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TEA TOGETHER WITH
TANYA MUAGUTUTI'A Theatremakers Moana Ete and Tanya Muagututi'a in Conversation.
My earliest memory of seeing any theatre outside of church was Pacific Underground’s Romeo and Tusi at the Wellington Waterfront. A colourful adaptation of an iconic tale of two star-crossed lovers stealing away for an illicit affair, much to the disgust of their prejudiced families. For all I knew – as a seven year-old in 1997 – this was a purely original idea. Shimpal Lelisi as ‘Ruby’ mincing across the stage in a red crop top, bulldozing over ‘The Mother’ archetype – or in this instance – ‘Nurse’, was quite terrifying. My Dad took me to see it twice. It was pure farce. And no one did it better than this particular group of young people from Ōtautahi. ‘Pacific Underground's Romeo and Tusi sought a looser and more populist kind of Shakespeare performance… Drawing on several music genres, and performing outdoors, they generated a Shakespeare that audiences from a diverse range of ethnic and cultural communities could enjoy.’ (Mark Houlahan, 2009)
Pacific Underground took up space, made noise, thrilled audiences and sought to normalise Moana-Pacific theatre. What has resulted just one generation later is this: Moana-Pacific theatre in Aotearoa is not only perfectly normal but perfectly necessary. To have the opportunity to interview Pacific Underground alum, writer, producer, visionary, the director of the very first theatre show I ever saw outside of church, Tanya Muagututi'a is as full circle as it gets. Tanya and I imagine we’re sipping tea together on a couch which, in managing Zoom fatigue, is a kind of escapism. Moana: Ok. To give readers more insight into all that you do - what other roles within the arts sector have you taken on - aside from acting, writing, directing…? Tanya: Video Editor (Protect Te Moananui a Kiwa by PU, Creative Nātives, #ProtectOurWhakapapa) Co-Producer for Ōkareka Dance Company
