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Artist Spotlight - Mā
2024 Wellington Jazz Festival Commissioned Artist MĀ (Maarire Brunning-Kouka) has just released her sophomore album Blame it on the Weather.
From her debut album Breakfast with Hades, a self-produced solo project created from her bedroom, Blame it on the Weather marks an artistic shift - a move outwards, crafting a sound shaped by community and a desire to make music that reflects the now.
We sat down and had a chat with her to discuss the magic behind the music.
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Tea with Sameena Zehra
Sameena Zehra is a comedian, storyteller, actor, writer, director and blues singer/songwriter. She has performed her solo shows all over the world, including Edinburgh Fringe, Nordic Fringes, Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Brighton Fringe, Adelaide Fringe and New Zealand Fringe, where she was nominated for 'Best In Fringe' 2016, and won 'Outstanding Performer' in 2017. Before moving to New Zealand in 2019, Sameena lived and worked in the UK where she performed at the National Theatre and toured internationally with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Her new show Homicidal Pacifist - Dust Off Your Guillotines will premiere in the 2025 New Zealand International Comedy Festival 21-25 May. Sameena invited me over for a cup of tea, a chat about her work and most importantly, to meet her beautiful, friendly new cat.
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1986 - The First Festival
In 2026, we will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Festival, marking four decades of unforgettable experiences that have invigorated our city and our lives. Since 1986, the Festival has brought over 22,000 artists to the stage and has been experienced by more than 6.2 million people.
Over the next few months, we’ll be reflecting on the extraordinary moments, artists, and individuals who’ve shaped the Festival’s journey. -
Inside new dance work 'Mythosoma'
Debuting this May at the YIRRAMBOI Festival in Naarm/Melbourne, ARTicle Editor Hannah Flacks sat down with artistic duo Kelly Nash and Nancy Wijohn from Body Island NZ, to discuss their new work co-commissioned by the Aotearoa NZ Festival of the Arts.
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Meet Tāwhiri's Festival Co-Directors
Dolina Wehipeihana (Ngāti Tukorehe, Ngāti Raukawa) and Tama Waipara MNZM (Ruapani, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou) have been working side-by-side as the Festival Co-Directors since June last year. While they are deep into developing the programmes for the 2025 Wellington Jazz Festival and 2026 Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts we thought it was the perfect time to discover more about what makes them tick. We put the infamous Proust Questionnaire to them to reveal gems about their personality, tastes and aspirations.
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Meet the Makers: Lucy Marinkovich and Lucien Johnson
Lucy Marinkovich and Lucien Johnson have collaborated on numerous projects, including Strasbourg 1518 which was commissioned by and premiered at the 2020 New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Their latest work, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes will be performed at Te Auaha 6-8 March as part of the 2025 Fringe Festival.
I caught Lucy and Lucien during their production week in Dunedin to chat about the show before it makes its way to Wellington.
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Jazz @ Fringe
It’s always an exciting time when our friends at the New Zealand Fringe Festival bring artists across multiple disciplines into the spotlight to showcase new ideas and works in development. This year, a number of familiar #WellJazzFest faces are taking the stage with new and evolved projects, bringing a mix of genres, storytelling, and experimentation to the stage.
Here are a few shows you might enjoy from the extensive Fringe programme. -
Interview with Jenny Pattrick
Jenny Pattrick is well known for her historical fiction novels, all ten of which have been bestsellers in New Zealand. The 88-year-old author has turned her pen to playwriting with her first full-length play, Hope, opening at Circa on 25 January. Brought to the stage by the creative team behind Prima Facie, Hope is set in the very near future and delves into profound ethical questions about life, death and the morality of fighting for those we love.
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2024 End of Year Wrap Up
As 2024 comes to a close, we've been reflecting on the year that's rapidly disappearing behind us. And what a year it has been!
We asked some of our staff to tell us about the year that's been, what's surprised them, what's inspired them and what they've loved most about 2024 at Tāwhiri.
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