Nature and nurture

LOTTERY OF BIRTH: Auckland actress Cassandra Woodhouse stars in the one-woman show Hanna, coming to Lawson Field Theatre next month. Picture supplied

Experience a one-woman show when Hanna reaches Lawson Field Theatre next month.

Jennifer Ward-Lealand directs Cassandra Woodhouse in the acclaimed one-woman play by Sam Potter.

Being a young mum is supposed to be hard — but for Hanna, the only thing she's ever been brilliant at is raising her beloved daughter, Ellie.

But then a DNA test reveals staggering news: Ellie is not Hanna's child, and now her “real” parents want to meet.

Is Hanna obliged to let these strangers into her daughter's life? And how do you explain a mix-up in an overstretched maternity ward to a three-year old?

Forced to question what being a parent really means, she makes a drastic decision that will change all their lives.

Sam Potter's funny, heartfelt and compelling one-woman play delicately weaves in questions of racial identity, economic privilege and the lottery of birth. It asks, “what does ‘family' actually mean in today's society?”

Premiering in London in 2018, and proudly presented by NZ Theatre Company in its Auckland premiere, Hanna will be the first for the company, whose aim is to bring professional productions into community theatre spaces.

Hanna, Lawson Field Theatre, Monday, March 6, 7.30pm. Tickets from eventfinda.co.nz