THEATRE REVIEW: Hine Te Rēhia

02.08.2022 at Basement Theatre

This review is part of the HAU festival series. HAU (te Hī me te Hā) is a 2-week festival of new and original indigenous, Pasifika and/or LGBTQi+ stories with songs, dance and text celebrating the movement of the atmosphere, the winds of change and the shifting vibrations of energy and light. Stay tuned for the next review this weekend!

Hine Te Rēhia is a devised bilingual theatre experience with singing, dance, haka and authentic storytelling through monologue and poetry, performed by an all female BIPOC cast.

Hine Te Rēhia showcases the power, strength and passion of women. This performance is all about creating a space - a supportive space, an empowering space, a safe space - for women to explore their experiences. Hine Te Rēhiais not just a performance, it is an expression of the personal and collective identity. This is what made the show so powerful: It didn’t try to be anything that it wasn’t. It simply highlighted the stories and voices of these BIPOC women on stage.

Directors Jason Te Mete and Bronwyn Turei do a fantastic job of letting these women exist on stage in all of their glory. It is clear that each actress worked closely with the production team and with each other to create a performance that not only reflects them, but that they feel happy to present. Exploitation is common for young women in acting and theatre can often be full of discrimination, exclusion and discomfort, especially for LGBTQI+ and minority women. So, it was great to see women feel powerful and comfortable on the stage.

Hine Te Rēhia is structured as a series of vignettes, ranging from poignant to hilarious to absurd. Each vignette was both a personal and collaborative expression, bridging cultures, stories, experiences and people. The sequencing of the vignettes were sometimes a bit unfocused, with the movement between powerful personal statements to light-hearted dance a bit jarring. But despite this, the performance still remains a strong showcase.

The opening sequences of the breathing was such a powerful introduction to the performance: Breath as fear, as love, as determination, as pride, as life. It was a simple reminder of the impact of women. This act of breath also connected deeply to the different cultural aspects explored in the show - breath as our energy / vitality / qi / life-force / hau. I also loved the aspects of ranting that happened in Hine Te Rēhia - finally a space for women to just yell about all the bullshit the world has done to them!

I loved the multidisciplinary experience of this performance. With elements of Haka, traditional Pasifika dance, poetry and collaborative ensemble work, it was a powerful celebration of each actresses’ unique heritage and story. Theatre and acting can often be full of discrimination, exclusion and discomfort, especially for LGBTQI+ and minority women. The Tuatara Collective has created a space that is so necessary in contemporary society. With a trained mental health professional at all performances, the entire theatre space felt like a place of genuine support. But not just support, a space of burning energy, an intensity that felt all consuming. I could tangibly feel the power of these women. Emerging minority creatives will change the world, and if you don’t believe me, this show will convince you of that.

With a trained mental health professional at all performances, the entire theatre space felt like a place of genuine support.

Hine Te Rēhia showcases the power, strength and passion of women. I loved the focus on personal stories and culture, bringing authenticity to the forefront of this performance. It was so refreshing to see emerging actors collaborate on meaningful and personal work. While this is an emerging actors showcase, that’s not a problem at all: It’s a privilege to start at a place that is so supportive and empowering.

You can book your tickets for HAU festival shows here!

Devising/Director: Jason Te Mete, Bronwyn Turei

Cast: Eve Naicker, Katie-Rose Pemberton, Mela Taavao, Rawinia Kanuta-Walker, Teresa Lee, Tia Ormsby

Presented by: Tuatara Collective

Photographer: Ralph Brown

With a trained mental health professional at all performances, the entire theatre space felt like a place of genuine support.

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