CURATOR Grace Iwashita-Taylor 
DIRECTOR Fasitua Amosa
COMPANY UPU Collective

FEATURING: Mia Blake, Ana Corbett, Maiava Nathaniel Lees, Miriama McDowell, Shadon Meredith, Gaby Solomona and Jarod Rawiri

15 – 19 Jun 
$25 Preview – Tues 15 Jun
Circa One
Tues – Thurs 6.30pm, Fri – Sat 8pm
$25 – $45

Runtime: 70 min

The power of Māori & Pasifika literature roaring to theatrical life

“INSPIRING” – Theatreview 17 June 2021

The world of Oceania is not small. From the energetic volcanoes of O’ahu to the southern reaches of Aotearoa, she is borderless and vast – and growing bigger by the day. After decades of dismissal and disconnection, her children are closer than ever. It’s time for a reunion. UPU brings the wealth and power of Pacific literature to roaring theatrical life. Curated by award-winning poet Grace Iwashita-Taylor and led by powerhouse director Fasitua Amosa, UPU gives the stage to Oceania’s most electrifying poetry. Ben Brown, Karlo Mila, Albert Wendt and more: UPU is for the trailblazers, the icons and the new writers transforming Aotearoa today.

Following a knock-out Silo Theatre season at the Auckland Arts Festival last year, UPU joins the Kia Mau Festival 2021 with an all-star line-up of leading Māori and Pasifika performers, including Maiava Nathaniel Lees, reviving the words of our literary legends and bellowing out the proclamations and provocations of the next game-changing generation. Kia Mau Festival is proud to partner with the UPU Collective and the Wellington Premiere Season of UPU.

‘This show is pure oratory and storytelling at its finest’ — Theatrescenes (NZ)

‘A must-see’ — Tearaway (NZ)

UPU premiered at Auckland Arts Festival 2020 co-produced by Silo Theatre and Auckland Arts Festival.

UPU, Silo Theatre 2020. Image: Andi Crown