Te Pō

In a nutshell:
Three characters in search of Bruce Mason / Love, loss and the nature of existence / Mind-bending puppetry

A policeman, a priest and blind man look for clues as to where the missing playwright Bruce Mason has gone. What made him leave his desk and vanish into the night? And what is that seagull at the window trying to say? For all of Te Pō’s odd characters, finding Bruce Mason has become a matter of life, death and catching a big fish.

The plays main themes are love and death - two opposites. This concept of opposites is used throughout the piece. It is a play about grief and yet it presents itself as a farce. Our three characters are full of these opposites.The set emphasizes these opposites, the furniture moves from one side of the stage to the other, the door moves as well, so at one point everything in the room ends up on opposite sides.
There is the light onstage that the actors perform in and the dark of the theatre that surrounds it, a dark the characters use at the end of the play.

Te Pō draws on a range of theatrical styles to create a unique view of the world – it relies on strong visual imagery and original use of language. Beautifully written and acted by Carl Bland with George Henare and Andrew Grainger, this metaphysical comedy, punctuated by Māori showband songs is about love outlasting death, waiting in the dark for you to find her again.

From the same out-of-the-box team that produced the award-winning 360 – a theatre of recollections, including director Ben Crowder and sound designer John Gibson, joined by no-holds-barred set designer Andrew Foster, Te Pō leaves no theatrical stone unturned.

Years 11-13
To book for schools click HERE
EXTRAS FOR TEACHERS
Cast and Crew
Background
Concert Radio interview with Carl Bland

Co-produced by Auckland Arts Festival, New Zealand Festival, Theatre Stampede and Nightsong Productions.
Developed with the assistance of Auckland Theatre Company, Auckland, New Zealand.
Production animals designed, created and sponsored by Main Reactor