Taki Rua Productions
Taki Rua Productions is Aotearoa / New Zealand’s national Māori theatre company. Taki Rua produces Māori theatre works that tour to diverse audiences throughout Aotearoa and the world.

 

For immediate release

Strange Resting Places – At The Box – Petone Sunday 29th May 2011 – 7pm

Italy World War II - 1944. A young Maori solder from the 28th Māori Battalion sets out to steal food. An Italian deserter from the Fascist army takes cover in a stable. Both find themselves in a potentially deadly stand-off, but with Germans just outside, their survival depends on co-operation.

Originally conceived and written by Paolo Rotondo and Rob Makaraka, who blend their own family histories with those of strangers, Strange Resting Places shines a light on New Zealand’s wartime history, exploring cultural differences to comic effect, as well as the four universals shared with Italians:- the love of family, food, seduction and song!

Live music intertwines with drama and comedy in three languages – Māori, English and Italian - in this critically acclaimed Taki Rua production which has toured internationally to festivals in London, Singapore, Australia, and American Samoa, as well as Aotearoa. From the sharing of coffee in the prologue, to the serving of wine and food at the end of each performance, the chemistry between the performers extends outwards to include the audience. Strange Resting Places is inclusive theatre at its best.

For more information, see www.takirua.co.nz
Contact:
Keryn Bristow, 04 385 3107, 021 024 09604, keryn@takirua.co.nz
Pat McIntosh, 04 3853106, production@takirua.co.nz

 

Reviews

‘A spellbinding little gem of a show that will have you laughing a lot and crying just a little……Strange Resting Places is intimate theatre at its best that would be warmly received in a piazza, a marae and anywhere in between.
THE HERALD (Auckland)

‘There is a great mix of physical theatre, narrative and singing, the production moving deftly from moments of broad comedy to brutal reality, from the hilariously funny to the poignantly tragic.’ DOMINION POST (Wellington)

‘Strange Resting Places is as piquant a piece of 'celebratory' theatre as you may ever hope to experience anywhere. While 'celebration' may seem a strange quality to bring to a war story, it turns out to be an inspired way to make truly moving theatre.’
THEATREVIEW.COM (New Zealand)

‘The stripped-down set of army supplies turns out to provide a rich landscape for the narration of this tale, although that's nothing compared to the actors' abilities to conjure up this forgotten world through voice, music and movement’’
INKPOTREVIEWS.COM (Singapore)

Biographies

 

Film and television credits include Show of Hands, Broken, Labou, Bliss, Eruption, The Jacquie Brown Diaries, Outrageous Fortune, Legend of the Seeker and Amazing Extraordinary Friends