Hone Kouka’s comical tale of whānau and whenua hits the stage next month

Regan Taylor (left) and Rongopai Tickell are the voices of the characters Manuela and Pillow Rorirori in the current season of Ngā Rorirori. Dance, theatre, and farcical storytelling blend in the production coming to the War Memorial Theatre on September 25.

Audiences can expect an altogether unique theatre experience when Ngā Rorirori comes to Gisborne in September.

Melding contemporary dance, theatre, farcical storytelling, and digital recording, this work is from Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Laureate 2022 playwright and director Hone Kouka, made by Tawata Productions.

The premise of the story is that a rural marae has hit the jackpot – if they pass one final hurdle, that is.

The haukāinga must convince the government’s chief executive of the “Department of Whenua, Whakapapa and Whatever” that they are the true descendants of their eponymous ancestor. If they are successful at doing so, the vast coastline in their rohe reverts to their ownership, garnering millions of dollars in back rent alone.

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 tēina, 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.

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.

Ngā Roriroi is written and directed by Kouka, (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 Hawaii, Canada, and Japan to New Caledonia, and South Africa.

His 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 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.

Ngā Rorirori is coming to the Gisborne War Memorial Theatre on September 25.