Theatre, poetry and live music are combined in Don Juan. Guitarist Karin Schaupp and actor and director Tama Matheson have joined forces to present a story that interweaves the sensational life story of Lord Byron with Don Juan, one of his most famous works, and pieces by Turina, Pujol and Tarrega to evoke moods and carry forth the drama.

Matheson says, "Karin and I met early last year and she said, 'I'd like to work with you'."

They needed a project that was appropriate to the guitar and its particular sound. As the instrument is often associated with Spanish music they considered possibilities there, rejecting Don Quixote as too obvious. Then another Don came to mind – Juan, or as Byron pronounced it in his epic poem, Ju-an. The poet completed 16 cantos, leaving an unfinished 17th when he died in 1824 at the age of 36, just about Matheson's age now.

"I said, 'Why don't we do this? It's set in Spain'."

Byron based his poem on a libertine character, created by a monk and playwright in the 17th century, whose excesses – sexual and otherwise - have inspired many other works including a Richard Strauss tone poem and Mozart's opera Don Giovanni.

Matheson says there was a certain autobiographical element to the character and he and Schaupp have made their piece about the flamboyant Byron himself – memorably described by one of his lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" – as well as incorporating sections of the poem.

In reading Don Juan to prepare the show, Matheson says he found it "full of enormous wit", almost a precursor to Oscar Wilde, though somewhat ruder.

Matheson says the character is recast as a naive, unworldly character who gets dragged into all sorts of scandal. He likens this Don to a hero in a Charles Dickens novel, someone who's surrounded by a lot of activity and colourful characters and more acted upon than active. And – perhaps like Byron himself – a mixture of romantic and cynic.

"It's a great role to play."

As for the music – with pieces by composers including Turina, Pujol and Tarrega – it will sometimes be used to underscore Matheson's performance but at other times will carry the story or mood on its own, used to evoke a particular emotion or feeling.

This will be the first time Matheson has performed in Canberra although one of the shows he directed, a production of Amadeus, toured here a few years ago. Matheson was born in London of New Zealand and Scottish heritage but moved to Queensland as a child and regards it as home.

The son of opera conductor John Matheson and opera singer Margaret Matheson, he knew what he wanted in life early on – "I never thought I would do anything else but theatre."

He studied at the University of Queensland and Oxford and worked as an actor and director in Britain in both theatre and television – he was in both Heartbeat and EastEnders – before returning to Australia.

"Now I do all three – acting, directing and writing, all together."

That's certainly the case with Don Juan.