Presented byHout Houz Creative and Todd the Creative
Q Theatre
Until November 11
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
Tatiana Hotere’s Skin Hunger is a semi autobiographic exploration of the aftermath of Eva’s partners death and the impacts on her sexual, social and personal life. Forty something, Brazilian born, Catholic Eva has married a Māori, had two children, lost her husband and now three years on is trying to deal with her sexual desires, while still mourning her husband
Her situation raises the issue of guilt or rather Catholic guilt, not helped by her puritanical sister Julia who espouses the Catholic line on sex and marriage as well as a her more lecherous friend Lorraine who, among other thing, helpfully orders a box dildos for Eva.
Tatiana Hotere who lost her own husband tragically has written the play as well as playing the sole role. If this was playing at a comedy club she would be billed as one of the great stand-up comedians. If she was performing at a grief counselling conference she would be considered as a perceptive specialist and any newspaper or magazine would welcome her writing a sex advice column.
She is able to write intelligently and perceptibly with wit about death, guilt and sex, linking the past and present with skill and compassion.
As well as presenting the complex character of Eva she also takes on the voices of Julia and Lorraine along with those of her mother, the parish priest and an assortment of other characters who interfere with her life.
She manages the characters seamlessly, giving them each a distinct personality with various tones and body language. Through these other conversations Hotere / Eva is able to deal with the endless platitudes she has to deal with about the loss of a partner and the need to move on.
She also encounters the social and religious issue of the Madonna / Whore concept that many women face.
At the heart of all these conflicts and conundrums is Eva’s search for the plays title – Skin Hunger, the desire to physically touch another person in her quest for a fuller life.
The play shifts continuously between comedy and serious commentary, with Hotere crying, laughing, screaming at her predicaments. Sometimes she is completely caught up in herself while at other times she is totally engaged with the audience, even sharing her dildos.
There are some brilliant sequences as when she talks to her various dildos who all have special characteristics and her conversations with God who she realises is not much help.
It’s a play which God should go and see; he might learn something about how his churches could help women.
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Edited by Cassandra Barnett and Kura Te Waru-Rewiri
With forwards by Ngāhuia Te Awekōtuku and Nigel Borell
RRP $70
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
When the exhibition Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art opened at the Auckland Art Gallery three years ago many people were surprised at the range and depth of the contemporary Māori art on view providing new insights into Māori culture as well as an understanding of New Zealand culture.
One of the catalysts behind the exhibition and much of the new contemporary Māori art was “Toioho ki Āpiti” the Māori Arts programme which has been offered at Massey University,
The importance of these courses can be appreciated in the new book “Ki Mua, Ki Muri”, which details the establishment and development of the Māori arts programme at the University which now has a global reach, with impacts on national and international contemporary art and culture.
Nigel Borell, the curator of the Toi Tū Toi Ora: exhibition was a graduate of “Toioho ki Āpiti” and also a contributor to Ki Mua, Ki Muri says in a forward, “the exhibition’s thesis and political will to centre a Māori framework and cultural paradigm as a way to discuss contemporary Māori art was directly shaped by the theoretical and conceptual teachings of the Toioho ki Āpiti programme”.
Toioho ki Āpiti’s Māori-led programme and its educational model is structured around Māori notions of Mana Whakapapa (inheritance rights), Mana Tiriti (treaty rights), Mana Whenua (land rights) and Mana Tangata (human rights) and is unique in Aotearoa.
Robert Jahnke Image, Jane Ussher
Central to the courses is Robert Jahnke, Professor of Māori Art at Massey University. He has been there since 1991 when he started Toioho ki Āpiti, under the direction of Professor Mason Durie’s. It was an arts programme which offered the first bachelor of Māori visual art.
Over three decades he has guided the course which has seen many of the most important New Zealand artists study, thrive and succeed. He has been the lynch pin or anchor for the students who have attended the courses.
Some of the graduates have had international shows such as Anton Forde who is currently showing his work at Sculpture by the Sea in Sydney as well as Brett Graham and Rachael Rakena who exhibited their collaborative work “Āniwaniwa at the 2007 Venice Biennale.
The book is a record of 25 years of the Toioho ki Āpiti programme, its influence on indigenous education, and the impact of its many graduates on the contemporary art of New Zealand as well as internationally.
The book includes an introduction by Jahnke which is a record of his development as an artist as well as providing an overview of the course, its geneses and development.
The staff and graduates, who include Shane Cotton, Brett Graham, Rachael Rakena, Kura Te Waru-Rewiri, Israel Birch and Ngatai Taepa, are some of the most exciting, thought-provoking and influential figures in contemporary New Zealand art. Through a series of intimate conversations and essays, Ki Mua, Ki Muri describes the unique environment that has helped form them as artists.
The book is also something of a history of recent contemporary Māori art with a chapter on each of the nineteen artists or in a couple of cases, pairs of artists and they are each given 2500 – 6000 words plus images of half a dozen of their works. In these interview / essays the artists give accounts of their development as artists and teachers.
Some of these take a very personal approach with a wide-ranging acknowledgement of their individual growth before attending the course, the impact of the course on their approach to artmaking and their development since then.
In the chapter featuring Huhana Smith and Kura Te Waru-Rewiri the two artists engage in a spirited conversation reflecting on their individual careers and work, the development of their art practice, comments about the art market and acknowledgment of the impact of their students and teachers.
Shane Cotton, Gesture (2021)
The work of Shane Cotton which spans nearly 30 years from his early sepia to recent work featuring decorative pots / urns talks about the transformative nature of the course and the way the course has helped artists in reclaiming the often-contested history of Māori and Māori art.
The ceramicist Wi Te Tua Pirika Taepa speaks about his experience of growing as an artist through other institutions and his connections through artists / teachers such as Sandy Adsett and Robyn Stewart and the links back Gordon Tovey. He makes all sorts of connection back to his childhood, marae and even to his time in the Vietnam War. All these experiences and ideas seem to be cast into his ceramic work.
The book provides an insight into the flowering of contemporary Māori art, the development of a contemporary imagery. It also shows the links and connections between the various Māori artists, both those who have been involved in the course and others so there is a web of interlinked knowledge, practice and ideas.
Editors Cassandra Barnett and Kura Te Waru-Rewiri have compiled and engaging and set of interviews and essays along with their own perceptions which are informative and rewarding.
Cassandra Barnett is writer and artist of Raukawa, Ngāti Huri and Pākehā descent. She writes poetry, essays and short fiction about cultural and ecological futures. She worked as an art theorist and lecturer (fine arts/critical and contextual studies) for 15 years at institutions including Wintec Unitec and Massey University (Wellington). She is currently Pouako/Educator at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato Waikato Museum. She was a founding member of the publishing collective Taraheke.
Kura Te Waru-Rewiri (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu, Ngāti Rangi, Ngāti Kauwhata) studied at the Ilam School of Fine Arts and at teachers’ training college, and then taught art in schools, tertiary institutions, universities and whare wananga, and was one of the first Māori appointments to Elam School of Fine Arts in 1993. Her work is held in collections in both Aotearoa New Zealand and overseas and she has been a key contributor to contemporary Māori exhibitions both in New Zealand and abroad. She is the chair of the Mangaiti Marae Trust, a board member of Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa and an arts director on the Toi Ngāpuhi Board.
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Two Auckland exhibitions are presenting very two different environments, Hiria Anderson-Mita at Tim Melville depicting a neighbourhood which offers community and hope while Daniel Unverricht’s showing at Suite suggests isolation and hopelessness.
Hiria Anderson-Mita has never had to look far for subject matter. She only has to look around the room, out the window or down the road. Her paintings are essentially documentation of her daily life, painting what she sees, the people she encounters and her immediast5e experiences.
The large work “Ki roto, ki waho” ($16,500) is of the kitchen bench and a view to the surrounding land, a combination of the domestic interior and the local environment. The view through the window is itself like a landscape triptych, both mundane and intriguing.
This incongruity in many of her works gives the images both a simplicity and sophistication. In works such as “Marae Reflections” ($4500) she demonstrates a technical refinement in showing the marae façade as well as the depiction of a distance suburban landscape.
The three small works each entitled “Stop Bank (Otorohanga)” ($2750 each) owe much to French Impressionist paintings as well as the rural paintings of David Hockney, in creating timeless views of the landscape.
“Ka haere the wa” ($8500), presumably a form of memento mori related to one of her deceased relatives has its own sophistication with the representation of several objects which have symbolic meaning to the artist or the departed.
Looking over at the neighbours
“Looking over at the neighbours” ($5500) has something of the feel of a Peter Siddell painting with its lack of human presence while “Māori, Male, 49, Folds his washing” ($3750) where we see a similiar house along with a more intimate portrait.
This intimacy can also be seen in “In my mother’s hands” ($4000) showing a small bird cupped in a pair of hands and “Aboard Te Huia” ($4000) where she observes a person lost in thought on a train.
Wick
The nighttime views of Daniel Unverricht’s small town New Zealand present a very different ethos from that of Anderson-Mita.
The paintings in his latest exhibition, “Full Dark” have a gothic atmosphere to them. The mean, empty streets with buildings bleached of colour have a melancholic beauty to them. While the views of streets and building hint at a human presence, there is no sense of welcoming, we are excluded and we observe with a mixture of fascination and foreboding.
Even with the large painting “Wick” ($25,000) of the Royal Oak Hotel where the front door is open and we see there is activity within there is a feeling of menace. At the same time there is a fascination with the artists depiction, for in one window we see a reflection of a landscape illuminated by the twilight.
This ambivalence about entry and exclusion can be seen in “Shelter” ($3500) with its scrappy red door set in a peeling concrete wall. It may offer shelter but the door seems firmly closed. Equally the glowing light in “Gateway” ($3500) suggests a welcome but the black silhouette of a house is unnerving.
Shelter
In most of the works the artist plays with the rendering of light. Often the light source is out of the picture frame as in “Valentine” ($3000), in others it is central as in “Gateway”. In “Gloam” ($10,000) the artist has stripped way the light both in the distant sky and the fading road surface.
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In introducing the NZSO’s Poem of Ecstasy, con doctor Gemma New noted that the concert was filled with work suggesting Joy, Love and Dreams
The five works all showed composers grappling with the often deeply emotional nature of states of euphoria and love. These ranged from the familial “Dance” of Kenneth Young which he sees as reflecting the innocent joy of having a two-year-old daughter through to Ravels huge symphonic “Daphnis et Chloe”, one of the great pastoral romances telling the tale of two foundlings who fall in love at an early age, are kidnapped and separated, but are eventually reunited.
Scriabin’s work “The Poem of Ecstasy” which gave its name to the concert was based on a poem which the composer wrote and was linked to his beliefs in Theosophy where the greatest calling was to escape the physical world and enter a oneness with the cosmos. The work is filled with images of spirits, figures dancing in light, chimera and even monsters. It was a work with symphonic dimensions and clout.
This depiction of a spirit world is reflected in the music. Initially with the sweeping sounds of the woodwinds creating wistful themes followed by huge surges of emotion punctuated by the intrusive voice of the brass.
The work reached a peak at the same time as the lights in the hall blazed red like some passionate monument and the audience were drenched in waves of lush emotion.
The finale of the work saw the light turn bright yellow along with a vibrant spotlight which referenced the final lines of the Scriabin poem.
“Thence the universe resounds
With a joyful cry I AM”
In the central part of the concert the audience was treated to two marvellous soloists – flautist Bridget Douglas and soprano Madeleine Pierard.
The darkened Town Hall saw a spotlit Douglas playing her flute while standing high above the orchestra. The solo work , Debussy’s “Syrinx” was delivered with brilliant technique which provided a warm graceful sound.
Madeleine Pierard sang the Sibelius tone poem “Luonnotor” which was inspired by a Finnish creation myth where a young woman is depicted adrift in the vastness of space.
The work is something of a challenge with the singer having to perform across a wide vocal range.
From the opening, Pierard’s piercing voice seemed to be in a battle with the orchestra which was like a ferocious force whirling around her then at other times she was carried along by the sinuous music. Her voice was complemented by the heavenly harps as her voice soared and then she would be swamped by the orchestra and her singing would take on a desperate edge.
There was an operatic dimension to her dramatic singing and her stage presence conveyed the drama of the young woman buffeted by the forces of nature and the elements.
The major work was Ravels huge symphonic “Daphnis et Chloe”. Like the other works on the programme which were inspired by various forms of ecstatic states, this ballet the piece is focussed on the love between the two protagonists and the music reflects that passionate encounter.
The work opened with the orchestra creating images of Nature, the woodwinds taking on the sounds of an idyll – birds tweeting, leaves rustling and rushing waters.
Much of the music reflected the notion of two characters communicating with each other as divine-like spirits. These emotional interchanges were a mixture of operatic and film music which was always evolving. There were several sequences where Bridget Douglas and the other woodwinds unleashed some romantic themes.
Gemma New led the orchestra with a precision to detail and the sumptuous music provided a sense of an enveloping tenderness and sensuality.
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The early history of New Zealand apart from that of the major centres was a history of small, often remote communities who developed physical, economic and social infrastructure to establish develop and organise their communities.
One such community was centred around the many bays of Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour and a new book by Jane Robertson, “Living Between Land and Sea – The Bays of Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour” provides such a history of the settlements of the harbour.
The area and the surrounding hills have a long history of Māori activity. The islands of Aua / King Billy Island and Ōtamahua / Quail Island were important sources of resources for local Māori, despite being uninhabited. Ngāi Tahu and Ngāi Mamoe used the islands as a source of shellfish, bird’s eggs and flax, as well as stone for use in tools.
This wide raging and superbly illustrated history tells of the settlements which developed in the bays of Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour. Each of the bays is given a chapter which the author details with extensive photographs from both the nineteenth and twentieth century as well as details about the people, the history, the jetties and the activities in each of them.
The various settlements include the larger areas of Lyttelton itself, Governors Bay, and Diamond Harbour as well as the smaller places such Purau and the military establishment and lighthouse at Godley Head / Taylors Mistake.
Many of the chapters deal with the history and myth of local Māori as well as the impact of the European settlements which gives a background to the unique development of each area of the harbour.
Robertson provides interesting historical facts and events which enliven the history making the book immensely readable and rewarding.
She writes about the torpedo boat which was stationed in the harbour at the time of the Russian Scare of the 1880’s and the development of military installations in the area.
There are the events around the establishment of the leper colony on Quail Island in the early twentieth century as well as the whaling station at Waitata.
There are accounts of the tsunamis which occurred in 1868 and 1960 which did much damage to jetties and buildings in the harbour.
The individuals and events of the area are woven together into a tapestry of intersecting threads covering both the European period of settlement and that of Māori going back many years, providing a history which is common to many areas of the country.
The book is richly illustrated with photographs from the nineteenth and twentieth century as well as some nineteenth paintings of the area including an 1850 work by Richard Oliver showing the Māori settlement and waka at Purau and one by J M Gibbs of Rapaki painted in 1877.
Richard Oliver, Maori settlement at Purau
The book explores the history of Te Hapū o Ngāti Wheke and their guardianship of this place, describing the early history of Māori in the region. It also takes a geographical sweep around the harbour from the signal station at Te Piaka Adderley Head to the lighthouse at Awaroa Godley Head. In between, the stories of the bays and islands of this picturesque and historic harbour are described with fascinating details of early and contemporary life including maritime history and dramatic rescues, farming and trade, wartime experiences and quarantine stations, tourism and recreation.
Talking about her motivation for writing the book Robertson says “Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour is my home, the place I love, my tūrangawaewae. I wanted to understand this place better and then share that with others. When I completed Head of the Harbour: A History of Governors Bay, Ōhinetahi, Allendale and Teddington, in 2016, friends and local residents were interested in what was to follow. (I wasn’t, I just wanted a break!) When I was ready to write again, I started thinking about the Governors Bay and Teddington jetties, whose stories had so intrigued me. I thought I could extend that curiosity to all the jetties in the harbour — those still extant, those now derelict and those long ago dismantled and/or swallowed by the sea. While jetties were the physical starting point, I realised that they were just a portal — a way of stepping back into harbour communities whose reliance on the sea was so much greater than ours today.
I also believe strongly in the value of local history, of capturing voices and memories before they are lost for good.”.
“Living Between Land and Sea” adds greatly to our knowledge and understanding of the development of New Zealand and is an outstanding example of documentation about local communities.
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Chloé van Soeterstède conducting the APO Photo. Adrian Malloch
Symphonic Dances
Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra
Auckland Town Hall
October 19
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
The APO’s latest concert, Symphonic Dances opened with a welcome from the new CEO of the orchestra Diana Weir who was previously the Director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario. She said it was a unique experience to be working with the orchestra which made phenomenal music possible. She also noted that she was announcing the orchestra’s programme for next year which included a superb range of music.
Conducting the programme was Chloé van Soeterstède who has been attracting the attention of orchestras across the globe. She has been praised for her intuitive, sensitive, expressive, music-making and attention to detail.
The major work on the programme was Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, a work he had spent nearly ten years writing. The concerto adheres to the classical style of Beethoven while containing much of the romantic ethos which leads on to the music of Brahms. In several ways he broke with tradition such as having the violin make an instant introduction to the work .
Violinist Sergey Khachatryan opened the turbulent first movement with a relentless vigour, grappling with the music as though he were in competition with the orchestra. At times his playing was raw, almost feral while at other times he exposed the delicate and sensual elements of the music.
Sergey Khachatryan and Chloé van Soeterstède Photo. Adrian Malloch
He tackled the work with a lively self-confidence, expertly managing the passages which Mendelssohn must have written to technically challenge any performer.
In the second movement where the violinist can be dominated by the orchestra Chloé van Soeterstède ensured that even when he played softly his sound still rose above the orchestra and some of these whispered moments were tantalising. Equally his dramatic displays were achingly emotive.
There was a precision and focus throughout as though he was thinking his way through the music, thinking and contemplating.
In the third movement in which many of the motifs of the first movement were restated he responded in an almost playful way, engaging with the music in a very physical manner.
Throughout he managed to conjure up some graceful unforced tones with crisp articulation heightening the romantic sweep of the music and discovering emotional depths in the music.
The concert opened with Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony, composed in 1916 and the first of his seven symphonies.
It might seem incongruous that Prokoviev composed a work which hints at the music of a century before at the same time as the Russian revolution. In many ways the work is revolutionary in that it alludes to the work of Mozart whose symphonies and opera were revolutionary in their time.
The symphony is also revolutionary in term of Prokovievs own work being a major change from his dramatic First Piano Concerto which had marked him out as revolutionary only a few years before.
Van Soeterstède opened the first movement which is full of joyous music demonstrating why she is valued as a conductor. She conducted with dramatic gestures and a style which was balletic.
The dance-like whimsey of the second movement had hints of the composers later ballet music while the third movement had a recognisable theme which would end up in his ballet music for Romeo and Juliet two decades later.
The Symphonic Dances was the last music Rachmaninov wrote, and the third movement features musical references to the Roman Catholic Requiem “Dies Ires”. It is a theme which recurs in many of his compositions reminding listeners of the terrors of the day of judgment. Mozart had previously employed the same melody in his “Requiem”, both composers using the setting as premonition of their death.
The work saw van Soeterstède conducting with more feline gestures as she led the orchestra in the vigorous opening with its march-like music and an exquisite passage featured featuring the woodwinds, the piano merging with the strings and an intrusive clarinet.
The elaborate music of the second movement was enriched by Concertmaster Andrew Beer leading the orchestra in a slow, almost filmic dance theme.
In the third movement there were a range of innovative sounds, notably from the percussion, a disturbing clarinet and after an appearance of the Dies Irie theme a dramatic martial finale.
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Art and Social Change: The Letting Space projects 2010–2020
Edited by Mark Amery, Amber Clausner and Sophie Jerram
Massey University Press
RRP $ 65.00
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples
The recent elections showed that political parties appear to have little interest in developing arts policies which engage with communities. While there were major efforts made in the late 1980’s with the creation of Community Arts Councils which had funding from Creative New Zealand there have been few initiatives which not only help artists but strengthen local communities
Examples of communities engaged in transformative activities, often led by artists can articulate ideas and desires so that art becomes a catalyst for change and community cohesion.
The new book “Urgent Moments” provides examples of individuals and groups creating art environments or situations which address aesthetic, social and political issues making use of non-gallery spaces.
in the mid-1990s, the public art curators Letting Space began occupying vacant spaces in post-stock-market-crash Auckland. The social conditions of the time in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis led many to question the prevailing dealer gallery system and the way in which art was produced, marketed and commented on.
The book is written and edited by Mark Amery, Amber Clausner and Sophie Jerram with contributions from leading New Zealand writers and thinkers, including Pip Adam and Chris Kraus, Urgent Moments demonstrates the vital role artists can play in the pressing discussions of our times.
Letting Space worked in Wellington and Dunedin with property managers, individuals and community groups to broker the temporary use of vacant space for projects.
The idea was to use public art as a way to regenerate and rejuvenate communities and urban spaces.
In Wellington some designer-artists turned an old bank building into a ”mood bank” for three weeks. Instead of depositing money individuals deposited one’s idea of their personal mood of the day. A deposit slip was filled out and this mood slip was stamped and authenticated.
Another project, Free Store featured a grocery shop where everything was free with much of the produce donated by local businesses. of the area.
The group also created TEZAs (Transitional Economic Zone of Aotearoa) which brought a community-based approach to public art. The first TEZA was in New Brighton, Christchurch, after the suburb’s shopping centre was destroyed by earthquakes.
They set up an encampment on the shopping area and welcomed artists and locals to come and be creative. Installations cropped up, a school documented itself with photography, and locals biked around the suburb singing as part of a ‘Bicycle Choir’.
In Porirua as part of a local arts festival people could create their own coffins or design urns for their own remains as well as baking bread to create a Porirua Loaf.
Projected Fields
One of the more ephemeral works was Projected Fields, a temporary contemporary public art project that involved contributions from the public, local communities, sporting groups and businesses, mixing the worlds of physical and digital community interaction, as well as expanding on the notion of public art.
The playing fields of Macalister Park in Wellington were painted with coloured charts which reflected the community use of the area as well as identifying the geographical and historical aspects of the area.
The book feature dozens of projects undertaken by the group over a decade as well as photographic documentation along with essays by noted artists and writers on the impact of these projects.
One of the editors of the book, Sophie Jerram says, “ What’s important with this book is that we’re documenting amazing ideas created years before they became mainstream. For example, Free Store is an accepted institution now; discussions about employment and productivity and the UBI have become serious; single-use plastics are practically outlawed.
“Urgent Moments” shows the unique power of art to unite, transform and revitalise communities and how individuals collectively can become artists.
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Auckland Theatre Company have announced eight plays in their 2024 Season, presenting a line-up of shows that feature star-studded creatives and high flying collaborations, alongside striking international works.
After welcoming over 50,000 people through their doors this year, the 2024 programme, will be presenting five works by New Zealand playwrights (four of which are world premieres), alongside West End hits, a climate change epic and a big-scale retelling of one of the most popular children’s stories of all time.
The works on offer also reflects the Company’s continued commitment to collaborating with organisations across the motu, including Te Pou Theatre, Nightsong, Silo Theatre, I Ken So Productions, Auckland Arts Festival and Agaram Productions.
Artistic Director & CEO Jonathan Bielski says, “After a great year for our 30th anniversary in 2023, we are excited to offer Aucklanders a 2024 season of outstanding theatre filled with stars, local heroes and extraordinary storytellers.” Auckland Theatre Company’s accessibility programme continues as a commitment to inclusive access. Each production in 2024 will have a dedicated New Zealand Sign Language-interpretated and audio-described performance and touch tour. A Sensory Relaxed Performance will be introduced for the first time in the Company’s history to welcome people who would benefit from a more laid-back theatre atmosphere including people who are neurodivergent, and folks with sensory and communication needs.
The Plays
Hyperspace by Albert Belz 7 – 24 Feb In Albert Belz’ award-winning play Supernova, the audience is taken back to 1990, the heyday of Pump Up The Jam, Miami Wine Cooler, Timotei shampoo and Gloss. Entries are open for the NZ Aerobics Competition and small-town Natalie ends up having to team up with haka queen Tāwhai for the mixed doubles. This world premiere season is for all the lovers of dance movies and ‘90’s time capsule nostalgia. Co-produced with Te Pou Theatre, directed by Tainui Tukiwaho (Astroman) and choreographed by New Zealand dance icon (and former aerobics champion) Jack Gray. This season of Supernova is proudly presented with the support of MiNDFOOD.
O le Pepelo, le Gaoi, ma le Pala’ai | The Liar, the Thief, and the Coward by Natano Keni and Sarita So 5 – 23 Mar The second show of the year is a family drama in the vein of August: Osage County, set in Sāmoa’s not-so-distant past, in collaboration with Auckland Arts Festival and I Ken So Productions. Proud chief Pili Sā Tauilevā has devoted his life to his village, but when he falls ill and refuses to name a successor, his daughter and son become rivals to the title. Power, politics and tradition collide in this darkly comic piece by Natano Keni and Sarita So, starring Semu Filipo (Things That Matter, Young Rock).
The Effect by Lucy Prebble 16 Apr – 11 May Straight off a critically acclaimed season at London’s National Theatre, The Effect, directed by Benjamin Kilby-Henson (King Lear), brings four stars to the ASB Waterfront Theatre. In this chemistry-laden medical drama from Succession writer Lucy Prebble, two participants of a clinical trial struggle to figure out whether their attraction to each other is real or just the medication. Jayden Daniels (Head High, Celebrity Treasure Island) and Zoë Robins (Amazon’s The Wheel of Time) make their Auckland Theatre Company debuts, Jarod Rawiri (Long Day’s Journey into Night) returns and New Zealand screen legend Sara Wiseman (Under the Vines, Creamerie) makes her return to the company after 20 years.
Red, White and Brass adapted by Leki Jackson-Bourke 18 Jun – 6 Jul Adapted by award-winning playwright Leki Jackson-Bourke (Inky Pinky Ponky), the beloved hit movie Red, White and Brass makes its theatrical world premiere. Reprising his star-making film role, John-Paul Foliaki is a Tongan superfan who will do whatever he can to score tickets to see his team play in the Rugby World Cup. Directors Anapela Polata’ivao (Things That Matter) and Kila Kokonut Krew royalty, Vela Manusaute will create a family-friendly feel-good entertainment where everyone gets to experience just how cool it is to be Tongan.
Scenes from the Climate Era by David Finnigan 2 – 24 Aug Scenes from the Climate Era confronts the current and future effects of climate change. This scorching work from Australian playwright David Finnigan is a genre-bending, wide-ranging look at the climate crisis, the biggest story in human history. This show, directed by Keagan Carr Fransch (seven methods of killing kylie jenner) is the first collaboration between Auckland Theatre Company and Silo Theatre, fitting for a collective call to action of the greatest urgency.
Girls & Boys by Dennis Kelly 10 – 28 Sep Girls & Boys brings the West End and Broadway sensation to the ASB Waterfront Theatre stage. A play made famous by Hollywood star Carey Mulligan, this shattering solo drama by Tony-Award winning Dennis Kelly stars Beatriz Romilly (the West End’s 2:22 A Ghost Story, King Lear) as a funny, gutsy, messy woman who falls head over heels for a charismatic man who imports European antiques. This show, directed by Eleanor Bishop, explores the dark shadow on the far side of love – and asks how far we’ll go for it.
Peter Pan by Carl Bland 8 – 28 Oct The boy who never grows up comes flying through the stage in Peter Pan, a collaboration with the magical team at Nightsong (Te Pō, The Worm) and written by Carl Bland adapted from the novel by J. M. Barrie. This fresh twist on the classic story will have all your favourites – Captain Hook, Tinker Bell, and the Lost Children – with the visually spellbinding storytelling that directors Ben Crowder and Carl Bland have captivated the country with.
a mixtape for maladies by Ahi Karunaharan 19 Nov – 7 Dec a mixtape for maladies is a new collaboration of Agaram Productions, Arts Laureate Ahi Karunaharan (Tea, The Mourning After) and director of Basmati Bitch) that sweeps from 1950s Sri Lanka to modern-day Aotearoa. Directed by Jane Yonge (Scenes from a Yellow Peril) this is both a love letter to Sri Lanka and a lament, the story plays out over 17 songs – ranging from Dusty Springfield to La Bamba to the hit single from a Tamil rom-com.
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Auckland Choral’s St Mathew Passion Image Hazel Thomas
St Mathew Passion
Auckland Choral
Auckland Town Hall
October 15
Reviewed by John Daly-Peoples.
The St Mathew Passion tells the story of the of the last days of Jesus – his betrayal, trial, crucifixion and burial. . The major roles are that of the evangelist Mathew and Jesus. The other individuals and groups also have parts to play with singers given the various roles of Judas, Peter, a slave girl, hight priests and soldiers.
The work is monumental both in conception as well as in performance with two choirs, six major soloists as well as several minor soloists both singers and players. For the work to be successful it needs a great orchestra, experienced choirs, exceptional soloists and a conductor with an understanding of the work.
With the latest Auckland Choral production all of these elements were present resulting in an outstanding performance.
Central to the production is the role of the evangelist Mathew sung by Iain Tetley who was positioned in the centre of the stage between the chorus and the orchestra. His voice was initially uneven as he struggled to change register. However for the most part his voice which ranged from the soft and fluid to the forceful was able to convey the narrative of the story, giving emphasis to important moments.
Conductor Uve Grodd maintained a from control over Pipers Sinfonia and choirs, deftly directing the orchestral sounds, the intensity of the choirs and finely balancing the levels of the soloists and orchestra.
Providing the musical support for the performance and guiding the threads of the melodies were organists John Wells and Edmond Wong.
David Greco’s purity of voice served him well in his various portrayals and Andrew Grenon singing the role of Peter as he kept watch with Jesus showed the singers grasp of the music and later when he denies Jesus three times he was equally able to give a sense of the moment. There was a special moments when Polly Sussex accompanied Grenon playing the Viola da gamba her instrument providing a freshness which matched the singers intense voice
Jesus was sung by James Ioelu and his sharp chiselled voice gave a sense of Jesus, the man speaking to the audience.
Sarah Court’s well-modulated voice gave the recitative “Du lieber Heiland du”, (Beloved Saviour thou) a sense of grief while Soprano Anna Leese was able to express anguish in her aria “Blute nur, du liebes Herz!” where she gave urgency to the phrase, “Threatens to murder its guardian”,
Sarah Court, Anna Leese and Uve Grodd Image Hazel Thomas
The two of them sang the only duet in the work, “So ist mein Jesus nun gefangen,” where the oboe and flute wail their lament at the seizing of Jesus and the chorus cries out “Let him go.” The two women delicately shared the melodies before the choir erupted with their response, calling on lightning and thunder with a forceful clipped sound.
Another exceptional sequence was the concertmaster Alexander Pilchen accompanying Sarah Court as she sang the poignant aria “Erbarme dich,” where she seeks mercy for the world’s sins.
Alexander Pilchen’s playing was a delight. His performance was that of a more urgent contemporary violinist providing a skilful and moving account.
Some of the lesser roles were sung by members of the choir including John Mitchell as Judas.
The choirs, Auckland Choral and Cantare Westlake Girls Choir could not be faulted. From their full-throated raging to their gentle pleading they gave the words and emotion a genuine authenticity
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“In The Temple” is a new collaboration between artist Catherine Bagnell and poet L. Jane Sayle which follows on from their previous work “On We Go” published two years ago.
The small pocket-sized book of 26 poems and 21 watercolours is like a breviary or book of the hours, to be referred to for inspiration and reflection. Both the thoughtful poems and the wistful illustrations have much to offer.
The Temple of the title is no man-made structure but is situated in the natural world, and where poet and artist find solace and tranquillity. It is a place which holds memories and ideas, both transient and enduring. Both the poems and the illustrations are a mix of the observed and the imagined, evoking both the physical and contemplative aspects of encountering the environment.
One of the poems, “The Singing Tree” is something of an advisory to the reader about the accessibility and understanding of poetry.
Thank you for your poem
I think I understand it
Its just with the watermarks
The old buff paper
Your scrawl
This image of the handwritten poem is given form in “John Weeks” and “Englischer Garten” where watermarks or tears blot some of the words.
The poems range from the haiku-like “Scroll White”
And when I close my eyes
black shagreen
Through to the longer pieces such as “GPS” describing actual place and event.
Many of the poetic images Sayle creates have a slight surreal quality as with “In Camellia Time” with the image of “a puppy drowning” oddly matched with Bagnall’s watercolour of a mourning figure that has shed formal gloves while the tears or petals of a camellia float down.
The words and pictures touch each other lightly and there is a sense of the visual and poetic images being in parallel dream worlds where images and ideas flicker and merge.
In some cases there could be the need for a footnote and explanation as Sayle says of the lines
I can’t hear myself think
for the whales
singing in the harbour
That they are based on comments made by early English settlers to the Wellington area about how noisy the whales in the harbour were, and she wonders whether such an event would ever happen again.
Some of these images exist in a dreamlike world while others are rooted in real, natural places such Paradise Valley or the Makara coast but once there the reader is deftly transported past glimpses of exotic locations such as Florence or Nablus.
Catherine Bagnell’s watercolours are a cross between a nineteenth century children’s book and a set of symbolist, colour experiments where figures flit through wooded places .These figures include humans, rabbits and black birds, all suggesting loss, remembrance and discovery.
Jane Sayle says of the title poem , that it “ honours the act of sacred daydreaming in specially consecrated feminine places. And these places are to be found everywhere: special clearings in a forest or where a stream runs out of the bush, a stone ruin from antiquity or a home that suddenly shines when everyone else has gone out, a bay at dusk. And, crucially, this work is not to be interrupted.”
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New Zealand Arts Review 