New Wave of Young Creatives in Rangatahi Season 2019

Media Release: For Immediate Release
TE POU THEATRE BRINGS IN A NEW WAVE OF YOUNG CREATIVES IN THEIR RANGATAHI SEASON 2019

Te Pou Theatre presents
RANGATAHI SEASON
16 – 19 October

From 16-19th October, Te Pou Theatre will be hosting their annual Rangatahi Season, which sees four exciting works presented by young writers, directors, actors, and producers under the mentorship and support of the Te Pou whānau to the public.

The Rangatahi initiative provides a pathway to help nurture the next generation by giving them a platform to learn and navigate their way through the arts industry. The four day season will be programmed as a double-bill for each night and will be produced by four emerging Māori artists – Jane Leonard, Sheyney Ansin, Brady Peeti and Annette Morehu.

This year’s Rangatahi Season sees two works return to Te Pou’s stage after first being read at the annual Koānga Festival as part of the Whakarongo Mai Play Reading sessions – Temperance and Kingdom of Katz. First developed in 2018, Temperance is directed by Te Pou whānau Amber Curreen. With years of experience as an actor, theatre producer, and director, Curreen leads a group of emerging actors with a story that see two sisters at a clinic waiting for an appointment for a ‘procedure’. This story digs deep into the dark corners of childhood trauma while exploring the trials and tribulations of love.

Kingdom of Katz is a new work written by award winning playwright Albert Belz this year, to be directed by another Te Pou whānau member Tainui Tukiwaho. These two formidable creatives have previously worked together on plays such as The Cherry Orchard (2018) and Astroman (2019). Albert Belz will also be starring in this play alongside upcoming musical theatre actor Jane Leonard (We Will Rock You, Wicked) that explores on the story of a film producer who was fired by Disney who finds his way back up the success ladder.

A fresh comedy piece called Racist Anonymous sees emerging talent Chris Rex Martin (Larger Than Life, Such Stuff As Dreams) who is determined to test his writing and acting skills alongside a team of five other young actors including director Tyler Wilson Kokiri. This play is centred on a group of reformed racists who attends a weekly support group to unlearn their racist ways.

Finally, the 2018 UNITEC graduating acting class present Lunar State, directed by founding member of Red Leap Theatre, Kate Parker. This play was devised and will be performed by Sheyney Ansin, Emily Hurley and Bridie Sisson following a scientist from the future who is in search of answers, bringing the audiences into a realm where the world is in balance.

This season provides the chance for public audiences to see how Te Pou have been producing cutting-edge works that hold close to their strong cultural practices, connecting young arts practitioners with established industry heavyweights to create a programme rich in diversity and intergenerational perspective.

RANGATAHI SEASON 2019:
Wednesday 16 October - Saturday 19 October, 7PM
Te Pou Theatre – Auckland’s Māori Home of Theatre
http://tepoutheatre.nz/

FULL PROGRAMME LINE UP

Temperance
16th and 18th October
Temperance explores the themes of; childhood trauma, sisterhood and the tie that can never be severed, love; good love, bad love, new love, potential love, a mother’s love...
The play is set in a clinic, where Temperance waits with her big sister, Prudence. Prudence is more interested in the blanket she is crocheting than supporting her little sister, but Temperance is just glad Prudence is even here at all. The lovely, and ethereal, Nurse Jackie takes care of Temperance as she prepares for the ‘procedure’. At first, like everything, Temperance isn’t taking it too seriously, but as the weight of her decision weighs on her, Temperance is forced to face up to reality, and find out who really has her best interests at heart.

Written by Annette Morehu
Directed Amber Curreen
Starring Tuakoi Ohia, Brady Peeti and Tyler Wilson Kokiri

Kingdom of Katz
16th and 18th October
Having taken Disney from the worst performing studio in Hollywood to number one within four years AND having pushed their intellectual properties to number one across the entire spectrum of global entertainment - my boss decided to fire me. Welcome to the summer of 1994, the summer I went to war with Disney. My name’s Jeffrey Katzenberg and this is my story… The story about the rise and fall and rise again of Hollywood’s most successful modern film producer.

Written by Albert Belz
Directed by Tainui Tukiwaho
Starring Albert Belz and Jane Leonard

Racists Anonymous
17th and 19th October
“Racists Anonymous”, a comedy about reformed racists who gather at a weekly support group to learn about different cultures to help relinquish their racist ways. This week they’re learning about the Maori myth Tinerau and Kae - but not everyone’s excited to be learning about the origins of Kapa Haka…

Written by Chris Rex Martin
Directed by Tyler Wilson Kokiri
Starring Lucy Elliott, Tuakoi Ohia, Briar Collard, Chris Rex Martin and Nicol Munro

Lunar State
17th and 19th October
Lunar State is the story of a world that goes past the point of no return. Beginning in darkness, the moon has disappeared from the night and Cookie Sheila Levin holds a lightbulb in front of her, she is a scientist from the future trying to find answers and she guides the audience on a journey to a time when the world was balanced.

Devised by Sheyney Ansin, Emily Hurley and Bridie Sisson
Directed by Kate Parker
Starring Sheyney Ansin, Emily Hurley and Bridie Sisson

*Tickets are priced at $20 and are available on door sale only. If you would like to secure your seat you may contact Brady Peeti at info@tepoutheatre.nz

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