28 Oct 2024

How Taki Rua became our unofficial national Maori theatre company

From Labour Day, 9:08 am on 28 October 2024

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Since its foundation in 1983, Taki Rua Theatre has grown to become Aotearoa’s unofficial national Māori theatre.

A new documentary film, directed by Whetū Fala, contains the personal and political stories which shaped the project.

A still from Taki Rua Theatre: Breaking Barriers. Two actors stand amidst trees. On the left, a man wears feathers in his hair, a skirt, and holds a taiaha. On the right, a woman carries a patu, and wears a patterned skirt.

'Taki Rua Theatre: Breaking Barriers', directed by Whetū Fala, chronicles the 30-year history of Aotearoa's unofficial Māori theatre troupe. Photo: Taki Rua Theatre: Breaking Barriers

Taki Rua Theatre - Breaking Barriers screened at the New Zealand International Film Festival earlier this year and is set for a wider release on 28 November.

Director Whetū Fala joins Susana to talk through the film’s production and how a once unwanted Wellington theatre space became central to our national performing arts community.

Whetū Fala, director of Taki Rua Theatre - Breaking Barriers. Photo: Supplied