Centre of performance

A 200-seat theatre in Onehunga promises to showcase the best Maori and Pasifika talent, learns Rowena Orejana.
The walls of the Martin Hautus' performance art centre in Onehunga Mall are lime green, muted only slightly by an aubergine centre wall. The stairs on each side lead into the 200-seat theatre that will soon showcase Maori and Pasifika talents.
"We wanted to get a bigger 500-seat theatre but we got declined twice by the council," says Pulotu Selio Solomon, chief operating officer of the Martin Hautus Pacific Peoples Learning Institute. They have sought help from the Auckland City Council.
The institute is run by the Solomon family. It focuses on Maori and Pacific learners, offering subjects such as tourism, business, computing, literacy and the performing arts. It has an overflow of young talent, but nowhere to showcase it.
"My parents, Art and Maretta, decided to do it ourselves. That is the reason why we started on a smaller scale," he explains. "Hopefully, as time goes on, the council will see the value of what we are doing."
The centre is less than a month old. Teuila, Mr Solomon's sister, and her son Souleezy Brown put on an impromptu duet for The Aucklander's benefit.
The song is written by 18-year-old Souleezy.
The music sounds a bit like a Jason Mraz song with an island-in-the-sun feel. Its lyrics are sweet but not cheesy.
He is one of the most promising students in the institute and he plans to break into the music industry next year.
"We currently have a music course. There are a lot of undiscovered talents in our institute," says Ms Solomon. "We want to encourage them. The centre is for other artists as well. We want it to be opened to the public."
Mr Solomon says it's a performing arts centre but it will also feature art exhibits, tapa making and weaving - "everything that is associated with culture".
The centre can be hired for meetings, weddings and the like.
"We want to generate money so we can assist the educational arm of the institute and also to get to our goal of the 500-seater," says Mr Solomon.
The performing arts centre will thrive only through people using it, says Mr Solomon. "The work starts now."
On a mission
"Empowering Pacific, Maori and others through education and training" is the institute's mission statement.
Apart from the tertiary education it offers  at its Onehunga branch, the  institute operates an alternative educational centre for 13- to 16-year-old students in Mangere East.
For more info, contact Selio Solomon at the Martin Hautus Institute, ph 632 3152.