THE SWING by Helen Pearse-Otene

A powerful story of a whānau recovering from the shadow of ngau whiore and whakamomori, told with wairua, grace, healing and power

An enduring shame, seemingly unshiftable. Lashed, locked, encased in every cell.

Te Rākau Theatre presents a powerful retelling of the ancestral pūrākau of Tānemahuta, atua of light and Hinetītama, daughter of dawn. Experience the story through our unforgettable Theatre Marae method.

The Swing portrays a whānau struggling to recover from the shadow of ngau whiore and whakamomori – sexual abuse and suicide. This season is presented at Te Whaea, the home of performance excellence in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Audiences have told us The Swing is “engaging at every level,” “life-changing,” and “filled with wairua, power, grace, healing and truth.”

Director Jim Moriarty and writer Helen Pearse-Otene have worked with families impacted by trauma for more than 20 years. This work is the creative outcome of their community kaupapa Māori research project, which focused on ngau whiore and whakamomori and was hosted by Kōkiri Marae and Massey University.

Join the cast of health professionals, theatre practitioners and community members including Hariata Moriarty (Cousins, Beyond The Veil), Angie Meiklejohn (The Three Sisters, Angie), Jeremy Davis (Ngā Uri Taniwha, Ngāti Whakaue, Hinepau) and Kimberley Skipper (Ngā Uri Taniwha, Hinepau).

Content warning: this production includes references to sexual violence, incest and suicide. Coarse language is used.

The Swing has an 80-minute runtime. Audiences are invited to join an optional facilitated kōrero after the play, where they can share reflections about the play and its themes with the company. All audiences must wear face masks.