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Community Pānui
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Applications are now open for our new Tumu Whakarae. head to www.thebigidea.nz for details on the role and how to apply.
PLANNING A GREEN TOUR - TĀNEMAHUTA GRAY
This is one of only a few fully te reo Māori productions that tour to Kura Kaupapa (Māori language schools) and mainstream primary schools in New Zealand annually, whilst providing some public community performances held in public venues or marae (traditional Māori community venues) during the tour.
Te Aka Tawhito - 2024 Te Reo Māori Season
Taki Rua’s iconic Te Reo Māori season returns in 2024 with the fantastic
Te Aka Tawhito, Na Tere Harrison
Te Aka Tawhito, Na Tere Harrison
Ngā Pūrākau (myths) are driving forces Hatupatu Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Te Ao Tahana-Prangnell
A Te Ao Māori lens Hatupatu Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Chas Mamea
Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Louisa Tipene Opetaia
Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love
Aueeeee e te tau… the forlorn lover’s cry rings through the theatre at the start of the
performance - a familiar heartfelt lament that anyone who has lost a loved one can
relate to. What has happened? Kia rite… prepare yourself for the unique retelling of
this well known pūrākau.
Hatupatu - aue he haututū ia! The youngest of three brothers who are also his
tormentors. You were bullied. We get it! Eds Eramiha captures the child-like qualities
of this pōtiki who will never be equal to his tuakana. He also demonstrates the fierce
qualities and haka expertise needed for his character while being endearing enough
to earn the love of Kurungaituku.
Kasina Campbell is the bird-woman, the kaitiaki of the birds, lizards and ngāngara.
With her claws, beak and screeching cry, she embodies the āhua of ngā manu. But
she is also a woman - feminine, ethereal and prone to the charms of the handsome
young warrior. She captures our hearts as she seduces Hatupatu - playing with him
in her lair. Sizing him up, flirting, feeding, and entrancing him. Her upside down entry
into his cage and their first contact rivals that of Spider-Man and Mary Jane locking
lips for the first time. Phew! This couple’s chemistry is electric!
Hatupatu and Kurungaituku consummate their relationship quickly and powerfully.
Forbidden love forges a strong trauma bond but these two are so different - it can
only ever end in heartbreak. Resentment, anger, love and hate lead us to the
inevitable tragic and violent conclusion but along the way we are thoroughly
entertained.
The immersive experience involves gravity defying feats and audience interaction
that places us right in the thick of the drama. The lighting, sound, costumes, and
makeup help to transport us to ancient times, back and forth from the spirit and
supernatural world. Aerial theatre is new for me. After I got over my initial safety
concerns for the actors and crew, I was able to let myself truly experience the
wonder of the tale they tell.
The graceful bird woman, the buzzing flies, the enchanting miromiro - the actors who
play these characters embody them so completely that they are no longer human.
When Hatupatu incurs the wrath of Kurungaituku - only magic can save him. His
means of escape from her rage is to hide in a rock, secure from her fury and deadly
sharp claws. The rock can still be seen today on the side of State Highway 1 near
Ātiamuri. Standing as a symbol of love gone wrong.
Hey Reddit! AITA? Am I The Asshole? I (21M) killed the pets of my love
because she pissed me off. She chased me so I hid in a rock and then I killed
her.
Verdict: YTA Sorry e Hā. You’re The Asshole!
Hatupatu’s name lives on in our minds but it is Kurungaituku that left a lasting
impression on my heart.
I shouldn’t have to worry about spoilers for this review because every kid that grew
up in Aotearoa should know about Hatupatu and the Bird Woman - but I guarantee
that you’ve never seen the story told like this before! Move like the Bird Woman is
pursuing you and get your tickets to one of the remaining shows right away!
Aueeeee e te tau… the forlorn lover’s cry rings through the theatre at the start of the
performance - a familiar heartfelt lament that anyone who has lost a loved one can
relate to. What has happened? Kia rite… prepare yourself for the unique retelling of
this well known pūrākau.
Hatupatu - aue he haututū ia! The youngest of three brothers who are also his
tormentors. You were bullied. We get it! Eds Eramiha captures the child-like qualities
of this pōtiki who will never be equal to his tuakana. He also demonstrates the fierce
qualities and haka expertise needed for his character while being endearing enough
to earn the love of Kurungaituku.
Kasina Campbell is the bird-woman, the kaitiaki of the birds, lizards and ngāngara.
With her claws, beak and screeching cry, she embodies the āhua of ngā manu. But
she is also a woman - feminine, ethereal and prone to the charms of the handsome
young warrior. She captures our hearts as she seduces Hatupatu - playing with him
in her lair. Sizing him up, flirting, feeding, and entrancing him. Her upside down entry
into his cage and their first contact rivals that of Spider-Man and Mary Jane locking
lips for the first time. Phew! This couple’s chemistry is electric!
Hatupatu and Kurungaituku consummate their relationship quickly and powerfully.
Forbidden love forges a strong trauma bond but these two are so different - it can
only ever end in heartbreak. Resentment, anger, love and hate lead us to the
inevitable tragic and violent conclusion but along the way we are thoroughly
entertained.
The immersive experience involves gravity defying feats and audience interaction
that places us right in the thick of the drama. The lighting, sound, costumes, and
makeup help to transport us to ancient times, back and forth from the spirit and
supernatural world. Aerial theatre is new for me. After I got over my initial safety
concerns for the actors and crew, I was able to let myself truly experience the
wonder of the tale they tell.
The graceful bird woman, the buzzing flies, the enchanting miromiro - the actors who
play these characters embody them so completely that they are no longer human.
When Hatupatu incurs the wrath of Kurungaituku - only magic can save him. His
means of escape from her rage is to hide in a rock, secure from her fury and deadly
sharp claws. The rock can still be seen today on the side of State Highway 1 near
Ātiamuri. Standing as a symbol of love gone wrong.
Hey Reddit! AITA? Am I The Asshole? I (21M) killed the pets of my love
because she pissed me off. She chased me so I hid in a rock and then I killed
her.
Verdict: YTA Sorry e Hā. You’re The Asshole!
Hatupatu’s name lives on in our minds but it is Kurungaituku that left a lasting
impression on my heart.
I shouldn’t have to worry about spoilers for this review because every kid that grew
up in Aotearoa should know about Hatupatu and the Bird Woman - but I guarantee
that you’ve never seen the story told like this before! Move like the Bird Woman is
pursuing you and get your tickets to one of the remaining shows right away!
Giving a voice to our ancestors while bringing language and kaupapa into the present. Hatupatu Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Tainui Tukiwaho
Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Mike Ross
Hurō e hoa mā! Attending this production was a joy. It’s a story with Te Arawa roots but a classical Māori frame. It’s central characters are Hatupatu and a supernatural creature named Kurungaituku. Hatupatu, played by Eds Eramiha, is a lighthearted, youthful, rascal who engages with the audience. His physical presence, self belief and melodic voice owned the stage (and fluttered hearts of some in the audience). However to his older brothers he is a careless, over confident, nuisance and they speak to and treat him that way.
Kurungaituku (Kasina Campbell) is a stunning bird like character. She is strong, assertive, confident and heroic. She controls her world and her nobility is portrayed in her movement. Almost in contrast to Hatupatu she is intentional, thoughtful, elegant and powerful. She sits in elevated places and as an observer chooses when to fly into this world.
Through a series of events Kurungaituku is attracted to Hatupatu and a relationship develops.
The show is economical in words and rich in movement. It is a sensory experience, which moves through a sequence of events conveyed in the tone of voices, in the Māori language, the cries and movement of our birds, our waiata, haka body messages on the stage and in the air, accompanied by light and sound. It is present in the chase that came into the audience, flew through the air, and traversed worlds, yesterday and today, at times frantic in pace and then in slow-motion.
These elements have the hand prints of both Tānemahuta Gray, the artistic director and Wētini Mītai-Ngātai, the kapa haka choreographer. Their ideas are embodied by performers and a stage crew who adeptly move across, along, below, above and hang suspended in space as a stage. It is professional, with each word, movement, audio, visual transition designed to hold the audiences attention.
Ko ngā pūrākau tuku iho, whitia e te rā, whakaoreorengia e te tinana, pararē te waha ki te kōrero kia mōhio mai kei te ora tonu tātou. Kāti, rere atu rā e te manu hōkioi, rere atu rā ki te taumata.
Kurungaituku (Kasina Campbell) is a stunning bird like character. She is strong, assertive, confident and heroic. She controls her world and her nobility is portrayed in her movement. Almost in contrast to Hatupatu she is intentional, thoughtful, elegant and powerful. She sits in elevated places and as an observer chooses when to fly into this world.
Through a series of events Kurungaituku is attracted to Hatupatu and a relationship develops.
The show is economical in words and rich in movement. It is a sensory experience, which moves through a sequence of events conveyed in the tone of voices, in the Māori language, the cries and movement of our birds, our waiata, haka body messages on the stage and in the air, accompanied by light and sound. It is present in the chase that came into the audience, flew through the air, and traversed worlds, yesterday and today, at times frantic in pace and then in slow-motion.
These elements have the hand prints of both Tānemahuta Gray, the artistic director and Wētini Mītai-Ngātai, the kapa haka choreographer. Their ideas are embodied by performers and a stage crew who adeptly move across, along, below, above and hang suspended in space as a stage. It is professional, with each word, movement, audio, visual transition designed to hold the audiences attention.
Ko ngā pūrākau tuku iho, whitia e te rā, whakaoreorengia e te tinana, pararē te waha ki te kōrero kia mōhio mai kei te ora tonu tātou. Kāti, rere atu rā e te manu hōkioi, rere atu rā ki te taumata.
Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Jennifer Shennan
It’s always a special moment for an audience when the poster image for a production is revealed in the course of play—only fleetingly, there it was, but we recognise it instantly since we have been looking forward to this show for some time and wondering how the combination of its many threads might weave together.
It is a gift for us all: Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love - Review Deborah Pope
Hatupatu/Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love is a large scale contemporary Māori work, an interpretation of a Māori legend which has resonance for us all, removed as we are from our connection to the natural world.
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Kaiwhakahaere Hanga Hōtaka
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Turoa Royal Rangatira
Moe mai ra i te Rangitira, haere ana ki to moengaroa, e moe, e moe, e moe mai ra.
School Shows
As pat of the tour we are offering a schools performance in each centre at a reduced cost of $25.00 per student. These performances are exclusive to school groups only.
Rangimoana Taylor wins top Māori arts award
Rangimoana Taylor, actor and storyteller from Ngāti Porou and Te Whānau ā Apanui, has received the Te Tohu Aroha mō Te Arikinui Dame Te Atairangikaahu supreme award, the highest honour in Māori arts.
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