The Age of Bones

The Age of Bones traces the story of Ikan, an Indonesian boy who goes fishing one day and fails to return. Fearing the worst, his family hires a famed seafarer to track him down – he finds nothing. Combining Indonesian puppetry, music and digital projection, The Age of Bones follows Ikan’s fantastical story from Indonesia to his eventual imprisonment ‘down under’ and his fight to get home to his family. It is a heartfelt and darkly funny tale inspired by the real-life stories of around 100 Indonesian boys imprisoned in Australia for working on refugee boats.

The Age of Bones is a useful teaching resource that speaks to contemporary regional and global issues, while telling a universal, family tale. In terms of language learners, it provides an opportunity for students to practise pronunciation as they perform dialogue that is both naturalistic and entertaining. It also gives students an opportunity to practise translation, comparing their versions to the one created by our translator, Kadek Krishna Adidharma. Through this exercise, students will come to appreciate the demands of literary translation, where creative intentions require creative solutions.

As you will notice, the 75-minute play is suitable for students who are 12 years and older. It is available in both digital and hard copy forms.