The Shape of
Belonging
A spoken word and live music performance. Ninety minutes of story, original songs, and sound designed to be felt as much as heard.
Reserve Your Place · NZ$20
This is not a talk.
Not a concert.
Something else entirely.
Storyteller, Becky Siame begins with an ordinary moment; a party, a kitchen, a chip she never ate, and follows it all the way back to where the story actually started. Through autobiography, humour, grief, and the kind of recognition that makes a room go very still, she traces the question most of us have been carrying since before we had words for it.
Where do I belong?
By the end of the evening, that question doesn't get answered. It gets returned to you, differently.
The show took my breath away many times. A world stage performance where pace, tone and pause for reflection had the audience captivated from beginning to end. Passionate. Personal. Provocative. Proud. Actionable.
This evening
is for you
if
No prior knowledge needed. Just bring yourself, as you are.
The music doesn't
accompany the story.
It moves through it.
The Shape of Belonging is underscored by a live, original soundscape that moves like breath beneath the story.
It doesn't push. It doesn't resolve too quickly. It holds.
Built from layered textures, subtle piano, and slow, cinematic movement, the music creates space for the audience to feel what's happening, not just hear it. It meets the story in real time, shaping the emotional arc moment by moment.
Several songs were written specifically for this performance. They carry moments the story alone cannot hold.
Photo: Rachel Elizabeth Photography
The people
behind the sound.
Suki is a Whakatū-based artist and the lead arranger of The Shape of Belonging's original score. Her music sits at the intersection of the intimate and the expansive, voice and melody that hold space rather than fill it. For this performance she shaped the full musical arc collaboratively with the ensemble, weaving original compositions into a score that moves with the story in real time.
Laura is a vocalist, songwriter, and one of the principal collaborators behind The Shape of Belonging's original score. Originally from Spain and now based in Nelson, she brings her compositions and her voice to the ensemble with the warmth of someone who understands that music is first a conversation. She is also a founding member of The Immigrannz Collective, Nelson's multicultural band. In this performance her rhythm and harmony move beneath the story like a current.
Morgan is a percussionist originally from France, and also in The Immigrannz Collective. His instrument of choice, the handpan, produces a sound that is simultaneously ancient and immediate, meditative and alive. In The Shape of Belonging he provides the rhythmic and tonal foundation that gives the audience's nervous system somewhere to rest.
From the moment she took the stage, I was completely captivated. Her speech, the poetry, her facial expressions, and knowing it all came from something real and raw, made it incredibly powerful.
The pain and humour woven through the performance, together with the beautiful music that I can still hear in my ears days later, created something truly unforgettable.
It was honestly one of the best performances I have seen in a long time. I loved Becky's courage to share her story so openly. She is not only incredibly brave but also a deeply talented writer.
The audience
in their own words.
Sitting in the audience of stunned, silent people. Where you, Becky, were bearing your soul of your upbringing through life. So brave. Touched my heart and brought back memories. Me not knowing the deeper you. The musical fill-ins were excellent and fitted in with the mood so perfectly.
A beautiful performance that moved me to tears.
Well done on bringing your life to life on the stage. Knowing you weren't well, yet the show must go on.
Such a bold presence coupled with the beautiful tones of the band created a bountiful evening for the audience.
A amazing show, very moving storytelling, with the beautiful ambience of the singers guitar and drum and handpan, so moving and a well deserved standing ovation. Loved it
Everything you need
to know.
208 Bridge Street, Nelson
A note before you arrive.
This performance contains personal autobiography and themes of identity, belonging, and loss.
Audience members may be gently invited into optional grounding moments during the show. There is no pressure to participate. Listening is always enough.
This is not therapy and does not replace clinical or psychiatric support. It is simply an honest evening, held with care.
There is a seat here
for you.
- Entry to the performance
- Open seating
- 90-minute immersive live experience
- Bar available throughout the evening
Photo: Rachel Elizabeth Photography
The life she had to live
before she could teach
what she teaches.
Becky is a Whakatū Nelson-based author, speaker, and storyteller. The Shape of Belonging is the personal story at the origin of her work. Autobiography, spoken word, live music, and the quality of presence that reaches the parts of a person that conversation alone cannot.
Her book Scripted: How Language Writes Your Identity and How to Rewrite It is available internationally.
Learn more about Becky and her work →Something in you already knows
if this evening is yours.
You don't need to be ready. You just need to be willing to ask the question.
Reserve Your PlaceProudly supported by
Our local community
If this performance called to you,
a tuning starts with a conversation.
A custom tuning is built from what you are carrying right now. Language written specifically for you, delivered to you, yours to keep.
