A Box of Memories - When Shared Values Lead Somewhere Special
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Sometimes a new connection feels less like discovering something unfamiliar and more like recognising something you already know.
That was very much the feeling when Anne Logan, the driving force behind the Young Onset Dementia Collective (YODC), connected with Fiona Tanis, Trustee and Consultant with Inicio.
The more we shared about Fiona, Inicio and YODC, the more familiar our language felt.
Inicio describes its mission as the humanisation of care. Moving away from systems, routines and one-size-fits-all approaches and putting the individual person back at the centre. Their vision is beautifully simple: putting humanity first.
Dignity. Compassion. Individuality. Connection. Seeing the person before the diagnosis. Supporting people to live in ways that reflect who they are, what matters to them and what gives their life meaning.
So much much here resonates deeply with the YOD Collective philosophy.
Inicio also names compassion, collaboration and courage among its core values, including the courage to challenge accepted ways of doing things and stand up for what it believes needs to change. Collaboration, for them, means finding others with a genuine alignment of purpose and philosophy.
Perhaps that explains why our gravitation towards Fiona and then Inicio felt so instinctive. Different organisations and different areas of focus, but a remarkably similar belief about where we should begin … with the person.
From Pittsburgh to Auckland
Inicio's philosophy also closely aligns with The Green House Project, an international movement challenging traditional institutional models of care in favour of smaller, relationship-centred environments where people retain greater autonomy, dignity and meaningful lives. Inicio ultimately hopes to establish New Zealand's first Green House Model home.
It was through The Green House Project that another story began. In 2023, Fiona and colleagues attended the inaugural Centre for Innovation (now AgingIN) conference in Pittsburgh, where they saw a performance of an Australian musical called 'A Box of Memories'.
They were so affected by what they saw that they made a commitment to bring it to New Zealand. Three years later, they have.
From 22–25 October 2026, A Box of Memories will play for just five performances at Q Theatre in Auckland, with Inicio Healthcare Charitable Trust as Executive Producer.
A story about dementia - but really, a story about people
A Box of Memories was created by Australian father-and-daughter team Dr Duncan McKellar and Erin McKellar. Its origins are deeply personal.
Duncan is a psychiatrist specialising in dementia care. His mother - Erin's grandmother - lived and died with younger onset dementia. Duncan's professional experiences also exposed him to some of the worst consequences of systems that lose sight of the human being receiving care. His later advocacy contributed to the landmark Oakden Report, which helped trigger Australia's Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
In an excellent ABC Conversations interview, Duncan talks about what he learned through those experiences and his determination to create something different: care in which a person's story is known, understood and respected. That same philosophy runs through A Box of Memories.
The musical follows Lizzy, a woman experiencing changes to her memory and sense of self; her daughter Sonia, navigating love, responsibility and grief; and Jeremy, a doctor whose own understanding of dementia and care is challenged along the way.
Through original music, humour and honesty, the story explores changing identity, relationships, family and the realities of living with dementia, while continually returning our attention to the person beyond the diagnosis.
Importantly, this isn't simply a fictional story written about dementia. The McKellars describe it as documentary music theatre, drawing together lived family experience, Duncan's clinical experience and Erin's work as a composer and theatre-maker.
A musical that has stayed with audiences
A Box of Memories premiered to a sell-out season at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe Festival, followed by performances in Sydney and Adelaide before travelling to Pittsburgh for that pivotal 2023 Green House Project/Center for Innovation conference.
Reviews have described it as poignant yet celebratory, praised the humanity and connections that remain with audiences afterwards, and suggested it could become a much-loved work of Australian musical theatre. One reviewer went even further, calling it one of the best offerings of its Adelaide Fringe season.
Perhaps most telling, however, has been the response from families themselves. Duncan has recalled people approaching the creators after performances simply to thank them for telling a story that felt like their story too.
And perhaps that is where all these threads come together.
Inicio talks about putting humanity first.
The Green House Project asks us to rethink what care can look and feel like.
YOD Collective continually asks people to see the individual before they see dementia.
And A Box of Memories uses something entirely different - music and theatre - to ask much the same thing.
We are delighted that a chance connection with Fiona has introduced us not only to another group of people prepared to challenge the status quo, but to this very special piece of theatre.
A Box of Memories Q Theatre Auckland 22–25 October 2026 Five performances | 80 minutes Tickets $35–$50 + booking fee
ABOUT – A Box of Memories A Box of Memories is an award-winning musical that explores what it means to live with dementia, from diagnosis through to end of life. The show centres Lizzy, a woman navigating the gradual changes to her memory, identity and sense of self; Sonia, her daughter, who is struggling to reconcile care, grief and family responsibility; and Jeremy, the doctor who supports Lizzy’s journey amidst the endless demands of the healthcare system. The work offers a deeply human portrait of demen6a and its impact on individuals, families and carers.
The musical premiered to a sell-out season at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe Fes6val and has
since had further seasons in Sydney and Adelaide. It was also commissioned to open the Centre for Innovation Conference in Pittsburgh, USA in 2023.
For anyone interested in the thinking and lived experience behind the musical, we also highly recommend this fascinating conversation with Duncan McKellar:
More about Inicio - https://www.inicio.co.nz/
