Creative Team
Director David O'Donnell
Writer Albert Belz
Dramaturge Gary Henderson
Costume Design Tony De Goldi
Sound Designer Stephen Gallagher
Lighting Design Paul Tozer (2009) Jen Laal (2008)
Production Manager Marlena Campbell
Cast 2009
Michael Walley, Donogh Rees, Rangimoana Taylor,
Ngapaki Emery, Karlos Drinkwater, Matariki Whatarau,
Tainui Tukiwaho
Cast 2008
Tim Foley, Donogh Rees, Calvin Tuteao,
Miriama McDowell, Mark Ruka, Paul McLaughlin
Date & Times
2009
Auckland Festival of The Arts
Clarence St Theatre, Hamilton
The Dreaming Festival, Queensland, Australia
2008
New Zealand International Arts Festival, Wellington
The Bay of Islands Arts Festival, Kerikeri
Te Karakia
Taki Rua Production’s Te Karakia is a love story of religious and racial challenge, forgiveness and hope, set amidst the maelstrom of the 1981 Springbok Tour.
Estranged from both his family and faith, Matthew Connell’s new regimented existence in the police force is threatened when Ranea, a young Māori woman from his childhood, re-emerges to challenge his future. With civil unrest brewing across the country, Matthew is forced to confront his past. A production guaranteed to leave you on the edge of your seat.
Reviews
“I was totally captivated by this riveting and dynamic production. The tale of growth, feeling and humanity was told by a man who clearly knows what he’s doing, and coupled with a confident and experienced cast and crew, Te Karakia is the leader of the pack so far this year as an exciting and engrossing new New Zealand work”
Salient Magazine, 2008
“Theatrical imagery and script combine to weave a poetic and engrossing, multi-faceted tale, which is striking for the sincerity its lack of obvious ego and personality on behalf of the writer and crew affords.”
Lumiere, 2008
“You get a sense that playwright Albert Belz has managed to keep at bay his own emotional investment in the issues of the play; his personal sense of justice, while ultimately hinted at, is broad minded and refreshingly non-judgmental. “
Lumiere, 2008
“With splendid direction by David O'Donnell, the play dramatises the moral dilemmas that Māori and Pakeha have faced and will face in a different manner in the future… Albert Belz has done this without moralising, preaching or sentimentality, but through a love story.”
The Dominion Post, 2008
“...giving his characters an edge of obsessiveness that's uniquely their own is the trick that enables Belz to drag his play out of history and back into the realm of individual actions and experiences.”
Arts Festival Review, 2008
"This year's offering, Te Karakia, left me again feeling that this company is making a wonderful job of mastering the fragile art that is theatre. Festivals in the bush need a very special type of theatrical style and design to succeed in a big muddy tent, away from the comforts of the modern high tech theatrical environment. Te Karakia's simplicity in storytelling style and design kept the audience spellbound amid the sound spill from a vibrant festival."
Dennis Peel, Dreaming Festival Review, 2009
