Narie Foster’s debut one-woman show is so intimately introspective it will make you laugh while you question your entire sense of belonging.

Narie Foster questioned her entire existence six years ago when she was asked: “on a scale of one to ten, how free do you feel?”

Armed with a single chair, a pile of hula hoops, a small black box of props and a chameleon onesie, she takes the audience along for the journey as she climbs the proverbial ladder to freedom.

Broken down into 10 stages, Foster guides the audience through the moments in her life when she felt she didn’t belong.

She is on a farm puking on a bed of chrysanthemums. She is in a club having an “identity crisis” on a busy dancefloor. She is a younger version of herself playing piano for her family. 

Scenes change yet nothing on stage does. The single chair, the black box and the scattered hula hoops all remain where she left them. However, through subtle lighting changes, sound effects and a natural ability for storytelling, Foster paints vivid pictures of her life.

With each moment, she “sheds” a layer of skin in her journey to feeling free.

Foster describes herself as a chameleon. She uses her hula hoops as a visual representation of her differing identities that, like a chameleon, she has always been able to camouflage into. But she has never felt she truly belonged. 

“How do I know if I’m being me?” is one of many questions she asks herself, which prompts those watching to do the same.

She is so unashamedly authentic in her performance that it’s easy to believe she is simply verbalising unfiltered thoughts as soon as they come to her.

The raw, relatable way Foster calls out her self-consciousness makes you hyper-aware of your own.

She furthers this feeling by talking to the audience rather than at them,  involving them in her journey. Caution: if you choose to sit in the front row, you may be at risk of being pulled on stage.

However, it’s not all deep and intense. Foster expertly disguises heavily confronting topics as light-hearted. She has you laughing and nodding along in agreement as you relate to her chaotic monologuing.

You may leave with a head full of questions. You may leave confused, or perhaps with a newfound sense of clarity. But one thing is certain: you will leave feeling inspired.