What’s on in the region this week?
Kia Mau Festival UPU
Circa 1, Circa Theatre, June 16-19, 6.30pm and 8pm, $10-$45
Curated by award-winning poet Grace Iwashita-Taylor and led by powerhouse director Fasitua Amosa, UPU gives the stage to Oceania’s most electrifying poetry. Ben Brown, Karlo Mila, Albert Wendt and more: UPU is for the trailblazers, the icons and the new writers transforming Aotearoa today. Tickets: circa.co.nz TINA¯
Tapere Nui, Te Auaha, June 16-17, 6.30pm, $15-$25
TINA¯ , a new work by groundbreaking collective TULOU, invokes passion and heart through its fierce movement vocabulary that has roots in Pacific and Contemporary dance. Performed by a strong cast of women, TINA¯ explores concepts of motherhood and mana wa¯hine. Tickets: iticket.co.nz
O Le Pa’a Ma Ona Vae
Heyday Dome, BATS Theatre, June 16-19, 7pm, $15-$40
On the eve of his return to New Zealand, a young man’s grandfather appears to him in the form of a crab to say goodbye. Exploring alofa that transcends the confines of our perceived reality, and the different forms that that can take, O Le Pa’a Ma Ona Vae is an evolving piece from Samoana Nokise. Tickets: bats.co.nz
He Tangata
BATS Theatre, June 16-19, 8.30pm, $15-$40
In an act to weave takatapui and Ma¯oritanga back together, He Tangata looks backwards while moving forwards as we travel within the past, present and future of Takatapuitanga. Tickets: bats.co.nz Daughter
Circa 2, Circa Theatre, June 17-19, 7.30pm and 4.30pm, $25-$30
Get a rare glimpse into the creative world of frequency-bending polymath Teremoana Rapley as she presents a fluid multidisciplinary, work-in-progress, live performance listening party of her anticipated debut album, Daughter Of A Housegirl, to be released next year. Tickets: circa.co.nz
Te Wheke
Te Whaea Theatre National Dance and Drama Centre, June 17-19, 7.30pm and 1pm, $15-$35
Artistic director Jack Gray marks the 21 years of Atamira Dance Company with the collaborative new work Te Wheke. The work brings together Aotearoa’s leading names in contemporary dance, including Arts Foundation laureate Louise Potiki Bryant, Dolina Wehipeihana, Taane Mete, Kelly Nash, Gabrielle Thomas, Kura Te Ua and Bianca Hyslop. Tickets: iticket.co.nz
Te Mauri O Po¯ hutu
Toi Po¯neke Arts Centre, until June 26.
A new series of collaborative installation and time-based artworks by Bianca Hyslop, Rowan Pierce and Tu¯¯ı Matira Ranapiri Ransfield. The work responds to the loss of ma¯tauranga Ma¯ori due to cultural interruption and assimilation.
Lo¯ emis Festival
Lo¯ emis Gallery
Thistle Hall, June 15-20, 10am-5pm, free
A fantastic collection of Wellington artists exhibiting artworks and handcrafts. Featuring a variety of artists exploring the mysteries of the deep woods through paintings, printmaking, jewellery, leatherwork, and more.
Crankies Workshop
Thistle Hall, tomorrow, 6.30-8.30pm, from $28
In this workshop with Jen Eccles, you will learn all about crankies, shadow puppetry, how the crank structure is built, see and operate one prepared earlier, and make your own using coffee cups.
Mask-making workshop
Thistle Hall, June 16, 6.30-8.30pm, from $25
Expert props-maker Luke Scott shows you how to create a series of forest-inspired masks for use at the Lo¯emis winter solstice procession (or simply your mantelpiece).
The Veiled Isle
The Basement Theatre, June 17, 8pm, from $25
Local purveyors of mystical psychrock, Birdfeeder take you on a journey through a shrouded landscape knowable only through the shadows it casts.
Tickets: humanitix.com
Other events
Mansfield: In Her Own Words Michael Fowler Centre, today, 8pm, from $65
This concert of selected poems by Katherine Mansfield is set to contemporary music composed by leading songwriters/recording artists, including Lawrence Arabia, Julia Deans, The Bats, Mel Parsons and French For Rabbits. Tickets: ticketmaster.co.nz
Author Talk: To Be Fair – Confessions Of A District Court Judge by Rosemary Riddell
Unity Books Wellington, tomorrow, 6pm-6.45pm, free
Rosemary became a lawyer at 40, juggling study with a young family. She was asked later to be a judge and served 12 years on the bench, before taking up an Acting Warrant.
Cherry Cola
Studio 77, Fairlie Tce, June 15-18, 7pm, $16-$22.50
With nothing going for him other than the sweet satisfaction of his favourite drink, Terry struggles to find reason. That is until his mascot friend Cherry comes to life. Tickets: eventfinda.co.nz
Shannon Pittaway – Eclectic music for Bass Trombone
St Andrew’s on the Terrace, June 16, 12.15pm, koha.
Shannon is the principal bass trombonist with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and head of winds and brass at the New Zealand School of Music. This lunchtime recital is an eclectic collection of music written for bass trombone without piano.
Author Talk: Sharing The Mic – Community Access Radio in Aotearoa NZ by Brian Pauling and Bronwyn Beatty
Unity Books Wellington, June 16, 12.30pm-1.15pm, free
Sharing The Mic tells the stories of the volunteers, staff and managers at the heart of Access broadcasting and places Access Radio’s history within the wider changes in media and technology of the past 40 years.
Events to include?
If you want your event listed on this page, please send an outline to arts@dompost.co.nz with ‘‘what’s on’’ in the subject line.