Teen excited to head to Globe
‘‘It’s just the standard that I have set myself – being Māori raised me, so I have to raise up being Māori.’’
Māhanga Mitchell
When Māhanga Mitchell was growing up in Northland’s remote Hokianga, he never dreamed of being centre-stage at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
But the Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa and Waikato 17-year-old will soon be performing at the worldrenowned London theatre in July, in part because of his ability to bring a slice of Hokianga into his acting.
The former Whangārei Boys’ High School student was selected for the Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ’s Young Shakespeare Company, which sends Aotearoa’s top performers to the Globe each year as part of its close ties with the London theatre.
Mitchell was picked based on the strength of his performance of Welsh character Owen Glendower in Henry IV in the 2021 National Shakespeare School Production.
Despite being given just five days to learn a 30-page script, Mitchell decided to incorporate Māori culture, translating his character’s lines from Welsh into English, then te reo Māori.
‘‘For the certain people who actually know te reo, it was an opportunity for them to understand the words – because noone’s understanding the Welsh – but it also gave me the opportunity to incorporate Māori culture,’’ Mitchell said.
‘‘It’s just the standard that I have set myself – being Māori raised me, so I have to raise up being Māori. The way I behave and act on stage all comes from a Māori upbringing.’’
Mitchell said he had also been encouraged by Whangārei Boys’ High School, where he was a boarder at Carruth House and last year’s deputy head boy.
Drama teacher Fiona Churcher convinced his year 13 drama class to enter the 2021 National Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival, the first step to the Young Shakespeare Company.
The class performed a fresh and dark take on a scene from Macbeth, where Mitchell played a chilling version of Banquo’s ghost.
The performance was chosen to represent Te Tai Tokerau at the festival finals in Wellington, where it received four awards, including Mitchell winning the Extraordinary Performance Award.
From there, he was chosen by Dawn Sanders for the 2021 National Shakespeare School Production, and then selected for the Young Shakespeare Company going to the Globe.
Now, Mitchell wants to be a fulltime actor, and is studying a bachelor of arts in theatre studies and Māori studies at Wellington’s Victoria University.
While the stage has projected his acting career, he would ultimately like to work in film and television.
‘‘That’s where all the publicity is, but also I think there’s a wider audience that can be reached through film and TV.
‘‘My target audience is people my age and young Māori fellas like me – they don’t go to theatre shows in the weekend.’’
He hopes the trip to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in July will help launch his vocation.
‘‘It will be the first time I’ve left the country, and it’s on board chasing my dream – that’s pretty cool,’’ said Mitchell, who said he had never left the North Island.
Because of Covid-19 travel restrictions, this year’s trip will also include actors picked from 2019 and 2020 events.
Mitchell’s main focus will be
to perform well, even if that means learning a 30-page script in five days again.
The only thing that was holding him back was fundraising, with the London trip costing $9500.
However, Whangārei Boys’ High started a Givealittle fundraiser page, which has so far raised almost $15,000 and is still open for donations.
As the youngest of nine children – and currently paying for his studies and board in Wellington – Mitchell does not have a lot of spare cash, but he is determined to see it through in pursuit of his career.
‘‘From day dot, Dad always told me, ‘you can do whatever you want if you put your mind to it’.
‘‘I’ve chosen to put my mind towards performing, because it’s what I enjoy the most.’’