Te Tangi a te Tūī
Artist Pitch
Theatre
Shenkman Arts Centre
Tuesday, 7 November
12:30pm
Te Tangi a te Tūī is a new Māori cirque theatre collaboration between Aotearoa’s (New Zealand) Te Rēhia Theatre and The Dust Palace. It was co-commissioned by The Cultch, Vancouver who hosted the World Premiere in October 2023.
This powerful story told entirely in te reo Māori is a collaboration between Te Rēhia Theatre Company—an acclaimed Auckland Māori theatre company—and The Dust Palace—the renowned cirque theatre company Vancouverites know from The Goblin Market and WonderWombs. The two companies, well known in Aotearoa (New Zealand) in their respective disciplines, were offered a commission from The Cultch and Urban Ink to create a piece, and Te Tangi a te Tūī was created—first offered as a documentary about the making of the show, which was a part of Urban Ink and the Cultch’s digital TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival in spring 2023, and now as an extraordinary live experience that fuses Māori culture with the artistry of the circus.
Amber Curreen
Amber Curreen - Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, Te Roroa
Co-writer / Co-Producer
Amber is a kaupapa Māori focused producer who has been delivering professional theatre since 2009, formerly with SmackBang Theatre Company & currently with Te Rehia Theatre Company and Te Pou Theatre. Through these organisations Amber’s production experience includes co-production of many innovative mainstage shows (BLACK TIES, Astroman, SolOTHELLO, Raising The Titanics), Te Reo Māori works (He Tūrū Māu, E Kore A Muri E Hokia, Purapurawhetū) & youth shows (Ruia Te Kakano & the Maui Magic series) to theatres, festivals, communities, marae & schools.
Ambers mahi is driven by a strong tikanga based arts practice & focuses on high quality, innovative story-telling that brings Te Ao Māori to the stage & supports the reclamation & revitalisation of te reo Māori.
Eve Gordon
Eve Gordon
Co-Creator / Costume Designer / Performer
Eve, once called the Beyoncé of NZ circus, discovered physical storytelling at drama school. It very quickly became her vocation, passion and her life’s drive. She graduated from UNITEC with a Bachelor of Acting in 2002. Eve has been working as a circus performer, actor, experimental filmmaker, costume-creator, and producer for the last 15 years.
Across the last decade Eve has also been a pou for the circus community, writing national guidelines in best practice and ethics and growing the national circus association.
Eve founded The Dust Palace in 2009. Since its inception she co-directed all 15 of its full-length circus theatre works. She recently passed on the running of the organisation to others in order to focus on her work as a performer.