Overview
Auckland's newest theatre organisation, Te Rahia Theatre, is off to a successful start, with their first production Hoki Mai Tama Ma being labelled as extraordinary by its critics. The theatre's main goal is to incorporate Maori views and values into Auckland's arts scene, and to have their message heard through revolutionary productions.
Hoki Mai Tama Ma uses an innovative Maori mask art form called Matarua to tell the story of the meeting between the Maori and Italian worlds during the Maori Battalion in World War II. Set in WWII, the story shifts between the Matariki festival in modern day rural Aotearoa to a series of flashbacks set in WWII Italy set in a prisoner of war camp. The audience follows Tama's journey to find the true meaning of forgiveness and family. Tama returns from Italy accompanied by his Koro (grandfather), Koro’s war journal and their neighbour Nuku and embarks on an adventure whereby he discovers family secrets, life lessons and love.