A musical about dementia might seem an unlikely proposition. Yet for Australian daughter-father duo Erin and Duncan McKellar, it was precisely the kind of story they believed needed to be told.
Their award-winning documentary musical, A Box of Memories, explores the realities of living with dementia through music, theatre and storytelling, offering audiences an experience that is as much about love, identity and human connection as it is about loss.
For Duncan, an Australian psychiatrist specialising in dementia care and an accomplished writer, the story began close to home. His mother was diagnosed with younger onset Alzheimer's disease, an experience that profoundly shaped his understanding of the condition, both personally and professionally.
"Many aspects of the story reflect our family's lived experience of diagnosis, navigating health and aged care systems, adapting to changing abilities, and accompanying someone through the final stages of life with dementia," Duncan explains.
His professional experiences further reinforced the need for a different kind of conversation. As an author of the Oakden Report, which exposed serious failings in dementia care and contributed to Australia's Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, Duncan had witnessed the consequences of failing to recognise the humanity of those living with dementia.
For Erin, a London-based Australian composer, researcher and theatre-maker, the opportunity to collaborate with her father brought together their two creative and professional worlds.
"The show became a natural intersection of our professional worlds and personal experiences," she explains.
Together, they set out to create something that moved beyond clinical understandings of dementia, instead placing relationships, shifting identities and the complexities of care at the centre of the story.
Finding the music within memory
For Erin, whose artistic practice explores documentary music theatre and the ways music can deepen emotional experiences, the relationship between music and memory offered a particularly powerful foundation for the work.
"I've always been interested in what music can communicate that spoken dialogue can't," she shares. "With A Box of Memories, the songs aren't simply there to entertain or move the story forward; they provide a window into the characters' internal worlds, whilst providing audiences an accessible way to connect with their on emotional responses."
Throughout the production, musical ideas and familiar melodies return and evolve, reflecting the ways memories can be recalled, fragmented or reinterpreted. The score shifts between intimacy, singer-songwriter nostalgia and emotional intensity, inviting audiences to experience the characters' perspectives rather than simply observe them.
Duncan believes this emotional connection is what makes theatre such a valuable medium for exploring difficult subjects.
"Whether I'm sitting with a patient or writing a character, I'm interested in how people make sense of their lives, relationships, challenges and hopes," he reflects.
For both creators, the challenge has been balancing the responsibility of representing lived experiences authentically with the desire to create a compelling and enjoyable theatrical experience.
And despite its subject matter, the production has an unexpected quality.
"People often expect a dementia story to be overwhelmingly sad," Duncan says. "While the musical deals honestly with loss and grief, it's also full of warmth, humour, hope and humanity."
From Adelaide to Auckland
Since premiering at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in 2022, where it received a BankSA Best Theatre weekly award, A Box of Memories has travelled from Sydney and to the United States, connecting with theatre audiences, healthcare professionals, dementia advocates and families along the way.
For Erin, the response has been one of the most meaningful aspects of the journey.
"One of the most rewarding aspects has been hearing from audience members who feel that the show has articulated something they've struggled to put into words themselves."
Duncan recalls the simple but powerful responses that have followed performances: "That's exactly my story."
These conversations have reinforced the creators' belief that, while the story emerged from their own family, its themes are universal.
Now, A Box of Memories prepares for its New Zealand premiere at Auckland’s Q Theatre, proudly brought to the stage by Inicio HTC. Having first encountered the production during its US tour, the Inicio HTC team recognised its extraordinary potential to inspire audiences, spark meaningful conversations and deepen understanding of the lived experience of dementia. Their belief in the transformative power of storytelling has been instrumental in bringing the production to New Zealand audiences.
"We are beyond grateful to Inicio HCT, who have worked tirelessly for three years to bring the show to New Zealand audiences," Erin shares. "Their passion inspires us to keep using the arts for social change."
A story bigger than a diagnosis
Ultimately, A Box of Memories is not simply a story about dementia. It is an invitation to reconsider how we see one another, particularly when life's circumstances begin to change.
For Duncan, the message is clear: "A diagnosis never diminishes a person's value, identity or capacity for meaning and relationship."
Erin hopes audiences leave with a renewed appreciation for the moments that connect us.
"I hope audiences leave thinking about the importance of the small, everyday moments we share with the people we love, and how much meaning those moments can hold."
What began as a father and daughter finding a way to tell their family's story has become something far greater: a reminder that even when memories begin to fade, our capacity for love, connection and humanity remains.
A Box of Memories takes place Thu 22 - Sun 25 Oct in Q Loft. Book your tickets now.
