Have You Ever Been With An Asian Womxn?
Where: Basement Theatre
From the creators of Go Home Curry Mucha, Gemishka Chetty and Aiwa Pooamorn return with a tangy slice of the fetished world of "exotic" women. Have You Ever Been With An Asian Womxn? offers vignettes into the deeply frustrated and
emotionally exhausted lives of Asian women who continue to suffer from the demeaning impacts of the colonial white gaze. It's funny, hard-hitting and a blend of confessional and verbatim theatre. Chetty and Pooamorn (the latter does a fabulous video satirising the Thai masseuse) are joined by Ellie Lim and Elaine Chun who add to the conversation with wit and humour. There are some wonderful voice overs (that occasionally take place with no one on stage) and although the start is a bit slow, the energy quickly ramps up. The show is missing a director to bring this important work to a cohesive place but the unwavering commitment of the creatives to showcasing these stories on their own terms cannot be faulted. While still in development, there is plenty of potential to take this production - and its stories - to the next level. – Reviewed by Dione Joseph.
Taurite
Where: Auckland Town Hall
Taurite is one of the hidden gems in this year's Fringe Festival. During four days, director, creative producer and founder of Hawaiki Tū, Kura Te Ua and her amazing team of dancers as well as performers from Te Roopu Kapa Haka o Te Manu Huia, have brought to life a beautiful kōrero through contemporary dance. Vibrating with the call for us to have balance in our world, Taurite is anchored in te ao Māori, touching on the dualities of light and darkness, earth and sky, our babies and our ancestors. Enhanced by the acoustics of the Auckland Town Hall's concert chamber, the voices of the performers are in exquisite harmony as they blend different art forms keeping the movement alive and the narrative fluid. From the whenua to the four directions to the ancestral pou and finally to the future, the tamariki who take leadership for generations to come, this is a magnificently polished performance (especially for a development work) with a mesmerising soundscape of voices rising in waiata. Taurite is an exceptional highlight of the Fringe festival and one to watch out for in the future. (DJ)
