TAHI Festival

Last week TAHI Festival supported the presentation of Īhaka Martyn's awarding winning solo show He Māori? at BATS Theatre. This was part of the inaugral Solo Play Day - an iniative by WEST: World of English Speaking Theatres in Kyiv. The kaupapa was to champion solo theatre and the impact of one voice, with solo shows happened in London, Kyiv, Kosovo, Las Vegas and London.
He Māori? was our contribution from Aorearoa and provided a strong and unique voice - and funny! Livestreamed to the world.
Thank you to all those who supported - our production team, BATS and Wellington City Council and audiences.

Check out the mahi below:

🔑 Call for Nominations for the 2024 Wellington Theatre - Community Awards + Backstage Award Announcement!

We invite you to submit your nominations for individuals or companies that have made a significant and positive impact on our community in their work and practice across the last year. 💗 Especially those whose efforts are behind the scenes and sometimes go unnoticed - from Ushers, Volunteers, Publicists and all our unsung heroes across Pōneke. Community Award Nominations close at 5pm on Friday, 15th November 2024.

🔦 🔦 A Backstage Award has been created this year specifically to recognise the hard-working and skilled theatre practitioners that work backstage and have demonstrated excellence vital to the success of theatre in Wellington this year. The Backstage Award is open to nominations from the wider sector and the winner is selected by the judges. 🚨 The specific roles that are eligible are Operators, Production Managers, Stage Managers. This can be summed up as: Excellence in the fields of Technical Operation (Sound, Lighting, Vision) or Arts Management (Stage, Production or Technical). The Backstage Award Nominations close at 5pm on Friday, 15th November 2024.

✨ A reminder that we still have our judge's awards voted for by our fantastic volunteer judges for the traditional awards (Best Production, Newcomers, etc.) ✨

Further information about Community Awards and Backstage Award are within the nomination form - get the full scoop here: https://form.jotform.com/243016874019860 👀

Listen in at 5.40pm to hear Simon kōrero with Īhaka Martyn about his show He Māori? - coming to BATS Theatre this week 7th - 9th November.

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Celtic Illusion brings Irish dance and grand illusion together at the Opera House this Saturday. Two-time NZ National Champion Phoebe Hilliam is part of the talented cast currently touring the country. Phoebe joins me on the line to tell me more from 5.10pm.

Show Do Café returns to Wellington at the Hannah Playhouse this week after taking out Best in Fringe at the New Zealand Fringe Festival earlier this year. A joyous and heartfelt immersive performance blending dance, theatre and music, it explores the profound impact of coffee on society. Director, choreographer and performer Stela Dara is here from 5.25pm to discuss this vibrant celebration.

He Māori? weaves stand-up, waiata and theatrical performance into an exploration of the complicated nature of identity. Returning to BATS Theatre this week as part of global festival Solo Play Day, Īhaka Martyn joins me from 5.40pm to discuss the incredible journey he's been on with the show since early 2022, and how it's themes feels more timely than ever.

Wish I was in Tāmaki for this ....

It's time for our A Slow Burlesque preview tonight!

We've had an amazing week at with the Basement team in their whare, putting the finishing touches on this stunning new work.

Tonight's your first chance to experience A Slow Burlesque, limited tickets still available – 8pm at Basement Theatre, all tickets $35.

👠 A Slow Burlesque
🎭 Created & Performed by Freya Silas Finch
📅 3-19 Oct
📍 Basement Theatre
🎟️ Book now: https://bit.ly/ASlowBurlesque

TONIGHT TĀMAKI!! Important and joyous theatre for young people needs your attention and input.

Thank you Auckland Fringe for all you do. TAHI was delighted to support this award for Nicola Brown's Space Invaders. Thanks to Kate from Dunedin Fringe for accepting on behalf of Nicola.

Excited by Nicola's plans to bring this outstanding solo show to New Zealand Fringe Festival in Pōneke in 2025!!!!

🎉🏆 TAHI FESTIVAL OUTSTANDING SOLO AWARD 🏆🎉

🎭SPCE INVADERS 🎭

Nicola Brown taking another one home! 🙌

Her show navigates through medical mayhem, swerving out of declarations of love ❤️from fish-wielding men online (who’ve failed to notice how gay 🌈she is), and grappling with the extraterrestrial 👽chaos brought about merely by being a woman in 2024.

TONIGHT!!!!

Suitcase Show A traveller arrives at a border with a stack of battered cases. From within them, whole worlds will emerge…

At our HATCH (the festival's emerging artists' programme) Alumni Event, we also did some mahi! Please see Dianna Thomson's photos below, capturing our earnest and joyful attempts to envisage HATCH in the future, in 2025 and beyond.

We celebrated HATCH - our emerging artists' programme earlier this month. We reenacted the Hatch journey - please see photographer Dianna Thomson's magic below. Thank you to all those who joined us to celebrate. And thank you Wellington City Council for supporting us. HATCH returns to BATS Theatre in September 2025.