Biography of My Skin

How do you describe a show that invents its own genre?

A staged autobiography written by your husband? A solo show in which people from your past turn up on stage and speak their mind?

Written by Stuart McKenzie, Miranda Harcourt’s Biography of My Skin is a moving and laugh-out-loud journey of love, marriage and growing up. What starts as a ‘solo show’ is soon anything but, as people from Miranda’s life appear on screen to tell their side of the story. When Miranda tries to rewrite the script, the writer/actor, husband/wife conflict escalates to reveal a surprisingly moving portrait of a marriage.

Set against a soundtrack of The Police, Jesus and Mary Chain and Straitjacket Fits; and a backdrop of Gloss, Princess Diana’s visit to New Zealand and the 1981 Springbok Tour, Biography of My Skin traces the role of a lifetime through four decades we’ll never forget.

Winner of two Chapman Tripp Theatre awards in 2009; Outstanding Performance (Miranda Harcourt) and Best Director (Tim Spite)

“We love Downstage for presenting outstanding kiwi drama like Biography of My Skin. Lizzie and I laughed and cried. So poignant, so real, so fricken beautiful!”
Al Brown - Chef, fisherman, TV presenter & food writer

“A gift. Fabulous. Shocking. Profound. Ruthlessly honest. Funny. Not to be missed” John Smythe, Theatreview

“It’s not often I leave the theatre examining my own life… it is done so well flawlessly…
fantastic, hilarious and poignant” Mark Westerby, RNZ Arts on Sunday

Written by Stuart McKenzie
Directed by Tim Spite

Performance:  Miranda Harcourt, Stuart McKenzie

Lighting design: Paul O'Brien
AV design: Rob Larsen
Sound design: Thomas Press

Stage manager: Sonia Hardie
Operator: Marc Edwards