Tony Nikolakopoulos is hoping to break free from the ‘Wog’ pigeonhole and examine the Greek-Australian experience in his latest play, ‘Life of Byron’.
The comedy drama is a piece centred on the mother-son relationship and will star George Kapiniaris and Maria Theodorakis as two siblings who discuss a significant dilemma that plagues many people with elderly parents.
“The pivot point of the story is that a man in his fifties and his sister are debating whether to put their mother in a home,” Mr Nikolakopoulos told Neos Kosmos.
“The sister comes from the point of practicality and the son has elements of guilt about it because of his relationship with his mum growing up.”
The play depicts a series of flashbacks of Byron, capturing many moments in his life where he was rude and disrespectful to his mother despite her always being there for him.
“He didn’t have a great relationship with her; hence he didn’t have a great relationship with his wife and most women in his life. He’s come of an age now where he’s willing to take some responsibility.”
“We’re constantly flashing back to his life and seeing different eras of this Greek man, this Greek family and how they interact. We’re not telling the audience what they should do but rather showing the dilemma of the decision.”
Mr Nikolakopoulos, who is the director, producer and co-writer of this play, believes the universality of this experience will make it emotionally resonant for all people who have elderly loved ones.
“I have an ageing mother who is 80. She’s fit and healthy but I’ve heard of so many friends of hers and relatives who have suffered and been put in aged care. For some it’s been a good thing and for others it’s been horrible because they’ve passed away very quickly. They just sort of gave up all hope,” he said.
“It’s a difficult decision in everyone’s story that I mention it to where they’ve either gone through it or are going through it. It’s one that leaves people with a feeling of devastation, where you’re just saying to yourself ‘What do I do?'”
He added that there is an additional complexity to this decision which is how the elderly’s morale is affected by having their agency stripped away from them.
“For our elderly, they are reaching the point where they are going into homes and we’re making those decisions for them. One would wonder what it is like for them as they see that a decision over their lives and wellbeing has sort of been taken away.”
The actor has been working on this play for four years in what was significantly delayed by COVID-19, with it set to run in October for two weeks each at the Alex Theatre in Melbourne and then at the Fusebox- Factory Theatre in Sydney
The play follows a two-act structure with an intermission separating them, something Mr Nikolakopoulos was very keen on for this play, given it is so narrative-based and centred on such a difficult decision.
“A lot of theatre doesn’t operate that way, but I want that. The intermission gives them a chance to start their debate as to what they would do and then as the next act unfolds, it allows them to see whether their opinion alters or remains the same.
“It’s very important for me that theatre is engaging and sensory to the point it forces you to have a discussion with your people about a situation in life. Even though it is comedy in base, it has pathos. It certainly should make you feel at different time points angry, frustrated, sad, disappointed.”
The play is co-written with George Kapiniaris and Sally Faraday, the latter adding a crucial perspective according to Mr Nikolakopoulos.
“For me, having a non-Greek female as a writer is really important as it ensures the story is far more universal, rather than just being a Greek story,” he told Neos Kosmos.
“One thing I’ve come to realise is we don’t really have any mainstream Greek stories in Australia. We’re always token ethnics represented in a very stereotypical manner and it’s sort of become the norm.”
The actor admitted that a goal of his is to help create mainstream Greek-Australian characters to contrast with the ‘Wog’ characters such as in the ‘Wog Boy’ series, in which he himself featured in as Theo.
“One of my main focuses is to take this idea of a Greek-Australian out of this ‘Wog’ pigeonhole. It’s been overdone.”
The director elaborated on how the titular character’s Greek-Australian identity has adapted as he himself grows older.
“The audience can see that this boy growing into a man has been a progression through circumstances. In every generation that we move through, he has developed and evolved to be someone different. The only thing that’s remained with him all throughout his life is the influence and the understanding of who his mother has been for him.”
Mr Nikolakopoulos stressed that this project is one he feels strongly passionate about, with its aim being to take you on an emotional rollercoaster.
“It’s me taking a risk with something that I believe in and feel is relevant as a story. Our goal was always to make it really engaging, innovative and informative, so you’re going away feeling like your senses have had a bit of a workover.”
The play has been worked on with the assistance and partnership of the Greek Community of Melbourne through the Greek Festival of Melbourne as well as Sydney, with the dream of developing into a nationwide tour.
“We will trial it for smaller audiences in Melbourne and in Sydney, and if it gets that traction or interest which I hope it does, then we’ll be looking at a slightly bigger tour next year and playing it to bigger audiences around Australia.”
