PURAPURAWHETŪ
Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, Auckland
13/07/2016 - 16/07/2016
Te Pou Theatre, 44a Portage Road, New Lynn, Auckland
06/07/2016 - 09/07/2016
Production Details
HE KĀINGA TŌ TE REO MĀORI KI ATAMIRA KĒ
He tuatahitanga te whakaaturanga o te whakaari taumata rau a “Purapurawhetū” ki te reo Māori. Ka whakaaturia tēnei whakaari ki te whare tapere o Te Pou hei te 6-9 o Hōngongoi, ka whakaaturia anō ki te whare tapere o The Herald hei te 13-16 o Hōngongoi. He pekanga tēnei whakaari o ngā kaupapa whakanui i a Matariki.
Kei te whakarewa te kamupene hou, te kamupene Māori hoki a Ruia Taitea Creative i tēnei whakaari i runga i tā rātou hiahia kia parea ki te taha ngā mōniania a wai rā e mea ana kei te mate te reo Māori. Na konā hoki i whakatau te kamupene nei kia puta he whakaari no mohoa nei ki roto i te reo Māori mo ngā tāngata e noho ana ki Tāmaki Makaurau. Hei tā te kaitohu a Tainui Tukiwaho, he mea nui ki a rātou kia kite i ngā kaupapa Māori nō tēnei wā tonu ki runga i te atamira. Ki konei hoki ka whai wāhi atu mātou ki te whakaoho i te reo Māori e ora ai tōnā hā i tēnei wā tonu.
He ranga tukutuku te mahi a tētahi tamatāne i te kuhunga ohorere mai o tētahi kuia ki tōna taha ki te āwhina i a ia. Ki reira puaki ai te kuia nei i ētahi kōrero e rongo ai te taumahatanga o ngā takunetanga o te wā kua roa nei e peehia ana ki runga i a ia. Ka mutu, he kōrero hoki tāna mo te anamata e manakohia ana e ia.
Ka kite i tēnei whakaari i te mātanga whakaari i a Rawiri Paratene ONZM o Ngāpuhi. I whakaaritia e ia tēnei whakaari i te tau 2010. Kei te whakakākahutia anōtia e ia ki ngā āhuatanga a Hohepa nō muri i a ia e tāwhio ana i te ao me tēnei whakaari i putaina ki te reo Pākeha. Ko Paratene tētahi o a mātou tino puiaki, ko ētahi o ana mahi nui taioreore ko te tāwhio anō i te ao me ngā whakaaturanga a Globe to Globe pēnei i a Hamlet, Whalerider, The Insatiable Moon, What becomes of the broken hearted, Footroot Flats, The Dogs Tale me ētahi atu hōtaka ā pouaka whakaata, ā atamira hoki.
Kei tō Paratene taha he hunga matatau ki te kōrero Māori pēnei i a Antonio Te Maioha (Zoolander 2, Spartacus, The Dead Lands), Kimo Houltham (Troilus and Cressida), Ani-Piki Tuari (Find me a Māori Bride) me tētahi kaiwhakaari hou a Krystal-Lee Brown.
Kua roa nei te kaitohu a Tainui Tukiwaho o Te Arawa me Tūhoe e nanaiore ana kia noho ki ngā taumata ikeike o te ao rēhia mā roto i ana mahi hei kaitohu, kaiwhakaari, kaihautu hoki ki roto i a Tāmaki Makaurau. I te tau 2015 i timata ia te kamupene a Ruia Taitea Creative kia whai wāhi ngā whare tapere Māori o Aotearoa. Ahakoa he nohinohi tonu pea te kamupene nei, arā noa atu ngā hua nui kua puta i a rātou pēnei i te whakarewanga o te whare tapere o Te Pou (te kāinga rua mo te hunga e ngākaunui ana ki ngā mahi Māori o te whare tapere i Aotearoa tonu), te tautoko i ngā kamupene 40 neke atu me te putanga atu o a rātou ake whakaaturanga.
Nā te tohunga tuhituhi a Briar Grace-Smith o Ngāti Hau me Ngāti Wai tēnei whakaari i tuhi. Nō te tutukinga ōna i te tohu Chapman Tripp Theatre mo tēnei whakaari, nō te putanga tuatahi hoki o tēnei whakaari i te tau 1997, kua horapa whānui tēnei whakaari ki ngā tōpito katoa o te ao. Ka mutu, kei ngā marau o ngā kura tēnei whakaari e noho ana hoki.
He tino whakaaturanga a Purapurawhetū i ngā kaupapa huhua e whakanui ana i a Matariki16. Koinei te wahanga o te tau ka kitea ngā whakaaturanga 100 neke atu, ngā kaupapa, ngā mahi ā hāpori hoki e whakanui ana i te tau hou Māori.
He karanga tēnei ki te marea kia tomokia te whare o ahurea Māori ahakoa te matatau o tōnā reo Māori. Kei te ārikarika a Ruia Taitea Creative kia ako te tangata i te reo Māori mā roto i ngā mahi o te whare tapere i tēnei wahanga whakahirahira o te tau.
Tuia atu ki te whakaari reo Māori a Purapurawhetū, ka whakaatu hoki te whakaari nei ki te reo Pākeha hei te Pōapa, te 6 o Hōngongoi ki te whare tapere o Te Pou, hei te Pōapa hoki te 13 o Hōngongoi ki te whare tapere o The Herald.
Purapurawhetū:
Te whare tapere o Te Pou
6-9 o Hōngongoi /July, 7.30pm
Wed 6, Preview | English Language performance
Thurs 7 – Sat 9, te reo performances.
iticket.co.nz
Te whare tapere o The Herald
Aotea Centre
13-16 o Hōngongoi /July, 7.30pm
Wed 13 July: English Language performance
Thurs 14 – Sat 16, te reo performances.
Ticketmaster
Purapurawhetū
Written by Briar Grace-Smith
Directed by Tainui Tukiwaho
Presented by Ruia Taitea Creative
TE REO MĀORI FINDS A CONTEMPORARY VOICE IN THEATRE
For the first time ever, the classic award-winning Māori play Purapurawhetūwill be presented in full te reo Māori for two seasons at Te Pou Theatre from 6-9 July and at The Herald Theatre from 13 -16 July as part of the 2016 Matariki celebrations.
Brand new Māori contemporary theatre company – Ruia Taitea Creative are presenting this work in response to counter fears held by many that the Māori language could die off in our lifetime. As theatre makers they have decided to address this by producing the first ever contemporary offering of a full te reo Māori theatre script for the people of Tāmaki Makaurau. “It’s vital to put Māori work on the stage that isn’t limited to historic stories. This is an opportunity for us to be part of the revitalisation of te reo in our modern lives making the language live and breathe today.” says Director Tainui Tukiwaho.
As a young man works to complete tukutuku panels for the new marae, a mysterious old woman arrives to help him. She reveals a past of hidden secrets, dark stories, jealousy – a past filled with loss, but also a future filled with hope.
This production stars revered Māori actor Rawiri Paratene ONZM (Nga Puhi) who last performed this play in 2010. He is reembracing the taonga of Hohepa after touring the world with the English version of this work. Paratene is one of our most treasured talents and his vast credits including touring with the Globe to Globe season of Hamlet, Whalerider, The Insatiable Moon, What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted, Footroot Flats: The Dog’s Tale and many television and theatre productions.
Paratene is joined by a cast of fluent te reo Māori actors including Antonio Te Maioha (Zoolander 2, Spartacus, The Dead Lands), Kimo Houltham (Troilus and Cressida), Ani-Piki Tuari (Find Me a Māori Bride) and newcomer Krystal-Lee Brown.
Director Tainui Tukiwaho (Te Arawa/Tuhoe) has had a vital career in the arts working as a director, actor and producer in Auckland for the past decade. In 2015 he founded Ruia Taitea Creative with the express purpose of creating opportunities for the Māori Theatre community of Aotearoa. In their short life they have already achieved some mighty milestones including opening of Te Pou in New Lynn (re-establishing a home for Māori Theatre in New Zealand), offering support to more than 40 different companies and the production of two of their own shows.
Purapurawhetū was penned by one of our most celebrated Māori Playwrights Briar Grace-Smith (Ngati Hau/ Ngati Wai). Since winning the 1997 Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Best Play, this work has gone on to become a New Zealand classic. Performed internationally and around the country, Purapurawhetū is now a part of the school curriculum.
Purapurawhetū is a highlight of Auckland’s month-long festival, Matariki16, which celebrates the Māori New Year with more than 100 shows, events, and community activities across the region. Audiences are encouraged to come and immerse themselves fully in contemporary Māori culture no matter their fluency. Ruia Taitea Creative are keen for people to use theatre to learn the language at this most special time of the year.
In addition to the te reo Māori translation Purapurawhetū will offer two English performances (Wednesday 6th July at Te Pou Theatre and Wednesday 13th July at The Herald Theatre).
Theatre , Te Reo Māori ,
It is the Mana that shines through
Review by Tamati Patuwai 12th Jul 2016
I have had the privilege of reviewing Briar Grace-Smiths play Purapurawhetū on another occasion some years ago. With the great advantage of the internet I do not wish to repeat myself and will leave it you to see my general views on Grace-Smiths immense capabilities as a writer and cultural visionary – here.
My views on Briar’s work have not changed. However, given the recent exposure of Purapurawhetū at Te Pou last week (it transfers to the Herald Theatre this week), this timeless classic continues to emerge with new gems as roopu after roopu carry it forward into our future.
Tainui Tūkiwaho is the director of the latest outing for Purapurawhetū, and he has been very intentional about utilising the play’s cultural majesty as a double celebration not only of theatre but also of Te Reo Māori.
Right from the very first te reo Māori utterance, this chiefly and magical language of ours rolls out of the theatre sound system like honey for the soul. The voice, as is written, comes from that of a little child, who gleefully pops kupu Māori into the air. It is a blessing and is the strongest pou of hope in reo; from the mouths of our babes!
The persistent echo on the resurgence of Reo Māori is absolutely constant throughout Purapurawhetū. This is so fully embodied that I assert that Briar Grace-Smith’s pen-womanship has now been elevated to another level.
In 2014 Te Ohorere Kaa translated the piece for another festival called Ipukārea. Tūkiwaho has brought it to us in 2016 and this simple translation has honoured writer, culture and reo.
The kaikōrero (actors) eloquently give the text full flight with very notable language proficiency. Often at times it is hard to know whether they are speaking from a script or just having a good ol’ yarn in front of us. I had to check this afterward with the actors. They were adamant that they were speaking from the script – which again speaks to their expertise of not only reo but performance execution.
Rāwiri Paratene is our Taumata, holding the stage as Koro Hohepa. Paratene is such a global phenomenon nowadays it is a real delight to be his audience as he shares his pūkenga with us.
Antonio Te Maioha is also a remarkable presence to behold as Matawera. Maioha is a unique assortment of creativity with an array of strings to his bow. As ‘artivist’ with national acclaim he is a spoken word poet, educational and hauora kaiārahi and television star. Though it has been some time since he ‘trod the boards’ it is clear that Maioha revels in the opportunity to play and flex the craft onstage.
Special mihi must be afforded to Kimo Houltham who plays Tyler, Krystal Lee-Brown who plays Rāmari and Ani-Piki Tuari as Kui Aggie Rose. These three in particular are such bright emblems of what our tāonga pūrakau is becoming. It is clear that Tūkiwaho has entrusted the space and piece fully to the kaikōrero, and rightly so: they skip and play expertly all the way.
The levels of oratorical skill from the players are a total victory to the Kohanga and Kura Kaupapa movements as well as to the superior Te Matatini. These institutions are continuing to bear fruit for and on behalf of those who yearned for revolution in a diminishing expression of Māoritanga.
So, evidently the power of this latest season of Purapurawhetū is the Reo.
The reo has deepened Grace-Smith’s themes of a small town Māori community wrestling with the past. Familiar tumults of colonial entanglement surge through the piece and the reo offers a more authentic declaration of the constancy of Mana Māori, resounding in the middle of it all. The performers’ reo again springboards Grace-Smith’s wit and agility into another space that speaks to our cultural endurance.
The technical elements of the play are minimal and raw. I have noted this before, that although sounds of traffic going by on the road can distract for a moment, and the occasional walling or wiring exposure above can take attention, all this can also illuminate the power of live theatre. Te Pou as a space and developing cultural hub should be applauded for their courage and their tiaki.
The entire ensemble led by the Ruia Taitea Creative crew should celebrate their efforts. From script to performance accomplishment it is the Mana, that is seen and unseen, that shines through here.
The child’s voice, speaking from the dark, is rich with the language of their tūpuna. The old ones watch on and call out “kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui!”
Tihei Mauri Ora!
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
One of New Zealand’s most absorbing plays
Review by Dione Joseph 09th Jul 2016
Almost ten years since its premiere Briar-Grace Smith’s timeless classic of love, loss and legacies once again takes to the stage – except this time the prized taonga is performed in te reo Māori.
Under the stewardship of director Tainui Tukiwaho and producer Amber Green, Purapurawhetū opened last night to a full house at Te Pou marking a key moment in New Zealand theatre history.
Koro Hohepa (Rawiri Paratene) appears to be pōrangi. The old man spends all his time scrambling around the rocks looking for pāua while his son, Matawera (Antonia Te Maioha) is consumed with recovering the title to the whenua which seems to have disappeared along with Koro’s last wife Aggie-Rose. [More]
Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer
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