Dance Theatre Farce Ngā Rorirori From Tawata Productions Heads On Tour

Tawata Productions present Ngā Rorirori
Written and Directed by Hone Kouka (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kai Tahu)

Celebrating 20 years of Tawata Productions, the acclaimed company is taking their unapologetically Indigenous, genre-bending and ground-breaking work Ngā Rorirori on tour, following a successful premiere season in 2022. Melding together contemporary dance, theatre, farcical storytelling and digital recording, this work from Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate 2022 playwright and director Hone Kouka plays in Te Whanganui-a-Tara (12-15 September), Tāmaki Makaurau at Kōanga Festival (19-22 September), Tūranganui-a-Kiwa (25 September) and Ōtautahi at WHAO Festival (04 October).

Ngā Rorirori (The Idiots in te reo Pākehā - alternatively fools or dimwits if you will) is a comical foray into one whānau’s relationship with their whenua - and a big brother’s quest to turn their coastline into a cash cow. The Idiots in question are Manuela and Pillow Rorirori - a sister and brother who also happen to be the only two members of their hapū. The teina, she’s an activist. The big brother, he's a convicted fraudster. The tale begins as Manuela faces Pillow’s return home to their rohe after the crash and burn of his failed business ventures. Manuela desperately tries to hold her whānau together as their ancestral claims are put under the microscope by the Tikanga Police.

This utterly unique production sees the cast of dancers and actors mime to pre-recorded reo Māori and English dialogue, recorded by an entirely different cast, as they move about the stage, in a fusion of theatre and dance reminiscent of a silent film. The multi-talented cast on stage includes Mycah Keall (Mokomoko, Te Kuia me te Pungawerewere), Sefa Tunupopo (Shifting Centre, Tōrua), Hahna Nichols (New Zealand School of Dance) and Nomuna Amarbat (CHICKBAIT, Asian 8) reprising their roles from the 2022 premiere season, and Manuel Solomon (Shortland Street, The Beautiful Ones), who will join the production for the first time.
 
Ngā Roriroi is written and directed by Hone Kouka MNZM (Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungunu, Kai Tahu), one of Aotearoa’s leading Māori writers, producers and directors. Kouka made history at 19 when he became the youngest-ever winner of the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award and hasn’t stopped contributing to theatre in Aotearoa since, with his work being produced everywhere from Hawai’i, Canada, Japan, New Caledonia and South Africa. Kouka’s contribution to the Māori Performing Arts was recognised in 2009 when he became a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to Contemporary Māori Theatre.
 
Founded in 2004 by Hone Kouka and Mīria George, Tawata Productions is a leading creative company based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, specialising in the development and presentation of new performance experiences. Tawata blurs the lines between text, movement and image, with their two decade long history including the award winning Indigenous new writing festival Breaking Ground and theatre productions including Bless The Child, The Vultures, I, George Nepia and award winning short films including fire in the water, fire in the sky.

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