Wahine Mātātoa- the (mostly) true story of Erihāpeti Pātahi at the 2025 Dunedin Arts Festival

Name: Wahine Mātātoa- the (mostly) true story of Erihāpeti Pātahi at the 2025 Dunedin Arts Festival
Start: 2025-03-27T07:30:00+13:00
End: 2025-03-30T04:00:00+13:00
Location: Allen Hall Theatre

Schedule

Thu, 27 Mar, 2025 at 07:30 am to Sun, 30 Mar, 2025 at 04:00 am

UTC+13:00

Location

Allen Hall Theatre | Dunedin, OT

Dunedin Arts Festival World premiere of this brand new comedy-drama by Cindy Diver.
A Wahine Sets the Past on Fire and Ignites the Future!
A comedy of consequences, Wahine Mātātoa tells the story of our wāhine Kāi Tahu across time and space, where the protagonist, Elizabeth, navigates how to balance decisions that could potentially end her dreams of adventure.
This all takes place as she visits the (mostly) true stories of her ancestor, Erihāpeti Pātahi, a high born, high-spirited wahine, a force as untameable as the sea. Pātahi takes the audience from a pre-treaty Aotearoa, to colony ships arriving and all the way through to the West Coast gold rush, and the very first High Court case (that she was part of) proving traditional property rights transcended the new Gold fields regulations.
Rooted in Te Wai Pounamu – and in particular Ōtēpoti, it’s land and it’s tipuna, the production is a uniquely Kāi Tahu narrative that has us consider our whakapapa and identity - what parts of stories are passed down and what we end up piecing together from other sources, it’s presented by a fully Kai Tahu cast with accompaniment of Madison Kelly with live taonga puoro composed by Ruby Solly.
How do we navigate the future while holding on to our dreams?
Turns out even the most rebellious of tupuna can guide us on our paths.
“Beautifully encapsulates the binding power of whakapapa to connect us through time” -Theatreview Review
'This is a play the whole country needs to see" - Sir Ian Taylor
NOTE: The play is 90mins in length with a short interval 45mins in.
Thanks to the wonderful support of Ngai Tahu Fund, Otago Community Trust and the Dunedin City Council, WOW! Productions, Theatreworks Ltd and the Dunedin Festival of the Arts!
Ka rawe!
Book now: dunedinartsfestival.co.nz