Magasiva is known for roles like Dr Maxwell Avia in Shortland Street, Will Jackson in prison drama Wentworth and loveable rogue Michael in the Sione's Wedding films. In his four previous theatre collaborations with Rodger, he's portrayed flawed but ultimately likeable guys with clear reasons for their sometimes questionable actions.
He's enjoying exploring what makes a character like Q tick.
"For me, it's about finding out where he comes from, what his background is and what brought him to the place where he is now - at a stage where he doesn't care about life or fellow human beings - and then working out how to pitch the character and get the intensity right. It is extremely intense. I think it's going to take me three to four hours after each show to wind down."
Club Paradiso is the inaugural production by FCC (Flow, Create, Connect), a new Pacific Island theatre movement started by Rodger. It wants to tell more Polynesian stories and connect young Polynesian practitioners with industry veterans.
True to these goals, Arts Foundation of New Zealand 2014 laureate recipients Vela Manusaute and Anapela Polataivao (who created the musical The Factory) direct while the seven-strong cast includes emerging actors from Pacific Island Performing Arts (PIPA) courses.
They're joined by Magasiva and Amanaki Prescott, who won plaudits for her performance as Shalimar in Rodger's fringe festival hit Girl on a Corner.
Rodgers describes Club Paradiso as "Quentin Tarantino comes to South Auckland by way of German filmmaker Michael Haneke" and emphasises it's an R18 production with bad language and the sort of violence found in a Tarantino movie.
"It's the darkest thing I have written and, when I was sitting at my computer to write it, I was thinking, 'Can I bring myself to type this?', and I had to give myself permission to do so. Then, when I went to the first read-through, I felt my stomach clenching with tension but that's a good thing because it shows the script works but I know it won't be to everyone's taste."
He started with the familiar riff "a man walks into a bar" and has set it in a run-down bar in South Auckland managed by a struggling solo mother, Tahlz (Polataivao), and her two sons.
The bar staff and a handful of patrons are preparing to leave but Q spies the lights on and bursts into their world.
Rodger sees it as a play about choices and the randomness of violence. He hasn't based it on any specific real-life crimes and isn't expecting a backlash despite the violent nature of the piece. Nor does he think he's playing with negative South Auckland stereotypes.
"The cast, who come mainly from south Auckland, are comfortable with the world I'm portraying and there is a mixture of complex characters, which show a range of personalities. I want to deal with authentic stories in a variety of ways so FCC's next play may be a comedy while I'm also working on a more 'bourgeoisie' piece. I'm all about spectrum."
What: Club Paradiso
Where & when: Basement Theatre, June 2-6
