WHY I WROTE THE PLAY I WROTE #1

Why I wrote the play I wrote

RIWIA BROWN on Roimata

I was walking along Paekākāriki beach on a chilly autumn day with my baby boy, Ariki, on my back and my eight-year-old daughter, Micah, by my side. We were being filmed for an arts programme in the early ‘90s. I was being interviewed as an emerging Māori woman playwright, for my play Roimata. To this day, I am amazed how this play gave me so many opportunities and was pivotal to my future writing career. The title of the play is the name of the central character, Roimata. She is a young Māori woman from the East Coast who goes to visit her city slicker half sister Girlie. The drama unfolds when she is seduced by a fast talking gang member Eddy, and meets up with her childhood sweetheart, Kevin, who has become a young Salvation Army Cadet. Originally I wrote it for a half hour television drama. It was in response to a call from the Drama Department for applications for New Zealand stories, which was housed in the Avalon Television Studio in the Hutt Valley. I was stunned when my application was successful and not long after that I actually received a visit from Philippa Campbell, who was in the Drama department at the time. Although she suggested various ways to advance the narrative, I didn’t have the writing craft necessary at the time to develop it further. Philippa and I would work together in the future. However, your future is often formed by your past. My grandmother encouraged creativity, we were expected to perform skits or a musical item whenever the extended family gathered. I was also privileged to work with and be influenced by some of the great pioneers of Māori theatre and film; Don Selwyn, Tama Poata, Rowley Habib, Wi Kuki Kaa, Barry Barclay, Bruce Stewart, Jim Moriarty, Tungia Baker and, my personal favourites, my talented brothers Rangimoana and Apirana Taylor. Rangimoana formed Māori theatre company Te Ohu Whakaari in the early ‘80s, producing out of the Depot theatre, which later became Taki Rua, I helped out whenever I could; running errands, working backstage, front of house and occasionally I got an acting role, although I didn’t always feel comfortable on stage, I enjoyed the camaraderie and witnessing the creative process in action. It was Apirana’s first play Kōhanga that inspired me to write. So when there was a request for new stories for the group to work

on, after some personal angst, I offered Roimata and handed over my original television script to my peers to critique – nerve racking! Thankfully it was received well, and with their help and encouragement I spent many long nights working on drafts, all written by hand, until eventually I had a finished play. Rangimoana assembled a talented cast. The leads were; Arihia Bristowe, Poto Stevens, Peter Kaa and Apirana. Everyone worked incredibly hard and although none of us got paid, there was lots of laughter and good will. We sat down for a meal together at least twice a week. I was given the job of publicity. I must admit I was horrified when I first saw it written in print ‘writer Riwia Brown.’ I really felt they should have seen the play before giving me the title of writer. I was both nervous and excited on opening night, but once the lights came up on the first scene I found it exhilarating to see the dialogue come off the page and the characters come to life. From that moment I was hooked and so began my early writing career. A few years later I followed up with Te Hokina. This play continued Roimata’s and Girlie’s story, although it was set on the East Coast.

In 1989 I readapted Roimata back to a television script, it was chosen to be included in the ‘E Tipu e Rea’ Māori anthology series produced by Larry Parr. I was further challenged when I was asked to direct. I was still young enough and sufficiently naive to accept the challenge. While working on this series I met Lee Tamahori. Little did I know that he and I would work together in the future on the film Once Were Warriors.

FROM THAT MOMENT I WAS HOOKED

ABOVE: Arihia Bristow, Poto Stephens and Apirana Taylor in rehearsal for Roimata by Riwia Brown, Te Ohu Whakaari, The Depot, 1988. Image: Dominion Post Collection Alexander Turnbull Library.