Blue Bones by Merlynn Tong
‘I saw my insides today. I found Tom, my first love, in my bones.’
When a woman finds scars left by her ex-boyfriend of many years ago etched into her bones, she is compelled to unpack her past and discover how he got under her skin.
Based on the true story of two teenagers’ romance as it blossoms then warps in heat of bustling Singapore, Blue Bones is a one-woman show told with incredible honesty by Merlynn Tong. Combining multiple characters, Kung Fu and arcade games; Blue Bones is a whirlwind of love and naivety, violence and courage, with the wreckage felt across the years.
Against the backdrop of Singapore with all its beauty, rigidity and insistent chaos, Blue Bones will enchant and disturb, and perhaps even wake the stories dormant in your bones.
Reviews
“Merlynn Tong, along with director Ian Lawson, has created a very special, outstanding theatrical work… original, idiosyncratic and ultimately uplifting. Indeed, this is an absorbing show that needs to be seen by as many young women (and men) as possible in reminder that whatever its shade, no bruise is okay.” — Blue Curtains Brisbane
“Merlynn’s performance is captivating and slides effortlessly from brutal, to joyus, upsetting, light and even funny…This is an incredibly powerful, disturbing story that is sure to get under your skin and leave you shaken.” — Aussie Theatre
“Tong is brilliant and effortless as she tells her story…It is clear that Merlynn Tong is becoming a very talented icon in Brisbane’s Artistic community.” — Artshub
“Merlynn is a vital and unique performer – an emerging talent to watch“. — La Boite Theatre
More Information
SEASON DATES
Wed 18 Aug – Sat 28 Aug
PREVIEW DATE
Wed 18 Aug
OPENING NIGHT
Thu 19 Aug
VENUE
Visy Theatre, Brisbane Powerhouse
DURATION
90mins
AGES
Suitable for 16+.
Coarse language and adult themes including sexual consent.
STYLE/GENRE
Theatre for Social Comment, Non-Linear & Magical Realism
DIRECTOR/DRAMATURG
Ian lawson
PLAYWRIGHT/PERFORMER
Merlynn Tong
DESIGNER
Josh McIntosh
VIDEO DESIGNER
Nathan Sibthorpe
LX DESIGNER
David Walters
SOUND DESIGNER
Guy Webster
CHOREOGRAPHER
Neridah Waters
PHOTO BY
Dylan Evans
2017 MATILDA AWARDS
Best Mainstage Production
The Lord Mayor’s Award for Best New Australian Work
Best Director (Ian Lawson)
Best Female Actor in a leading Role (Merlynn Tong)
Best Lighting Design (David Walters)
Best Audio Visual Design (Nathan Sibthorpe)

Merlynn Tong
Merlynn Tong is an Actor and Playwright. Some of her recent performances include White Pearl (Sydney Theatre Company & National Theatre of Parramatta), The Shot (Queensland Theatre, The Scene Project), Harrow 2 (ABC), Reef Break (ABC/M6), Top of the Lake: China Girl (BBC & Sundance Films, Jane Campion), What I’m Here For (Elbow Room & Flowstate), The Mathematics of Longing (La Boite Theatre), The Lost Lending Library (Punchdrunk & Imaginary Theatre), Hotelling (Bleached Arts), Bitch: Origin of the Female Species (Brisbane Festival), Blue Bones (Playlab & Brisbane Powerhouse), Viral (Shock Therapy Productions, Gold Coast Arts Centre), Straight White Men (La Boite Theatre), Ma Ma Ma Mad (Brisbane Powerhouse), The Theory of Everything (Brisbane Festival), The Wizards from Oz (Taiwan, Taoyuan International Children’s Festival) and Hot Brown Honey (Judith Wright Centre).
As a playwright, she has published two of her one-woman shows, Ma Ma Ma Mad, the true story of her mother’s suicide and Blue Bones, a semi-autobiography of teenage romance as it blossoms then warps in heat of bustling Singapore. In 2018, Merlynn wrote Good Grief, a play for Queensland Theatre’s The Scene Project. In 2019, she will be adapting Antigone for Queensland Theatre. Her solo work Blue Bones has recently won 6 Matilda Awards including the Lord Mayor Award for Best New Australian Work, Best Mainstage Production and Best Female Actor in a Leading Role.
Acknowledgements

A Playlab production in partnership with Brisbane Powerhouse. Blue Bones is proudly supported by Australian Arts and Culture Fund; Creative Sparks, a joint initiative of Brisbane City Council; and the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland.