Local actors wow Gisborne art lovers

Kelly Johnson and crew perform at the Tairawhiti Museum and Art Gallery in Gisborne. Photo / Supplied

A Whangarei theatre group has taken Gisborne art lovers by storm with its production of Kermadec Islands history, Rangitahua: The Stopping Off Place a multi-faceted work inspired by the Tairawhiti Museum's exhibition, Kermadec: Lines In The Ocean.

The theatre collective, Company of Giants, features Whangarei's Kelly Johnson, of Kiwi blockbuster Goodbye Pork Pie fame, and his entire family among its 16 performers.

The Rangitahua production is a gallery of tales, songs, music and karakia and sits alongside the exhibition by nine New Zealand artists who went to the Kermadecs in 2011 and whose resulting work is seen in the show Kermadec: Lines In The Ocean.

The Company of Giants performers, whose ages range between eight and 50-plus years old, first presented Rangitahua: The Stopping Off Place at the Whangarei Art Museum in June.

The show attracted interest from US-based global research and public policy organisation, Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the group's tour to Gisborne.

Also at the Gisborne productions were four of the artists who travelled to the Kermadecs in 2011.

Mr Johnson said the group performed public shows as well as for school groups.

"It's quite a big deal really. Normally things come to Whangarei as we don't actually export, but this time we are exporting the theatre show ."

Mr Johnson played Thomas Bell, a European settler on the Kermadec Islands. His wife, Jan Fisher, played Mrs Frederica Bell. Other members were Buster Fisher-Johnson, Tomasin Fisher-Johnson, Jasmin Fisher-Johnson, Vincent Nathan, Asti Smith, Tarani Matiu, Elijah Revell, Romane Gardes, Zelde Morrison, Finn Gilbert Keene, Joel Ruys, Damian Pullen, Anthony Crum and Hannah White.