Semu Filipo returns to a theatre very dear to his heart. Photo / Warren Buckland
Semu Filipo returns to a theatre very dear to his heart. Photo / Warren Buckland
A warm hug from an old friend is a simple gesture but it’s one of many this week that brought back special memories of his time in Hawke’s Bay for actor Semu Filipo.
It is 20 years since the Rotorua-born actor trod the boards of the Hastings Opera House. Hereturns this week to perform in free showings of The Worm, Nightsong’s new production that is set to delight both young and old.
“It’s really nice to come back,” the 42-years-young actor told Hawke’s Bay Today.
Back in the early 2000s, EIT Hastings was a breeding ground for talented young thespians, with the municipal building used as a training studio for its theatre programme.
Filipo spent around 18 months studying in the upgraded venue now called Toitoi, leaving “blood, sweat and tears” on the studio floors.
“We had a tour yesterday, and there were moments in the old municipal building where a lot of memories flooded back. There were a lot of tears, good tears though,” he said, referencing his cast-welcoming ceremony at the facility yesterday.
“I took photos and messaged our alumni page and the crew were like, ‘wow it has just changed so much’.
Semu Filipo plays the "Old Worm" to packed audiences this week. Photo / Warren Buckland
Many of Toitoi’s staff, including manager Megan Peacock-Coyle, were involved in the EIT theatre world around the time Filipo was a student.
He said other alumni who weren’t living in Hawke’s Bay also wanted to come back and visit after seeing his post.
“We always Zoom call or catch up,” he said.
Filipo admitted that while he missed the “old” feeling of the Opera House precinct, he thought the changes were “amazing” and was impressed at how heritage and modernity were mixed so well.
“It’s nice that Megan and the team have really got that balance right, of not losing the legacy of what it was, but using the old to navigate it forward.”
Filipo recalled acting in performances of West Side Story and Shakespeare, and all the workshops where the beautiful heritage stage was used.
“I think we took it for granted back in those days. Now coming back 20-odd years later, it’s just so special.”
Since his EIT days and graduation from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 2004, Filipo has since acted extensively in Aotearoa and overseas.
His role as the “Old Worm” in this week’s production sees him working with more of the country’s finest, performing free for busloads of schoolkids and adults alike. It’s welcome relief from the ongoing Cyclone Gabrielle recovery.
“I can’t even imagine what the last couple of months has been like. I was away in Australia filming at the time of the floods, and when I heard what had happened my heart dropped,” he said.
“I feel privileged to be able to come back and offer these shows to the community. You guys have had it tough, and whatever we can do to help ease that burden or take you away for an hour of your life to an underground world of courage and fear and family, then we would love to do that.”
Filipo’s run at his old stomping ground includes two free public shows on Saturday, April 29.
Toitoi will also host two performances of The Worm for local schools on Friday, April 28.
