‘Enchanting, poignant’ puppet show to be staged at Gisborne’s Eastwoodhill Arboretum

Arts On Tour NZ is bringing the Birdlife Productions puppet show Aya and the Butterfly to Eastwoodhill later this month.

A family puppet show inspired by a book written for a child who her lost her father in the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks, is to be staged at Eastwoodhill Arboretum on Anzac Day.

Aya and the Butterfly is about a girl who finds happiness through her experience of the metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly.

The story moves through the seasons onstage, taking children with Aya on her ups and downs.

The show is based on a book by Christchurch author Dr Maysoon Salama. Her son Atta Elayyan was killed and her husband badly injured in the attack on Al Noor Mosque on March 15, 2019. Salama wrote the book for her granddaughter Aya.

Salama worked closely with live theatre company Birdlife Productions as a cultural adviser and mentor to help bring her story to the stage.

It deals with letting go and resilience-building to dealing with change - all metaphorically reflected in the butterfly’s life cycle.

Designed for families, particularly children aged 3 to 9, the show encourages empathy for different cultures and reaffirms the healing power of nature.

Theatreview described the show as “respectful, heart-warming and poignant” while a review of it when performed at the Hamilton Arts Festival recently said it was “the best children’s show ever programmed for the established festival”.

“Aya and the Butterfly is absolutely enchanting and seeing those kids so captivated was joyful,” festival director Geoff Turkington said.

The show is being brought to Eastwoodhill through Arts On Tour NZ.

Aya and the Butterfly

When: 10am, Friday, April 25

From: NZ Arts on Tour

Where: Eastwoodhill Arboretum, 2392 Wharekopae Road, Ngatapa