Actress ready for The Undertow

An Upper Hutt actress is making history.

As part of Maori theatre company Te Rakau, Charlotte Lennon will be part of the presentation of the first quartet of homegrown plays ever to be performed in repertory in New Zealand.

The 19-year-old takes centre stage in The Undertow which opens at Te Papa Tongarewa’s Soundings Theatre on January 17 at 6.30pm.

Lennon joins a diverse cast of critically acclaimed veteran practitioners, recent graduates and current students of Toi Whakaari and Whitireia performing arts schools, as well as local high school students and novice actors.

‘‘I love performing with this whanau, they create a magical atmosphere both on and off-stage,’’ she said.

Performing in the series has taught Lennon about her own family history, as well as some of the harsher truths about New Zealand’s past.

‘‘You get taught a very different version in school. I feel sick when I think about what happened to our people.’’

Lennon said the third play, Public Works, which discusses the experiences, hopes and fears of New Zealand WWI soldiers in Passchendaele near Belgium, has a special place in her heart as her grandfather and great-uncles fought in this war.

She hoped audiences would learn something new about their pasts, come away with an emotional reaction and perhaps be inspired to change the future.

‘‘We are one, whether we like it or not. It’s imperative that all Wellingtonians see The Undertow.’’

Developed over a period of six years by acclaimed playwright Helen Pearse-Otene, and directed by Jim Moriarty, The Undertow tackles the cultural history of Aotearoa New Zealand through the eyes of seven generations of Wellingtonians. Pivotal moments in our country’s history are brought to life in four parts: from the arrival of the first settler ships, to the gentrified Port Nicholson and troubled Britannia, to our war history and current day urban development.

Audiences can enjoy all four plays in one epic day of theatre, or book just for an evening. Tickets for the show that runs to January 28 are from Ticketek.