The Hunger Strikes Me showcases Eru Heke, juxtaposing the effusive energy of an evangelical aerobics instructor with soft emotive gesture. From the liminal space of dreams, Heke maps out space and place on stage, taking us on the journey of his mere 15 years.
Together the piece is engaging, intimately relatable, sometimes uncomfortable but ultimately hopeful, tales of growth to inspire and uplift.
Arahi is a young, up-and-coming Hawke's Bay singer-songwriter rooted in folk and blues. His music comes with a heavy dose of nostalgia, inviting influence from Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan. He will perform on Saturday October 30 at Toitoi Hawke's Bay Arts and Events Centre with The Hurricane Years - this show is a retrospective theatrical experience from a minimalist's mindset.
Joined by special guests, the show offers perspective and a unique look at Arahi's unfurling career. The years that have been and are to come, these are 'The Hurricane Years'.
This is a new addition to the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival programme and one not to be missed.
There are a few remaining tickets for Tierra Y Mar Flamenco Project, join world-class flamenco musician Paul Bosauder and friends as they explore the limits of flamenco dance, composition and improvisation. The Napier performance is already sold out but there are limited remaining tickets in Hastings for the second performance on Friday October 29 at Toitoi.
The diverse and interesting readers and writers programme starts on Friday and what a choice there is. You could literally spend all weekend going from one author discussion topic to the next, you can see the full line-up at www.hbaf.co.nz/tickets
On Sunday, at St Andrews Hall, there are two performances of the End of the Golden Weather, a show originally written and performed by Bruce Mason as a solo show. Its initial season was in 1959, it then toured New Zealand in the early 1960s and again throughout the 1970s. The play describes a childhood summer on Takapuna beach and has become a New Zealand classic. The story is told through the eyes of a perceptive child, and it touches on issues such as social justice, illness and conservatism.
In this version, the play will be performed by Stephen Lovatt, who has a long history with Bruce Mason's The End of the Golden Weather. He first performed in Murray Lynch's ensemble version at Downstage in 1990 opposite Robyn Malcolm, Cliff Curtis and Theresa Healey. He then presented the solo version in 2006, touring Aotearoa and then taking that same production to Edinburgh. As a gift to the community, he has performed an early section of the play, Christmas at Te Parenga, every Christmas Day on Takapuna beach since 2006. Thousands of people of all ages have shared Christmas morning on the reserve with family, friends and neighbours.
Mason is perhaps the most significant playwright in New Zealand's theatrical history. Unable to earn a living as a playwright in a country without a professional theatre, Mason wrote and performed The End of the Golden Weather, alongside a myriad of other solo performance works. Between 1959 and 1978, he would perform them more than 1,000 times, in theatres, school halls, church halls and community halls throughout Aotearoa. Mason respected the idea of an empty space and a storyteller – that was all he needed to create community with an audience.
So, whatever your interest, there is something for all pockets, tastes and interests. Head to www.hbaf.co.nz, where all tickets for the Hawke's Bay Arts Festival can be purchased.
Please note: All tickets purchased are fully refundable should Covid alert level changes prevent a show to go ahead as scheduled.