Strange Resting Places

By Paolo Rotondo & Rob Mokaraka
Directed by Leo Gene Peters 

Featuring Paolo Rotondo, Rob Mokaraka & Maaka Pohatu 

"Great theatre touches your soul and throws you about as though you were in a washing machine.. Thank you for doing that."

- T. Watkins (Son of a Maori Battalion Soldier:  Auckland Showing, 2004) 

In World War II three key fundamentals connected Maori and Italian soldiers: kai, waiata and whanau … not to mention cunning, thievery, vino and the ladies.
Paolo Rotondo (Italian) and Rob Mokaraka (Maori) trace the stories and personal experiences of the Maori Battalion in Italy during WWII.

Italy 1944: Battle ground between the Allies and the Germans. The Allied advance comes to a grinding halt at Monte Cassino with the 28th Maori Battalion thrown in the thick of it. A young Maori solider, goes out stealing for food. An Italian takes cover in a stable. The two men find themselves trapped in a dangerous face-off, but with Germans just outside their hideout, they realise they will need each other to survive.

Through songs and laughter, in Italian, Maori and English with numerous hilarious and moving characters, strange resting places tells some of the stories of our boys in Italy. 

An Italian-born New Zealander, Paolo is an award-winning actor and writer. A graduate of Philippe Gaulier and John Bolton; actor, writer, director Rotondo has worked in the theatre, film and television industry for over ten years. He is best known for his feature film credits The Ugly and Stickmen as well as TV 2’s Shortland Street.

Theatre works include the national-tour smash hit Little Che, Fond Love and Kisses (Downstage Theatre) Mr. Marmalade (Silo Theatre) and this years ATC production Twelfth Night. Paolo wrote and directed the short film The Freezer His latest short film Dead Letters screened in the 2006 International film Festival.

 

Rob Mokaraka:
Rob is of Ngapuhi/Tuhoe descent. He has been part of award-winning theatre productions InSALT and Have Car Will Travel (Bats) for which he won Best Male Newcomer at the 2001 Chapman Tripp awards. Previous works include Questions and Never Never (Bats) and the NZ Festival hit King and Country at Downstage Theatre. Film and television credits include Duggan, Mataku, Love Bites, and Aikido InsaneTaika Waiti’s short film Tama Tu.