Food premiered on the Border last night and the performers say the play will impact upon the audience, no matter who they are.

“Everybody will take something away with them,” actor Fayssal Bazzi said.

The story is set in a small cafe in Tasmania, owned by the mother of sisters, Nancy and Elma.

Nancy ran away and lived a life validated by men but returned after her mother died.

Elma is a stoic woman who has had a predictable life working in the cafe alongside her mother.

Mel King, who plays Elma, said food was a catalyst for the sisters’ memories.

“It is set in the present but we look at when we were teenagers and things throughout our lives,” she said.

Emma Jackson, who plays Nancy, sees her character as a hero.

“She has managed to come to terms with things in her past and accept it, which I think is very brave,” she said.

Jackson said the production explored one of the most complicated relationships between siblings.

Food, written by Steve Rodgers, is a co-production by Force Majeure and Belvoir Street Theatre.

The show opened last night at the Butter Factory Theatre on Gateway Island and will continue until Saturday.