UPDATE 3 FEB 2022:

The live performing arts programme for Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts has been cancelled – this includes Pakaru, A Movement of Story, Whare Kōrero, and Pōhutu at Circa Theatre.

All ticket holders will be contacted by TicketMaster via email.

Keep an eye on the Festival website and social media for their revised programme which retains free, whānau-friendly outdoor art and visual arts exhibitions in the Wellington region and includes a series of digital content and recordings that can be accessed anywhere.

Next door at Te Papa, Lisa Reihana’s free video exhibition in Pursuit of Venus [infected] and Hackman’s Destination Mars opened in 2021 continue to run.

Pakaru

Mum is looking for love, while the kids are hustling for cash… welcome to Pakaru. Winner of the Adam New Zealand Play Award, Pakaru is a contemporary drama.

‘A riveting, powerful and intensely moving experience’ — Theatreview

Written & Directed by Mitch Tawhi Thomas
Presented by Hāpai Productions
EVENT CANCELLED – due to the RED light setting, unfortunately this event is cancelled. For more information on refunds, click here.

Audience care: Contains strong language, sexual references, references to pornography and drug use. Suitable for ages 16+.

A Movement of Story | Pūrākau Reo Rotarota

Six extraordinary performers share true stories in New Zealand Sign Language in an evening that celebrates our third official language.

Curated & Hosted by Jared Flitcroft
EVENT CANCELLED – due to the RED light setting, unfortunately this event is cancelled. For more information on refunds, click here.

Whare Kōrero: Stories Within Stories

Intimate, poignant and at times hilarious, Whare Kōrero brings together theatre performances that amplify and explore the complexities of Aotearoa’s diverse voices and lived experiences.

Written by & Starring Kristyl Neho & Eru Heke
Directed by Puti Lancaster
EVENT CANCELLED – due to the RED light setting, unfortunately this event is cancelled. For more information on refunds, click here.

Pōhutu

Pōhutu is a high-impact dance performance and ode to the human experience that navigates time, memory, place, and loss.

‘Pōhutu is a masterfully crafted performance, a koha not just for Bianca Hyslop’s own whānau, her own grandmother, but one for all audiences who bear witness to it’ – Pantograph Punch

Created by Bianca Hyslop & Rowan Pierce
Performed by Bianca Hyslop & Nancy Wijohn
Mātanga Mātauranga Māori: Tūī Matira Ranapiri-Ransfield
EVENT CANCELLED – due to the RED light setting, unfortunately this event is cancelled. For more information on refunds, click here.

Audience care: Partial nudity/strobe lighting/significant haze/loud sounds. Suitable for ages 10+.