Journeying into Maori theatre
The first te reo Maori season will run at the Fortune Theatre Studio next month. Rebecca
Fox talks to the play’s Christchurch author, Hohepa Waitoa.
HE lectures in Maori studies, is a composer and leader of kapa haka, is completing his master’s degree in creative writing, has written his first play — which he is assisting to direct — and is a father of five.
Hohepa Waitoa has a lot of ‘‘baskets’’ on the go. ‘‘Busy good,’’ he says. Busy is the way he likes to be, especially when it is helping him to spread the word about Maori language.
‘‘To corners or places where it might not normally be heard. The more we can hear our language, the more natural it becomes. It can be used daily.’’
So the opportunity to write a fully te reo play was a challenge he could not turn down.
Three years ago Taki Rua, which aims to ensure professional te reo Maori theatre is available nationwide and to develop emerging artists, approached Waitoa to write a piece for its Te Reo Maori Season, which produces te reo Maori theatre for schools, in the South Island.
‘‘I’m quite new to it but what I enjoy is bringing the Maori world and the language into the theatre. It excites me to see another forum where a language can be used and portrayed.’’
He had never written a play before but thought his experience in composing, founding and leading kapa haka groups, which involved writing lengthy scripts, would stand him in good stead.
‘‘Composition isn’t new but quite lengthy compositions in terms of scripts is definitely new. I love a challenge.’’
The outcome: He Kura E Huna Ana, a play inspired by the legend about the origins of pounamu on the West Coast.
It follows the modernday story of Hine, a young doctor in training whose return to her papa kainga (ancestral home) leads her to confront the tragic loss of her family on the anniversary of their death.
Hine must find understanding and consolation within the story of the pounamu trail.
Waitoa believes the legends and myths of oral narratives such as the origins of the pounamu have relevance in this day and age.
He had been told by his elders that these sorts of narratives of ancestors are not just past stories.
‘‘They are there to guide us and show us options and ways to overcome obstacles and get through things.
‘‘Here is a young girl who has had a long hard slog at university and the pressures of home keep drawing her back to try to reconnect with her family. Her grandmother is pulling her back to follow the right path.’’
The message is that no matter how rough something looks, if you chip away until you get to the centre of it you will definitely find a greenstone treasure within, he says.
‘‘Each and every individual has their own special treasure about them. It’s about that being brought forth for everyone to see, like the pounamu you find in the river. It may look like a rock at first but, as you chip away at the sides, beauty starts to shine through.’’
With a cast of four playing eight characters, the biggest challenge for the production was finding people who could act and speak te reo.
In the end, two of the four actors found for the roles had no experience of te reo and two had no acting experience, so aligning those skills was a lot of work.
‘‘It’s trying to find a common alignment with the acting skills and merging that with the language.’’
The play is delivered in Maori, a language usually heard only from the mouths of Maori elders, so this piece is about bringing a higher quality of language to the theatre, he says.
It sold out its debut season at the Court Theatre in Christchurch in 2015.
‘‘We had a great response. All shows sold out, so that’s a good testament.’’
That included feedback from West Coast Maori, who were a bit apprehensive, given the story involved their heritage.
‘‘I explained it was not about my version of the story; it was about using old stories as a guide.’’
It had developed further with guidance from professionals in Maori theatre at the 2016 Matariki Development Festival.
‘‘It gave me more of an urge to continue with the development of it.’’
The latest production had also progressed under the directorship of Nancy Brunning.
‘‘It’s grown a bit more. I can’t wait for this version to hit the floor.’’
Waitoa is loving every moment of the process of bringing the play to life, although he admits he had no idea of the work involved in doing so.
‘‘It’s awesome to see how the production can develop.’’
He was also helping Brunning to direct the play and helping the cast with the language.
‘‘Some are still learning the language, so it’s about keeping the language intact in terms of the script and delivery of it.’’
Waitoa hoped to bring a higher quality of Maori language to the theatre through his play.
Waitoa grew up in an Englishspeaking household, although each Sunday the family took part in kapa haka activities, where he was exposed to Maori language.
‘‘It was not until we were in high school we started learning and seeking more.’’
At that time, he wanted to be a writer and did some writing courses, but it was not until he met a woman who was ‘‘the backbone of her community’’ that he started to learn te reo through her.
‘‘Every day it became stronger and stronger and I wanted to show my Maori identity more.’’
It became a passion for him to pass on to others.
‘‘As a teacher, you try to find different avenues to show te reo, to show students the breadth of the language in general.’’
His family also spoke Maori at home alongside English, as he believed it was important to have multiple languages spoken, ‘‘the more the merrier’’.
He believed nonte reo speakers could understand and follow the play.
The troupe will take the play to schools and tertiary institutions through the lower South Island before arriving in Dunedin early next month.
Waitoa hoped his work, helped by a Creative New Zealand scholarship through Taki Rua, would help emerging Maori writers and directors in the future and facilitate the use of te reo Maori.
‘‘Who knows, one day we might be doing all the rehearsals in te reo.’’