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Memory, masculinity and multiplicity: wāni toaishara on returning home in garçon

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Interview by Natalie Heslop
Interviewee: wāni toaishara, Director of garçon

1. What was the emotional journey like returning to your boyhood in Auckland through performance?

Honestly, it’s been both cathartic and confronting. Stepping back into those memories on stage means reliving moments of joy, pain, and everything in between. It’s like visiting an old neighbourhood. Sometimes you find comfort, sometimes you find ghosts. Performing garçon lets me process those experiences in real time.

2. What memories or moments shaped garçon?

A lot of garçon is built from real stories, mine and others. Stories of growing up as an outsider, about family, and about the systems that shape us. Some moments stuck with me: police encounters, structural systemic racism, and the silence around things we couldn’t talk about. Those memories became the backbone of the show, allowing me to explore how the personal and political are always connected.

3. What does the title garçon signify for you? 

‘garçon’ literally means ‘boy,’ but for me, it’s about boyhood complications, about innocence lost too soon, and the pressure to grow up fast in a world that doesn’t always see you as a child. The French term also nods to the layers of identity and language in the play: being from somewhere else, always translating yourself, and shapeshifting your body to fit into a space you know you never will. 

4. How does masculinity, queerness, and colour intersect in your storytelling? 

I suppose I try to show that masculinity comes in a multitude of ways, and it doesn’t have to be constrained to white cis-heteropatriarchal norms that we’ve been conditioned to believe are ‘just how things are’.  Culturally, for me, as is with most other Indigenous folks, masculinity is expressed in so many ways that allow you to be your whole self beyond the ways we’ve been subjected to through colonialism. I hope this show can give space to vulnerability, joy and multiplicity. 

5. What role has the west of Melbourne played in your creative journey?

The West is where I found my artistic voice. It’s a part of the world that I first moved into after leaving Auckland, and so much of who I am artistically and politically was shaped by my experiences here. Developing garçon here gave me the space to experiment, fail, and find new ways to tell my story.

6. How has working with a director like Gideon Wilonja shaped or challenged your vision for this piece?

Gideon pushed me to dig deeper, especially on stage, when it came to how I performed. As did the entire team. They challenged me to be honest, to not shy away from the hard truths, and to trust the audience with my vulnerability. I feel like that aspect of our collaboration alone has made garçon much sharper.

7. What do you aspire your audience to feel after experiencing garçon, especially for young Black or queer people?

I want them to ask questions, to feel seen and less alone. I hope they leave with a sense of possibility and knowing that their stories are important, even if they haven’t heard them on stage before. I want them to know there’s power in their voice and expression and that their complexity is their greatest asset.

8. How does this moment, artistically and personally, feel for you right now?

It feels like a homecoming and a new beginning at the same time. I’ve tried to force some of these stories out before, but it never felt right in the way it does now. I’m grateful, nervous, and honestly just excited to finally share it with everyone who’s been waiting. 

garçon is on at Northcote Town Hall Arts Centre, as part of Darebin Arts Speakeasy 16–20 July 

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