Ten-year-old Te Rongopai Curreen Tukiwaho leads a cast of nine actors in the play, Hemo is Home. Photo: Supplied
An award-winning whānau play will be the first to premier at Auckland's renovated Te Pou Theater.
Hemo is Home is directed by Tainui Tukiwaho and stars his 10-year-old son and co-writer Te Rongopai Curreen-Tukiwaho in the lead role.
Tukiwaho wrote the play with the five children in his blended whānau, beginning as a fun way to keep his tamariki occupied during lockdown in 2021.
The plays producer, and mother of young actor Te Rongopai, Amber Curreen, she said from the start the play has been a whānau effort.
"[Tainui] wanted the kids to have something to do to develop their reo Pākehā, to develop their writing so he gave them the idea of making up a play.
"If they could make up anything, if it could be set anywhere where would you want it to be set. And they thought it would be quite funny if there was a funny play that was set in an urupā."
Hemo is Home follows the adventures of a young Māori boy who is raised by his ghost ancestors at the whānau urupā.
After the play had been written the whānau decided to put it through to the Playwriting Awards so the kids would have a chance at being award winners.
From left: Jade Fernandez, 12, Mia Curreen-Poko, 17, Te Rongopai Curreen Tukiwaho, 10, Tainui Tukiwaho, Letoya Fernandez, 16, Paku Fernandez, 16. Photo: Supplied
Last year the quirky comedy was named runner-up at the prestigious New Zealand Adam Playwriting Awards.
Tukiwaho said he couldn't me more proud of the work he and his whānau did together.
"This show is one of the most amazing things to come out of lockdown. I spent quality time with my kids and the outcome is this wonderful quirky tale that we created together. What a gift!"
Curreen said she is excited to have the cast, crew and their whānau all working together.
However she did reserve some special praise for lead actor Te Rongopai.
"At the moment our lead actor, our ten-year-old is really busily going through his script and higlighting all of his lines and highlighting his stage directions quite dillegently actually," she said.
Te Rongopai will be starring in the play alongside a group of renowned Māori actors, including Maaka Pohatu, Bronwyn Turei and Awhina Ashby.
The play's premiere will be the first production staged at the newly renovated Te Pou Theatre in Auckland.
Curreen said the completion of the renovations feels like a long time coming.
"Over the past three years we've had to fundraise over three million... to be able to make this whare into a proper theater for Māori practitioners, for Māori storytellling, for everyone to be able to put on works in a kaupapa Māori space."
Hemo is Home will run from 3-12 March.
