play ‘home’ to them.”