Te Po

Overview

Highly regarded Kiwi playwright Carl Bland is no stranger to grief. He co-wrote The Bed Show, The House of Doors and Camels, Peta and Carl at the Last Supper and Sofa Stories with his partner Peta Rutter whom he tragically lost in 2010.

Bland describes his latest play, Te Pō as, "Essentially a play about grief. Not only for the person who has gone but also for your own identity, which has been based on someone's constant presence in your life. One of the only positive sides to grief is it forces you to search for the truth about yourself and your own life. Te Pō asks the audience to share in this search for truth in the form of a detective story."

In a nutshell, the story is said to follow three characters in search of legendary Kiwi playwright Bruce Mason, it covers love, loss and the nature of existence amongst some mind-bending puppetry and comedic twists.

The Auckland Arts Festival will provide the stage for the world premiere of Te Pō. It features an absolute roll call of New Zealand theatre, having been written by Bland, directed by Ben Crowder, produced by Owen Hughes, and starring Bland, Andrew Grainger, and George Henare.