Rotorua Musical Theatre's new production, Rent, tackles addiction, homelessness and mental health issues.
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See below for English translation
Ko te aroha te tino kaupapa
Ko te whakakitenga whakangāhau hou a Rotorua Musical Theatre he kaupapa e kawe ana i ngā take māuiui-ā-hinengaro, take kāinga kore me ētehi kaupapa pēnei anō te taumaha. Ko te kaupapa tuatahi tēnei e puta ai a Te Ao Tahana-Prangnell ki te ātamira o te ao whakangāhau hai ringatohu.
Ko Rent te ingoa o tana whakakitenga. Ko ana hiahia, kia takahia ngā tapuwae o te hunga whakaari, kia mātau ai te hunga mātakitaki ki ngā taumahatanga e tāmi nei i te hunga rawa kore. He wahine ako noa a Te Tahana-Prangnell kāore kau āna tiwhikete mātauranga.
‘He kotahi anahe taku rangatira poipoi i ahau, he ahakoa ko taku whakaputanga mataati tēnei i te ao o te whakakitenga waiata, e whia kē ngā kaupapa whakaari i oti noa i ahau te whakaara. Ko te mea nui rawa atu ki ahau ko Macbeth. I kawea tēnei kaupapa mō te Rotorua Shakespeare Outside i tū i te tau e rua mano, kotahi tekau te tau’.
Mō te kaupapa hou nei: “Kai te kāinga nei ētehi tino whare e amo nei i te hunga rawa kore me te hunga e noho taimaha ana, kai te pukamata anō ka kitea te aroha o te hunga kaha ki te tuku koha e māmā ake ai ngā uauatanga.
Wheoi anō ko te tino puku o tēnei whakakitenga ko te aroha”. Ka tū tēnei kaupapa ā te kotahi tekau mā whā o Aperira tae ki te rua tekau mā iwa o Aperira he ahakoa he tekau o ngā wiki i whakatakotoria ki te aroaro o Te Ao me tana tīma mahi.
E hāngai pū ana te tangere o tēnei kaupapa ki te moemoeā a te Rotorua Musical Theatre me te whakaaro a Bobby Mihi Howard, ara kia rangatira te ihu o te waka wāhi ngaru i te ao whakakitenga ā waiata e noho nei i raro i te mahau o Te Arataki i te Whakaari puoro.’
Ko te aronga o ngā kaupapa whakaari o ngā rā ko pahemo he whakakanohi i ngā take o te hāpori. Ko te whakawaha i ngā take taumaha nei, he mahi nui. Ka anipā te ngākau engari me kaha kē e tātau ki te toutou i ngā konga o ēnei ahi kia tere ai ngā kōrero e mātau hoki ai te hāpori ki te wairua o tō tātau takiwā' Ka nui taku hiahia ki te kawe i te hunga whakapau kaha mō te hāpori ki te roro o ngā whare huhua.
Pēnei me te rōpū LoveSoup, ko Visions of A Helping Hand hoki tētehi, ko WACT, ko Womens’ Refuge, ko LGBTQ me ētehi atu. Ko ahau tētehi tangata pēnei i a kotou, he mōhio nōku ki ngā whare awhina nei engari e kūware ana ki ngā tangata mahi’.
Flatmates in New York had to deal with brutal police when they were struggling living with HIVAids. Photo / Wally Werner
‘Ka rangatira hoki ngā poumahi i te whakaari nei, he whakapakari kau i a rātau pukenga me te wairua kia toa ai, e tika ana hoki ki a toro atu ai ō mātau ringaringa ki te terenga manawa o te hāpori’.
Nō Ngāti Pikiao a Te Ao. He mahita kura kanikani, he mahita kura whakaari hoki ia. Kai te kura tuarua o Kaitao Rotohokahoka ia e mahi ana. He tauira ia nā Te Whare Wānanga o Aotearoa kua whitu tau e mahita ana.
Tāpiringia ki tana tohu whakaari ko tana tohu pokaitara pakipumeka mai i South Seas film and television whaihoki he tohu hoki tāna mō te whakaako tamariki nā te whare wānanga o Waikato.
Nā tana hoa rangatira a Ben Prangnell ia i akiaki ki te aru i tana tohu whakaako tamariki. Nō Ingarangi tona rangatira engari kua rua tekau o ngā tau ia e mahita ana. E toru ā rāua tamariki. Ko Arahinga (9), ko Rangitapu (7), ā, ko te whakapakanga ko Te Waiwaha (6). ' He kitenga nōna i taku pai ki te noho tahi me te hunga rangatahi nā reira tana akiaki i ahau ki te huarahi o te mātauranga. Kua nanakia rawa taku taima ki te ao whakaari, ki te ao pouaka whakaata me taku aroha nui ki te whakaari. He whakatō māuri ki te puku o ngā tini tauira e hiakai nei ki tēnei tūmomo ao, ara ko te whakaari me te kanikani’.
Kua toko ake te whakaaro ki roto ki a ia kia noho tapu ia ki te huarahi o te reo mō tēnei tau. ‘Ko taua āhuatanga anō, ā, ko te tiaki tamariki me te mahi, nā reira i kore ai ahau e tahuri ki te huarahi o te reo Māori’. Nō te tau e rua mano mā whitu ka whakawhiwhia a Te Ao ki tetehi karahipi nā reira i uru atu ai ia ki South Seas Film and Television hai ākonga.
Ko te wāhanga nui ki a ia ko te whai i te ara ringatohu-ā-pakipumeka. ' Nō te tau e rua mano, e rua tekau mā rua ka whakawhiwhia a Te Ao ki te karahipi o TeachNZ, ko te ako i te reo Māori te waka kawe i a ia. Nō reira kai te wātea a nama ia mō te tau katoa ki te ako i te reo Māori’.
E wha tekau mā tahi te pakeke o Te Ao. I whānau i Rotorua nei i pakekengia i Mourea me Okere. Nōna e kotahi tekau mā tahi o ngā tau ka haere tana whānau ki Ahitereiria noho ai.
He whakamihi nāna ki ngā tini tangata katoa e hāpai ana i te kaupapa hou nei a Rent, ngā poutokomanawa, ngā pou huriropa, ngā rangatira katoa me i kore katoa e hoa mā. Ka āna kupu whakamutunga hai whakakapi i tēnei kōrero iti ki a kotou kai te hunga rangatahi:
He nui te mana o te aroha ki te tangata. Kia kaha tātau ki te kauawhiawhi i a tātau katoa. " Ka kuhu mai te hunga mātakitaki ki te tiata o Casablanca e kuhu mai ana he ao hou. E noho ana e mātakitaki ana i te whakaari ka tae pea te wairua mārama ki a rātau anō nei he kaha te rite o te whakaari ki tētehi wāhanga itiiiti o tō rātau na ao.
Kia tino uru mai ki te whakaari, ki a mātau ai rātau ki ngā uauatanga e tāmi nei i te hunga wairua toimaha, wairua mate, engari anō kia āta tātaria e rātau o rātau ake whakaaro mō te ao e nohia nei e tātau.
Te hunga rawakore o te Aporo Nui
He whakaari puoro rakapioi a Rent e aru ana i tetehi rōpū rangatahi e kaha pai nei ki te ao o te puoro, wheoi anō kai te kāinga o Niu Ioka ki te whiti rātau e noho ana i te wā o te ngārara HIV.
e kaupapa nā Johnathon Larson i tuhi engari ka mate ia i mua i te pō whakatūwhera i Broadway i te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e iwa tekau mā ono. Ko te wairua he āhua rite iti nei ki te ōpērā o La Boheme i tuhia e Giacomo Puccini i te tau kotahi mano, e waru rau, e iwa tekau mā ono.
He ahakoa he kotahi tekau o ngā wiki te tīma e whakapau kaha ana ki a ea ai tēnei kaupapa taihoa ake ka kitea e tātau ngā hua whakamīharo ā te kotahi tekau mā wha o Aperira tae ki te rua tekau mā iwa o Aperira. Ko Te Ao Tahana-Prangnell te ringa tohu.
Nānā hoki te kaupapa Larson’s Life. I puta mai taua whakaari i te tau e rua mano, e rua tekau mā tahi. Ko Lin-Manuel Miranda te ringatohu. Hai tā Te Ao mēnā e kūware ana te hunga mātakitaki ki te ao whakaari ka āhua pōhēhē o rātau whakaaro mō tēnei kaupapa a Rent.
“Ko te wairua mō tēnei kaupapa e mea nei ki ahau, anei tētehi waka kawe kōrero e tūhonohono ai koe ki te hāpori e whakakotahi ai te hāpori me ngā kaupapa weriweri e noho mārama iti ai rātau ki te hauora, ki te māuiui, ki te take kāinga kore me aua kaupapa huhua o te wā'.
He kaupapa tēnei nō nāmata. I puta mai i te puku o te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e waru tekau me te iwa tekau i te taima o te māuiui HIV. Ko te wā hoki tēnei i tapā ko te wā o te Bohemian.
Skulking through the dark streets. Photo / Wally Werner
Engari ko te mana o tēnei whakaari kai te rangi e tere ana. Kua riro ki a ia te tohu Pulitzer, te tohu Tony hoki me ētehi atu tohu rangatira.
Ka whakamoea tēnei whakaari nōnā e whakapau kaha ana mō ngā tau kotahi tekau mā rua. Kua whakahaongia e ia e rua rau, e waru tekau miriona tāra. Nō te tau e rua mano mā rima ka whakakiriatangia. Ka kawea e Bobby Mihi Howard tēnei kaupapa ki te aroaro o Te Ao me tana rōpū mate ururoa.
Ehara i Te Ao anahe engari ko te ringatohu puoro ko LeRoi Kippen, te rangatira whakanekeneke ko Lucy Stulen, ko te pouwhakahaere ko Erinne Thompson me ētehi atu rangatira nui.
Kai te waha o te pā te māuiui urutā e haere ana. Wheoi anō kai te matāra ngā manu o te nehenehe nei ki a kāua tētehi o rātau e hinga i tana tao.Ko te pae tata nei mā Te Ao, ko te awhi me te arahi otīā me te manaaki i āna tangata ki a tika te kawe o te whakaaro kia kotahi mai.’
Ko te pae tawhiti kia kite kau te hunga mātakitaki i ngā ōritenga i ēnei hāpori me ngā hāpori o Niu Ioka, engari ka puta atu te hunga mātakitaki i te whare whakaari ko te aroha kai te rae. He taonga nā taku rōpū i whakatō ki roto ki tēnā ki tēnā'. —Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
— Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
English Translation
Rotorua Musical Theatre’s upcoming production Rent is confronting with the dark themes of addiction, homelessness and mental health issues at its core.
It is creative director Te Ao Tahana-Prangnell’s directorial debut. Her aim is to direct Rent in a way that makes the audience ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ to have more compassion and care for those less fortunate than us.
“I have a mentor but even though this is my directorial debut in Musical Theatre, I have directed many theatre works over the years.
“One that I am proud of is Macbeth for Rotorua Shakespeare Outside in 2010.”
About Rent, Te Ao had this to say: “We already have strong services and organisations that help our vulnerable, even those who offer koha to those in need via te pukamata. So the main theme of this musical is love with no prejudice.”
Te Ao and her team were given just 10 weeks to have the production ready to showcase from April 14 to April 29.
The kaupapa is in keeping with the Rotorua Musical Theatre (RTM) and Bobby Mihi Howard’s vision of Leading the Way in Musical Theatre Te Arataki i te Whakaari Puoro.
“Our current selection of shows for the past three years reflect the diversity we have in our community. “Choosing a show which touches on themes of relevance is confronting but brings awareness on some of current social issues with an intention to affect positive change,” Te Ao said.
Rent tells the story of a group of young musicians struggling in New York. Photo / Wally Werner
“I am wanting to create more awareness of the people and faces of all the services available to our vulnerable within our communities such as LoveSoup, Visions Of A Helping Hand, WACT, Women’s Refuge, LGBTQ etc.
“I even find myself as a member of the community knowing of most of the services but don’t neccessarily know the people behind the kaupapa. I feel it will benefit everyone.
“Also the cast and crew benefit by the experience. RMT benefits by engaging with the community.”
Te Ao (Ngati Pikiao) is a dance and drama teacher at Western Heights High School/ Kaitao Rotohokahoka.
She has been teaching there for seven years having obtained her tohu from Te Wananga o Aotearo Māori Performing Arts, a diploma in documentary directing from South Seas film and television and a post graduate diploma in teaching from Waikato University.
She was inspired to pursue a teaching career by her British husband Ben Prangnell, a teacher of more than 20 years’ experience.
They have three children, Arahinga (9), Rangitapu (7), and Te Waiwaha (6).
“He noticed how well I connected to rangatahi. I have spent many years in theatre, film and televison and have a love for performing arts. I enjoy uplifting, guiding, building confidence, and life skills in tauira through dance and drama.”
This year Te Ao wants to concentrate on te reo and has enrolled at He Kainga Mo Te Reo.
“I have been wanting to learn te reo Māori for a long time but having to work and raise a whanau – it made it hard to dedicate time and energy.” In 2007 Te Ao won a scholarship to South Seas Film and Televison to study for a year in documentary directing.
“In 2022 I won a study award through TeachNZ to learn te reo Māori, meaning I could take a year from teaching to dedicate time to my reo while retaining my salary.”
Te Ao, 41, was born in Rotorua and raised at Mourea/Okere Falls. When she was 11 the family moved to Australia.
She pays tribute to everyone connected to Rent, the creative team, production team, cast and crew. She just wants to put on a good show which would not be possible without their support and dedication.
Te Ao’s advice for future generation is simple: Empathy for others goes a long way. To help and care for each other.
“I want the audience to step into another world when they arrive to Casablanca Theatre even before the production starts. I am hoping that they will see similarities to what they see in their own lives. To be a part of the production, to understand how the vulnerable feel, to have another perspective provoke their own.
“To question their own whakaaro and to hopefully accept other’s whakaaro.”
Struggles in New York find match in Rotorua
Rent is a rock musical about a group of poor young artists struggling to survive in New York’s East Village when HIVAids was rife.
The show was written by Johnathan Larson who died the night before the off-Broadway production was due to open in 1996. It was loosely based on Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera La Boheme.
Rotorua Musical Theatre (RMT) will present a season from April 14-April 29 after a 10-week lead-up. Its creative director, Te Ao Tahana-Prangnell, said the movie on Larson’s life, called Tick, Tick... BOOM! debuted in 2021. It was directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Te Ao said that unless people were familiar with musical theatre, communities don’t actually know too much about the story of Rent.
“My take on this production is how could I make connections to our community through this kaupapa. I can connect this story to what we are currently faced with, which is homelessness, addictions and mental health.”
Rent was conceived and reworked a number of times in the 1980s-1990s during the Bohemian era and under the shadow of HIVAids.
Te hunga rawakore i te huarahi. Photo / Wally Werner
On Broadway Rent gained critical acclaim and won several awards including the Pulitzer Prize for drama and Tony Award for best musical.
It closed after 12 years, one of the longest-running shows on Broadway and grossed over US$280 million.
RMT’s Bobby Mihi Howard approached Te Ao about the production and the die was cast. As well as Te Ao, the team comprises musical director LeRoi Kippen, choreographer Lucy Stulen, production manager Erinne Thompson plus a talented cast and crew.
COVID continues to hinder production but the team try to keep each other safe throughout the process. There are contingency plans with under studies for lead cast members.
The short-term goal for Te Ao is to awhi and guide the cast through a shared vision.
“Long term the goal is to have the audience provoked and seeing similarities between our communities and the community set in New York. To walk away feeling aroha through the singing and acting of an amazing cast.”
