Tamati Moriarty during a scene from Unreel. Photo / Stephen A’Court
A stage play confronting the truth about pokie machines and their effect on whānau and society will be laid bare on stage in Palmerston North next week.
Unreel tackles head-on the lure of pokie machines and the effect gambling has on the wider community.
Director Jim Moriarty said everyone knows someone who knows someone with a pokie problem, silently gambling away more money than they can afford to lose.
“These machines isolate you. It’s an escape,” he said.
“They are designed to entrap people. You go in there for a bit of entertainment and you get hooked. There’s no skill set. It’s a computer screen set to an algorithm.”
“It’s designed to look pretty, sound pretty, smell pretty, all the bells and whistles to give you a dopamine hit ... free spins to make you feel like you’ve won. Next minute, you’re hooked.”
Moriarty said the machines know no prejudice. The story is based in a small North Island town, but in truth it could be set anywhere in New Zealand.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re Māori or Pākehā, whether you’ve got $10 or $10,000, these machines are set up to take your money. I don’t know many families in Aotearoa that aren’t affected,” he said.
“Some people will say, ‘What about personal responsibility?’ But it’s like any addiction. You get hooked. Next thing it takes your guitar, your TV, your car, your house.
“They say a percentage of profit is returned to the community through grants, but that’s the horrible irony of it. That’s how insidious and clever the whole industry is.”
Moriarty founded the theatre company Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu 35 years ago. The company worked with Ngāti Toa and Ora Toa Mauri Ora Kaupapa Māori Addiction Services to produce Unreel.
Moriarty said the collective worked together to not only entertain, but to provoke thought and stimulate kōrero about the social cost of gambling.
Art provided a medium through which to share the true kaupapa of Unreel with the community, with an opportunity afterwards for kōrero.
“If you aren’t helping people to wake up then what are we doing? That’s the single purpose of art ... Māori never saw a distinction between the two,” he said.
“Theatre is a good vehicle to get the conversation going, to bring it out of the darkness and into the light and talk about it.”
Unreel was written by critically acclaimed Māori playwright Helen Pearse-Otene, herself a registered, practising psychologist and theatre practitioner, following a series of workshops exploring problem gambling.
It’s centred around the grand reopening of the Hīnaki Hotel & Gaming Lounge and features songs and dances by Cherry and Bells and the larger-than-life launch of the very first AI pokie machine.
“The play portrays not only people gambling, but also the corporations and pubs behind gaming lounges. I was interested in the maths and science of gambling,” Pearse-Otene said.
Unreel has a cast of 16 performers including Regan Taylor (the Māori Sidesteps) and Hariata Moriarty (Cousins; Red, White and Brass).
Show producer Lisa Maule said the 80-minute show would be followed by time for reflection, kōrero and questions, a safe space to talk openly about any of the topics raised during the performance.
A spokesperson from Highbury Advisory Rōpū said it was thrilled to have the show come to Palmerston North.
“We see the effect problem gambling has on all whānau. It’s big. It’s like a drug. We need to open our eyes,” the spokesperson said.
Children are welcome to attend although parental guidance is recommended as the show contains language that may offend.
Tickets are available at the door; $10 each or $40 for five. The next two shows following the Palmerston North show will be at Wainuiomata Marae on October 5 and 6.
WHAT: Unreel
WHERE: Queen Elizabeth College, Palmerston North
WHEN: Friday, October 4, at 6.30pm
Tickets: $10, or $40 for whanau of five
Police said those involved were known to each other.