Closing out the festival will be Jenny Mitchell and her sisters, the Mitchell Twins.
The Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival is renowned for showcasing stories from all walks of life, through art.
A continuous theme through this year’s programme is the range of strong, female-led performances across theatre, dance, music and literacy. These artists, all at the top of their game, each have a unique story and a way of presenting themselves in their art form.
Here’s a snippet of what we can look forward to from a few of the talented women of this year’s festival.
Sameena Zehra – Tea with Terrorists (Theatre)
Friday, October 20, at Toitoi - Functions on Hastings.
Tea with Terrorists shares stories from a life that straddles two very different cultures. Arguing with mullahs, being an atheist in a religious, liberal family, wandering outside the green zone in war-torn Kabul, being stalked by a sheep in Coniston and having tea with some terrorists in Kashmir. It is a rollercoaster ride of dark comedy and delicious storytelling.
Sameena Zehra is an award-winning comedian, storyteller, actor, writer, director and blues singer/songwriter. An intersectional feminist and humanist with a unique take on the world who’s equally at home exploring the individual experiences of daily life and the larger issues of the world we live in, her solo work has always been rooted in the human condition, in holding power to account, in bringing people together in spaces that are tender and robust. This direction was set early on during her university years in India, creating forum theatre performed on street corners that explored a number of diverse topics, including the death penalty, marital rape, the caste system and religious dogma.
Her work is a goulash of storytelling and political commentary, peppered with absurdity, dark humour and personal context. She has also used performance and storytelling to work with victims of domestic violence, and to bring out the stories of refugees and asylum seekers in the UK and advocate for them.
Tatiana Hotere - Skin Hunger (Theatre)
Friday, October 27 at Toitoi - Functions on Hastings.
Brazilian-born actress and playwright Tatiana Hotere survived a range of deep emotions trying to overcome the grief of her husband Jason Hotere’s sudden death. The result of these emotions is Skin Hunger, winner of several 2022 Auckland Fringe Festivals awards, including Outstanding Performance.
“Talking about a widow’s sexuality brings a lot of shame. I thought, ‘This needs to be in a play’. Why is it that sexuality is ignored or shamed in a religious context? We are taught the purity culture; save yourself until you get married, and then you can have all the sex you want. And then what?
“When I wrote Skin Hunger, I typed until my fingers were numb,” Hotere says. “Creative writing was an outlet for me. It didn’t fix anything, but it gave me space when I needed a break from the pain; I could look at it in an objective way and it gave me a little respite to heal and process it.
“For a long time after Jason died, I truly felt I wasn’t connected creatively with anyone else, but now my words have come alive. I get to use the stuff that happened in my life to help other people.”
As a passionate mental health advocate and grief coach, she also produces and hosts the Crazy Grief podcast.
Charlotte Yates, Julia Deans and Sandy Mill - When Poetry and Song Collide (Music/Literary)
Sunday, October 22 at Toitoi - Functions on Hastings.
In When Poetry and Song Collide, Charlotte Yates performs alongside the legendary Julia Deans and soulful Sandy Mill to take us through the intriguing backstory to the four albums she created with poetry from NZ literary titans James K Baxter, Hone Tuwhare, Witi Ihimaera and Katherine Mansfield.
Yates is a well-respected musician, songwriter and composer who has forged an individual path in NZ music that’s seen her endeavours include a still-growing catalogue of seven solo releases.
She has composed music for TV, theatre and short film, and with an art-minded focus on the poetry aspect of songwriting, has curated a number of brave tribute albums.
Deans first came to the fore as the sassy and beguiling frontwoman for Fur Patrol at the turn of the century, but the past decade has seen her transition from iconic rock chick to glorious songbird.
Her first solo album Modern Fables was released to critical acclaim in 2010, earning her a swag of nominations for several coveted musical accolades. Her second solo album We Light Fire sees her return to songwriting enriched with experience and full of purpose. She has been involved in many collaborative projects, worked with Jon Toogood and Shayne Carter, and has staged tributes to Jacques Brel, Joni Mitchell and Shakespeare.
Mill, born in Gisborne, of Ngāti Porou descent, was a finalist for the Waiata Māori Music Award 2018 for her solo debut A Piece of Me, which became one of the top 20 records on the NZ charts.
She is well-known for her generosity as a musician and her breadth of talent and accomplishments. About her philosophy toward music, she says: “I bare my soul, I can’t help that. I have an intense need to mix genres, experiment, always strive for better, but I know when it’s time to step back, enjoy and embrace the creative process - the good, the bad and the boring. And I don’t let fear stop me from trying something new.”
Theia x Te Kaahu – Girl in a Savage World (Music)
Sunday, October 22 at Toitoi - Opera House.
Theia makes unapologetic, trailblazing alt-pop. The enigmatic artist, now based in LA, has been making waves since she first emerged in 2016 with her breakthrough hit Roam, which amassed millions of streams.
Theia has gone on to grow a dedicated fanbase locally and internationally, while earning critical acclaim from the likes of Pigeons & Planes, Rolling Stone, Clash and Billboard magazine.
A staunch proponent for the revitalisation of te reo Māori and culture, she has released several waiata Māori under the Theia moniker. However, in 2020 she launched the project Te Kaahu, which is written and performed entirely in te reo Māori. Te Kaahu’s debut album Te Kaahu O Rangi was released to critical acclaim in 2022 and was awarded the prestigious Taite Prize for Best Independent Debut, and nominated for a stream of other awards.
Although seemingly worlds apart, Theia and Te Kaahu are both expressions of an artist and songwriter with integrity and depth.
Jenny Mitchell and the Mitchell Twins
Sunday, October 29 at Toitoi - Opera House.
Jenny Mitchell started out performing at the Gore Country Music Club at the tender age of 4 years old. She’s come a long way since then, with three albums, an Aotearoa Music Award and two Australian Golden Guitar nominations to her name.
The gifted storyteller says one of her first musical memories was watching her dad recording his own album.
“It was him and a lot of his friends, and the studio was this beautiful home studio in rural Southland. I don’t even remember much about the music being made, but I can remember that it looked like something I’d like to do someday.” Her first original songs were penned at age 11, inspired by a trip to Ireland, during which she met her grandparents’ families and felt a deep connection to the places and people of the Emerald Isle.
Closing out the festival, Jenny Mitchell and her sisters, the Mitchell Twins, will bring their folk/alt-country sound - along with a full band featuring storytelling, fiddle and family harmonies - for a night of soulful songs wrapped in wisdom and wit.
To read more of these stories, or to view the full programme and book tickets, head to www.hbaf.co.nz.
The pair weren't happy with the holiday home designs, so they refused to pay.