NANCY BRUNNING’S TRIBUTE TO THE WĀHINE THAT INHABIT WITI IHIMAERA’S CELEBRATED WRITING COMES TO AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY IN A BOLD NEW PRODUCTION
Witi’s Wāhine is a theatrical taonga based on the literary matriarchs within the writing of Witi Ihimaera DCNZM QSM (Te Aitanga-ā-Mahaki) and lifted from the page by the beloved Nancy Brunning (Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāi Tūhoe), now given a major new production at the ASB Waterfront Theatre from 2 – 21 May 2023.
For one of Aotearoa’s most treasured writers, 2023 marks 50 years of writing for Witi Ihimaera and his first novel Tangi has been revised and updated to make a new 50th Anniversary Edition released 6 June. Central to Ihimaera’s writing have been the women of his upbringing and his family, wāhine Māori who raised and nurtured him.
“When Nancy first asked me if she could transfer some of the women I had written about onto the stage, I asked her, “Why?” I had been brought up by many grandmothers and never realised how they proliferated in my fiction, plays and lord knows where else. Nancy answered, “Because some of us never had women like yours.” – Witi Ihimaera
Witi’s Wāhine is Nancy Brunning’s loving celebration of the women of the East Coast, Te Tairāwhiti, that Ihimaera writes of so vividly. Lifting from the page and bringing to the stage a series of vignettes which champion the strong women who are the backbone of their communities and families. Witi’s Wāhine leads audiences on an epic journey through the worlds of the characters from some of Ihimaera’s most powerful stories, including The Whale Rider, The Parihaka Woman, The Matriarch, Pounamu Pounamu and Woman Far Walking.
Visionary directors Ngapaki Moetara (Waikato, Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Ruanui, Ngāti Whanaunga) and Teina Moetara (Rongowhakaata, Ngāpuhi) have created a new production, anchored in the whenua of Ihimaera’s upbringing and the wharenui central to the stories, Rongopai.
To create their expansive new production for the big stage at ASB Waterfront Theatre, Ngapaki and Teina have assembled a brilliant creative team including award-winning fashion designer Sandra Tupu, production designer Penny Fitt, and lighting designer William Smith.
This new vision for Witi’s Wāhine takes on a new poignancy following the devastation of the East Coast by Cyclone Gabrielle, which has directly affected members of the team and their whānau.
"Brunning brilliantly draws together the threads from the pages of the books to reveal a love story dedicated to all the women Witi has moulded his characters from… the many Māori matriarchs who fulfil their roles in a distinctly Māori way." - Michelle Nagaoka, Theatreview
Starring some of Aotearoa’s most in-demand actors: Roimata Fox (Ngāti Porou, Rongomaiwahine) (Waru, Muru), Awhina-Rose Henare Ashby (Ngāpuhi; Ngāti Hine) (Whina, Rūrangi), Pehia King (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Mahuta ki te Hauauru), Olivia Violet Robinson-Falconer (Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa) who are joined by a tira (ensemble) of six wāhine from Te Tairāwhiti.
This new version of Witi’s Wāhine is a collaboration between Auckland Theatre Company and Hāpai Productions, led by award-winning producer, director, actor Tanea Heke MNZM (Ngāpuhi nui tonu, Ngāti Rangi, Te Uri Taniwha, Ngāti Hineira). Hāpai was established by Heke and the late, great Nancy Brunning to uplift Māori stories and opportunities on stage and behind the scenes.
‘We will send you home thinking about your nannies, aunties, sisters, mothers, and cousins and everything they do for you’ - excerpt from Witi’s Wāhine.
WITI’S WĀHINE by Nancy Brunning
WITI’S WĀHINE is a collaboration between Auckland Theatre Company and Hāpai Productions.
2 – 20 May 2023
ASB Waterfront Theatre, Wynyard Quarter, Auckland
Tickets and info www.atc.co.nz 0800 ATC TIX
CREATIVE TEAM:
Directors: Ngapaki & Teina Moetara
Production Design: Penny Fitt
Costume Design: Sandra Tupu
Lighting Design: William Smith
CAST:
Roimata Fox
Awhina-Rose Henare Ashby
Pehia King
Olivia Violet Robinson-Falconer
Plus an ensemble from Te Tairāwhiti
About Auckland Theatre Company