Taki Rua Productions and The PumpHouse presents:
Strange Resting Places
Maori Battalion comes to Rest at the PumpHouse
“Strange Resting Places is intimate theatre at its best that would be warmly received in a piazza, a marae and anywhere
in between’ - New Zealand Herald
The PumpHouse is delighted to announce that the highly celebrated production Strange Resting Places will be the first
show for the Autumn Collection 09. This marks The PumpHouse’s new direction in mixed programming. Following on from
Auckland Theatre Company's successful launch of Ship Songs at the PumpHouse in 2008, world class professional theatre
will again be staged at one of the country’s most intimate and picturesque venues.
With a rich history of community theatre long established at the venue, the PumpHouse has sought to compliment this with
a programme of premium New Zealand work in an attempt to round out what the venue can offer North Shore theatre lovers.
This year the PumpHouse has partnered with two of New Zealand’s leading producers, Taki Rua from Wellington and
Auckland’s Silo Theatre.
First up is Strange Resting Places, set against the backdrop of war the play traces the stories and personal experiences
of the Maori Battalion in Italy. The talents of NZ actors Paolo Rotondo, Rob Mokaraka and Maaka Pohatu will bring the
characters to life and take audiences on a touching and often humourous tale of comradeship and survival. With four
surviving Maori Battalion veterans still with us, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu is proud to sponsor Strange Resting Places.
Italy, 1944: a battle-torn theatre of the Second World War. The Allied onslaught stalls at Monte Cassino and the 28th
Maori Battalion find themselves centre stage. A young Maori soldier goes out to steal food; an Italian takes cover in a
stable. Both find themselves trapped in a potentially deadly stand-off, but with Germans just outside, their survival
depends on co-operation.
Rob Mokaraka and Paolo Rotondo’s Strange Resting Places is theatre crafted from contemporary storytelling, personal
experience and extensive research. With music and comedy in Italian, Maori and English and a host of moving and
hilarious characters Strange Resting Places shines a light on the complex emotional bonds of New Zealand’s wartime
history. It also showcases the universal traits that Maori shared with the Italians: family, food, song, a love of vino
and a passion for the ladies!
“Drawing on their own Maori and Italian family histories, this talented pair has created a spellbinding little gem of a
show that will have you laughing a lot and crying just a little.” – NZ Herald
STRANGE RESTING PLACES plays
Wednesday March 4 – Saturday March 7 at 8pm
Saturday March 7 – Matinee 2pm
Sunday March 8 – Matinee 4pm
Tuesday March 10 – 6.30pm
Wednesday March 11 - Matinee 1pm
Wednesday March 11 - 6.30pm
Thursday March 12 at 12pm
Thursday March 12 - Saturday March 14 at 8pm
Sunday March 15 – Matinee 4pm
To Book Tickets please call (09) 489 8360 or visit www.pumphouse.co.nz
Tickets - $25 - $45
ends