Why theatre? Why Māori theatre?
One of my current responsibilities is Chairperson and Trustee of Te Pou Theatre in West Auckland. Te Pou is 'Auckland's Māori Home of Theatre' and it has been a delight to be part of a passionate and committed team who are developing new tikanga Māori inspired approaches to theatre. We have been undertaking strategic planning throughout 2020 and as part of that process, I wrote the following notes about theatre and Māori theatre. This is some 'thinking out loud' and is not meant to be a comprehensive and exhaustive philosophy of theatre. Rather, it is a list of ideas to provide some context (in my own mind) when thinking about Te Pou Theatre going forward. Why theatre? Why conduct theatre? Theatre is concerned with storytelling and offering communities and audiences distinctive experiences through storytelling and associated performing arts, activities and experiences. Storytelling is a critical dimension of human life and society . Quality storytelling contribut...