There's a whole new theatrical experience being developed by a theatre company in Sydney, and by all accounts it is, in every sense of the word, delicious.
Offically it is a contemporary Asian-Australian performance called 'The Serpent's Table', where children of migrants share personal and emotional food stories in a unique audience setting.
One story follows a son's mission to recreate his mother's chicken and mushroom soup.
Co-director of the production Darren Yap says the story is at its heart about loss and grief.
"A story came out of it, about this little boy called Darren who's five [years old], who then loses his mum at 45 and still doesn't know what that missing ingredient is. And in my story, you'll find out - I think for everyone that will get this - that the missing ingredient is the person you lose, which is my Mum."
He says the stories are deeply emotional and personal.
"We use the food as a way of intimacy with the audience... we all want you to understand our story, understand a little bit of who we are, where we came from. And once you do that, you can actually eat and be part of eating that food, and understand the emotion that went into the cooking of it."
This is a new kind of storytelling, based on one of the oldest traditions - sharing stories around the kitchen table.
Co-director Lee Lewis says the new kind of storytelling is also about adventure.
"I think we've got very sophisticated audiences... who are interested in where stories can take them and makes you realise that even though someone has lived a very different life to you, we are all answering the same questions."
Such as Pauline Nguyen's story of a fearful childhood, with her father struggling with life as a Vietnamese refugee.
Forgiveness is eventually expressed in bitter-melon soup.
This kind of immersive arts experience is growing more popular, with audiences no longer just sitting and watching, but actually participating in a multi-sensory arts performance.
Some of Australia's highest profile chefs share their memories.
For example, Adam Liaw shares his memories of his grandmother and her endless hours of grinding ingredients for chicken rice.
Chef and performer Adam Liaw says telling his story has been made easier because it is autobiographical.
"I guess because it's a personal story it feels less like acting. And so I guess it works well for me - if I had to get up on stage and perform like an actor it just wouldn't happen!"
The work is now being finalised, with theatre professionals being asked for their input.
We'll all get to see, and taste it, after that.
Share
