Director Ngahiriwa Rauhina.
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See below for English translation
Me he mohoao rānei koe e noho ki muri i ngā rākau nui o te nehenehe e noho puku nei i ngā tūāhuatanga katoa o te ao, tērā pea kātahi nei koe ka rongo ka tae mai te whakakitenga ataahua ko The Color Purple ki konei ā te Māhuru.
Ko te pānuitanga, kai te pukamata kua eke noa atu ki te kotahi tekau mā wha mano tangata, kua eke ki te toru rau e rima tekau ngā tūtakitakinga whaihoki kua tae ki te rua mano ngā pātotanga.
He whakakitenga-ā-ātamira e takea mai i te pukapuka nā Alice Walker i tuhi, ā, nā Walker Bros me te kamupene kiriata a Amblin i whakakiriatangia.
Ki te hunga kua mātakitaki noa i te kiriata kua tino mōhiohio ki te ngako o te ia kōrero, wheoi anō, ko Celei Harris te whetū kōmata o te puku o te kōrero me tana haerenga nui ki ngā tōpito katoa, te muri aroha, ngā piki me ngā heke engari anō ka piataata mai ko tōna wairua māia, ā, nā wai rā ka kitea e ia tōna reo kōkiri wairua e tū tahanga ai ia i ngā tini tangata o te ao.
Hei tā Ngahiriwa Rauhina, te ringa tohu o tēnei whakakitenga ka nui tana pirangi ki te whakaatu atu i te mauri ora o tēnei kōrero hohonu ki te ao.
He tau tōhito kua eke ki te kotahi tekau o ngā tau e whakaari ana, ki te papa whakaatu me te pouaka whakaata, e whā o ēnā tau ko tāna hoki he tumuwhakaputa tana mahi, hai tāna ko te wero nui māna ko te ringatohu.
"Ka nui te whakaiti o te ngākau engari anō ko taku rōpū tētehi kāhui rangatira kāmehameha. Ko te wehi me te mana kai a Daniel Ieremia me Taiaroa Royal e tū whakahīhī ai te hāpori, nō reira e tika ana kia whakamihia rāua".
E mahi tahi nei a Ngahiriwa me tētehi mātanga reo waiata ko Takuta Daniel Ieremia me te mātanga whakaniko nekehanga ko Taiaroa Royal.
He tūāhangata hoki rāua ki te ao whakaari. I whānau ai a Daniel i Tamaki Makaurau wheoi anō kai Rotorua e noho ana.
Ko tōna ngākau whiwhita kai te waiata. I mua i tana haerenga ki Tamaki Makaurau ako ai, ko ia te mātanga ako piana rangatahi katoa i Millennium Music (2013-2014). He mātanga waiata tira i St.Paul's i Otepoti i te tau e rua mano kotahi tekau mā ono, atu i tēnā ko āna mahi kē atu he pūkawe waiata me te ako tonu i ngā rekereke o ngā tohunga nunui o te ao waiata, ako ai.
He ahakoa kai te wiki tuarua o te whakaaturanga rātou e parakitihi ana, ka nui te wehi whakamiharo o te hunga mahi ki āna pūkenga, hai tā ētehi, " he mōhio nōna ki te tō mai i te wairua amokura o ia tangata, o ia tangata".
Ko Taiaroa he Ngāti Uenukukopako, he Ngāti Raukawa, he Ngai Tahu, ā, he Ngai Te Arawa hoki, koia te mātanga whakaniko nekehanga ā ātamira. He manu mīreirei, he tīrairaka ki te ātea nui o te ātamira puta noa i tēnei rohe, puta noa i tēnei motu. I puta mai ia i te Wānanga o te kanikani nui o Aotearoa i te tau kotahi mano, e iwa rau, e waru tekau mā wha.
Kua kanikani hoki ia i ngā whakaaturanga mana nui o te motu pēnei me te pahi ori hīteki mātua o Aotearoa tētehi, ko te kamupene o Limbs Dance hoki, ko te kamupene o Douglas Wright anō tētehi, ko Human Garden, ko Commotion, ko Black Grace, ā me te kamupene o Atamira Dance.
Nā ēnei whetū piataata e tika ana kia tāhuri mai ngā whetu rikoriko o te rangi ki a tata mai ki tētehu kāhui nui te wehi. Tae mai ai ngā tini tangata i ngā hau e wha o te motu, mai i Kirikiriroa, me Tauranga hoki.
Kai te tārouma mātotoru hoki a Bobby Mihi Howard, ko ia te perehitene o Rotorua Music Theatre i te kāhui tāne nei, Māori katoa hoki te pae whakawhiti whakaaro, he puna mātotoru, he mātanga katoa, engari ko te momo o ngā taniwha, he tipua katoa.
Kati ake ko te kaupapa nei ko The Color Purple, tētehi kōrero taumaha, engari hai tēnei whakaaturanga waiata nei, he takahi kē i te ara o te ngākau ngawari, he āta whakamāmā i ngā pōauautanga o te kōrero, nā te mea ko te pukapuka tētehi pukapuka whakaharahara e tō tō ai i te waiata rongopai, te reo pūoro tautito, me te reo whakamomori wheoi anō ko te ngako o te kōrero, he toa e whakaara ake nei i te kaha o te ate, te māiatanga o te muri aroha me te whakanui i te oranga o te tangata.
Ka tāti a te Māhuru te toru tekau tae ki te kotahi tekau mā rima o te Oketopa, e mea ana ngā pouwhakahaere, hohoro kai pau katoa ngā tīkiti. Kai iTicket ngā tīkiti e hoa mā ka puta mai a te marama nei te Akuwhata, tahuri atu hoki ki te whārangi Rotorua Musical Theatre i Pukamata kai reira ano ētehi kupu itiiti. —Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Unless you've been isolating with absolutely no contact with the outside world, you would have heard the buzz about town, now, of The Color Purple Musical headed to our stage in September.
The cast list release on Facebook, alone, has reached more than 14,000 people, has had over 350 engagements and nearly 2000 clicks.
Based on the novel by Alice Walker and the Warner Bros/Amblin Entertainment motion picture, The Color Purple follows the antagonist Celie Harris in the unforgettable journey of a woman, who through love, perseveres and triumphs over adversity to discover her unique voice in the world.
Director Ngahiriwa Rauhina, cannot wait to bring this story to life. After ten years as a professional actor, both on stage and on screen, plus four years as a producer, he's ready to branch out into directing.
"I'm super humbled to be working with such a great team. The skills that Daniel Ieremia and Taiaroa Royal bring is such a benefit to our community, so I'd like to thank them for sharing their time, gifts, and expertise."
Ngahiriwa is joined by vocal director Dr Daniel Ieremia and choreographer Taiaroa Royal. Neither is a stranger to the stage.
Auckland-born, now residing in Rotorua, Dan has always been passionate about music. Before going to Auckland to study, Dan was the youngest ever piano tutor at Millennium Music (2013-2014).
He was also a Choral Scholar at St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin, in 2016, on top of freelancing as a conductor and receiving masterclasses from well-regarded pedagogues in the industry.
His craft has already been admired by the cast of The Color Purple who are in their second week of rehearsals, with some quoting "he really brings out the best in everyone!"
Taiaroa (Ngati Uenukukopako, Raukawa, Ngai Tahu, Te Arawa) the show's choreographer, is one of New Zealand's most outstanding and versatile dancers, having graduated from the New Zealand School of Dance in 1984 with a Diploma in Dance.
Tai has danced with the major dance companies in Aotearoa, including the New Zealand Royal Ballet, Limbs Dance Company, Douglas Wright Dance Company, Human Garden, Origins, Commotion, Black Grace, and Atamira Dance Company.
With a wealth of talent like this on the Creative Team, it's no wonder it has attracted talent from far and wide, with some cast members travelling from Hamilton and Tauranga to be a part of this show.
President of the Rotorua Musical Theatre, Bobby Mihi Howard is ecstatic about the all-male, all-indigenous team of creators, with their wealth of knowledge, experience, and skills.
The Color Purple story is typically a heavy one, however, the musical adaptation touches on the themes in a lighter way, with a gorgeous book and score to complement, featuring gospel, jazz, ragtime and blues.
It is ultimately a story of hope, a testament to the power of love, and celebration of life.
The show will run for a strictly limited season from September 30 to October 15 and has already been tipped to sell out before opening night.
Tickets will be available from iTicket early August, so keep an eye on the Rotorua Musical Theatre Facebook page for ticket release dates.
'We really have something special going on here,' the academy co-founder says.