Diversity a theme of Tauranga Arts Festival

Limbo are set to perform during the Tauranga Arts Festival. Photo / Supplied

Diversity emerged as the central theme for this year's festival.

The programme includes a number of award-winning plays.

Goretti Chadwick in Still Life with Chickens.

Still Life with Chickens is set in Auckland while Wild Dogs Under My Skirt is an examination and celebration of what it means to be a Samoan woman in New Zealand.

Both plays explore stirring topics, including loneliness and sexual abuse, but keep the mood light with plenty of humour.

Cellfish is another award-winning drama that sees Māori prisoners explore Shakespeare with funny and unpredictable results.

Jason Te Kare is a co-writer and star of Cellfish.

The dance events on offer include Māori-indigenous Australian choreographer Amrita Hepi's exploration of heritage and belonging in A Call to Dance.

Hepi will speak to people at Tauranga Art Gallery and develop a short dance that reflects the character and people of Tauranga Moana.

The Speaker Programme will feature two panel discussions on diversity.

Sri Lanka-born and New Zealand-raised novelist and lawyer Brannavan Gnanalingam, second-generation Chinese-New Zealander Renee Liang, and Samoan-Pākehā actor and playwright Victor Rodger will tackle the issue of racism.

Meanwhile, Green MP Chlöe Swarbrick, The Rocky Horror Show creator Richard O'Brien and award-winning columnist Rachel Stewart will talk about being "different"while living in the public gaze.

The Schools Festival will comprise of workshops, including from internationally renowned illustrator Craig Phillips, and there will also be four writing workshops for adults, including Tim Balme's session on screenwriting and Catherine Robertson's on novels.

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Limbo are set to perform during the Tauranga Arts Festival. Photo / Supplied

Meanwhile, members of the Limbo circus troupe spent yesterday rehearsing at Baycourt theatre ahead of three shows at the Tauranga Arts Festival Friday and Saturday.

Heather Holliday, who taught herself to swallow swords at age 17 in her native New York, practises her skills at Baycourt theatre in readiness for 'Limbo', a circus-cabaret at the Tauranga Arts Festival tomorrow and Saturday. The show, which features contortionists, acrobatics and dancing, is accompanied by live music led by award-winning musician and composer Sxip Shirey.

The troupe, which was founded six years ago in Australia, includes award-winning Australian dancer Hilton Denis (far left, kneeling), Austrian contortionist Penelope Elena (third from left), award-winning musician and composer Sxip Shirey (second from right) and sword-swallower and fire-eater Heather Holliday (right), both from New York. Accompanied by live music, Limbo performs at 8pm Friday and Saturday and at 2pm on Saturday.

Tickets from Baycourt or taurangafestival.co.nz.