A groundbreaking Māori theatre production exploring incarceration and healing will take the stage in Ōtaki this month. Out the Gate, written by Helen Pearse-Otene and directed by Jim Moriarty, will be performed at Māoriland on Friday 31 October as part of its Lower North Island tour. The Theatre Marae work, developed by Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu, transforms lived experience and kaupapa Māori research into powerful vignettes of waiata, movement and storytelling, offering Ōtaki audiences an immersive experience of resilience and hope.
The play will premiere at Pātaka Art + Museum in Porirua on 29 October and will travel to marae, universities and community venues across the region until 15 November. Rooted in the TIAKI research project and guided by tikanga Māori, Out the Gate asks what happens to Māori after release from prison, and what it takes to thrive.
Developed by Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu, Aotearoa’s longest surviving independent Māori theatre company, Out the Gate draws on the TIAKI project, a Health Research Council-funded study led by Māori researchers. The production transforms key themes from participants’ stories into episodic vignettes of waiata, movement and theatre, offering audiences an embodied way to engage with research findings.
(Actors preparing in rehearsals).
Moriarty, whose tūrangawaewae is Porirua, said the play exposes the long-term impacts of state care, trauma and systemic bias, while pointing to the possibility of change. “Some of these men and women have been in 35, 40 foster homes. A lot of those people then end up going to jail. Who helps you, how do you make your way through that quagmire of early institutionalisation?” questions Moriarty. “Ultimately, Out the Gate is a postulation of hope. Hope springs eternal. It’s inside people no matter how damaged they might have been by their experiences.”
(Actors preparing in rehearsals).
The ensemble of more than 16 performers includes people with lived experience of the justice system alongside trusted theatre practitioners, working in a process of care and mentorship. After each performance, audiences will be invited to participate in a kōrerō reflecting on the themes and sharing their responses.
Performances begin in Porirua before travelling to Māoriland in Ōtaki, Orongomai Marae in Upper Hutt, Wainuiomata Marae, and Massey University in Wellington, with further venues to be announced. Tickets will be available from 26 September at www.terakau.org/out-the-gate.
Out the Gate is recommended for ages 14 and over due to sensitive content and language, though whānau and tamariki are welcome with parental guidance.
OUT THE GATE plays:
Pātaka Art + Museum, Porirua (premiere) – Wed 29 Oct, 7.00pm
Māoriland, Ōtaki – Fri 31 Oct, 7.00pm
Orongomai Marae, Upper Hutt – Sat 1 Nov, 7.00pm
Wainuiomata Marae – Sun 9 Nov, 1.30 pm & 7.00pm
Massey University, Mt Cook, Wellington – Wed 12 Nov – Sat 15 Nov, 7.00pm