ration the Queen's veges with Tainui Tukiwaho

I started off by asking what audiences can expect from ration the Queen’s veges.

“It’s still fresh and it’s very political, so people who are politically driven will likely have thoughts pop up in their minds.  And it’s probably better to flip the way you might be imagining the approach to this show. A lot of things that could be considered serious or weighty in terms of kaupapa are treated with a light touch. Humour drives a lot of it, and that comes from letters and having conversations with Wehi and Brian [Wehi’s cellmate].  I mean, Brian’s still in prison and has no idea when he’ll get out, but every time I speak to the guy, he’s laughing.  He’s making jokes, having a good time.

“When we started approaching the script, it was a lot more serious than it is now, but after talking to this guy in prison, it’s clear humour is the tool he uses to keep going.  So, we’re using that as our guide.”

Given it’s a true story, based on people who are still living and guided by the subjects’ own voices, I asked about their writing process

“It definitely took me a while to get there,” Tainui told me.  “I had a whole lot of concerns which I took to my co-creator, Amber – we’ve been making things together for years – because we’re dealing with people who are still living, and I wanted to represent them in a certain way.  We managed to get around that and there are three distinct voices.  One of them is mine, my opinions.  One is from the conversations we’ve had, but also from a book that was published.  I took whole chunks from the book because the writing was so good.

“Then something really interesting happened when I spoke to Brian.  He’d written a script in prison, and he asked me to read it.  It was about 15 minutes long and just him talking.  I thought it was hilarious, and a lot of the rants in the show are his words, verbatim.  The funny thing is, the few people who have complained have said that people who sound crazy in theatre never ring true, but those are the bits Brian wrote about himself, his own voice and perspective… all I did was edit it down because it was too long for the show.  And the feedback was that it didn’t sound true!

“It was interesting because he can be quite manic when you’re talking to him on the phone and the writing sounds just the way he sounds on the phone, it’s the truest part of the whole thing.”

The fact the play is being performed at Circa, next door to Te Papa where the actual events occurred, seems apt.  I asked Tainui if the location felt significant.

“It’s pretty exciting. Not to mention ironic that we’re telling this story in Wellington, a place Wehi’s prohibited from going back to - and he’s definitely not allowed in Te Papa. The story really resonated up here in Auckland, but it’s exciting to be close to where it happened. I think the energy in the room will be different.”

With this idea of different energy in mind, I asked Tainui how this work differs from other things he’s made.

“What’s really different is how quickly we activated to make this show.  We wrote, workshopped and funded it in a year… to deliver a high-quality show in that timeframe is unusual.

“I was told the story the year before, and the advantage we have at Te Pou [Theatre Company] is a supportive board and they agreed that we needed to make this show while it was relevant, so Amber and I just got to it.  I think the whole thing was 14 months.  And to be honest, we didn’t have an ending for the show until opening night.  We were still trying to figure it out as the audience were waiting in the foyer.  Amber came in, we had a chat and she suggested an ending.  It was a good one, so I asked the actor, who luckily is crazy talented, to try it out, and he said yes, and it landed.”

The idea of relevancy, particularly in this charged political climate, interested me so I asked Tainui if he thinks the show has become more relevant in the time they’ve been working on it.

“I think there’s so much political noise at the moment it’s hard to tell. There’s a danger in that because it’s so distracting. One of the things that’s different about this work is that one of the unofficial pou we set in place was that any kind of political discussion had to be something you couldn’t find on social media.  We wanted to be sure not to mimic anything people could switch their phones onto.”

I asked Tainui what’s unique for him about being an artist in Aotearoa.

“As a Māori, I feel lucky.  I’ve been privileged enough to travel to other countries and to work with other indigenous cultures and our voice feels more respected than other voices around the world, and that makes me feel optimistic.  At the moment there feels like there’s interest in our voice and there hasn’t always been in the 20 years or so that I’ve been making stuff.”

With time running out, I asked Tainui about what’s coming up next.

“I’m enjoying learning new things.  There’s a theatre show I wrote with my kids, Hemi’s Home, and we’re going through the process of developing that into a feature film.  And the last show I had at Circa, The Sun and the Wind, is being developed for screen too.  Amber and I are just going through the programming for the next year at Te Pou and it’s exciting to get together to figure out art for the future.

“There’s one show that’s going to happen, we don’t know exactly how, but it will.  It’s called Wet and it’s by Tui Matelau who was an Adam Play Award winner this year. It’s an exciting show because it’s a story I haven’t seen on stage before.  It’s about a Pacific woman in her 40s who has sexual fantasies and starts writing them down and making money writing erotic novels.  It’s an exciting story and gives Amber a chance to direct.  It’s going to be a great show.”

ration the Queen’s veges is at Circa Theatre 15 August – 13 September.  You can purchase tickets here.

-by Kate Larkindale