Award-winning and electrifying theatre experience UPU celebrates Pacific voices on stage.
Fresh from its sold-out Sydney Opera House season, UPU returns home as the first-ever Tagata Moana work at the Waikato Regional Theatre.
UPU – meaning ‘word’ in many languages of the Pacific, is a collection of voices from our people who live on a sea of islands connected by the vast Pacific Ocean, Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.
Featuring works by celebrated poets including Maualaivao Albert Wendt, Selina Tusitala Marsh, Hone Tuwhare, Tusiata Avia, and Ben Brown, alongside emerging voices from across the region, UPU weaves a rich tapestry of stories, experiences and perspectives from the peoples of Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa.
These poems reflect on cultural identity, history and the challenges faced by the Pacific communities, from Hawaiians debating Captain Cook’s legacy, to the joys of SPAM in Guam and other islands in the Pacific impacted by US militarisation and illegal occupation, to the Marshall Islands’ struggle against rising seas.
Performed by an extraordinary ensemble of Tagata Moana artists including Miriama McDowell, Jarod Rawiri and Nicola Kāwana, and enhanced by evocative lighting, projections and an original multi-layered soundscape design, UPU is an intimate and unforgettable celebration.
Poetry is powerful on the page – but on stage, it’s pure magic. All poems are performed in English. Tickets go on sale at 12 pm on Friday, the 12th of December.
