TU MEKE TŪĪ! Live On Stage Cancelled

Due to ongoing uncertainty around alert levels in Tāmaki Makaurau and across the motu, Auckland Live and Tour-Makers have made the difficult decision to cancel the Auckland season and tour of Tu Meke Tūī! Live On Stage this October. Sadly there will be no postponed dates for this tour at this time.

While Tu Meke Tūī! Live On Stage may not be able to go ahead as planned, the Tu Meke creative team are still charged to deliver a fun and interactive digital programme for whānau in the October school holidays. Join Malcolm Clarke, author of the iconic book series Tu Meke Tales, in partnership with PANNZ/Tourmakers, as he hosts a series of digital events that children and their whānau will be able to tune into from the comfort of home. Featuring special guests, trivia games, giveaways, readings and a waiata sessions, this programme will be something to celebrate, and be inspired by. Malcolm Clarke says, "I'm excited to create something entertaining and fun for our online community and it means everyone from around New Zealand can take part."

Presented by Tour-Makers and adapted for the stage by Malcolm Clarke, the delightful play for tamariki aged three to eight, which premiered at the Herald Theatre last year, was set to make a hotly demanded return to Auckland, before heading to Hastings, New Plymouth, Tauranga and Hamilton. The tour of Tu Meke Tūī! Live On Stage was to be presented in partnership with a consortium of North Island venues that share the vision of bringing high-quality New Zealand theatre to regional audiences.

Megan Peacock-Coyle, Manager of Toitoi venues in Hastings says "We are incredibly disappointed to no longer be able to bring Tu Meke Tūī! Live on Stage to regional Aotearoa. Our hearts go out to the creative team and everyone who has put so much time and energy into this production so far. We look forward to continuing to work with them to bring Tu Meke Tūī to our local audiences, in a different form, in the near future".

Tickets for Tu Meke Tūī! Live On Stage are no longer on sale. For ticket holders booked to attend upcoming performances at the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre in Auckland, Auckland Live and the company plan to announce rescheduled season dates and we invite you to hold on to your tickets pending our new season date announcement. If you have bought tickets for the show in Hamilton, New Plymouth, Hastings or Tauranga, you will be contacted by Ticketek.

Author Malcolm Clarke has said "Our aim with the stage show adaptation is to educate, inspire, and celebrate our unique place in the world through bi-lingual story, music, and physical theatre that celebrates our otherness and what truly binds us", a message which shines a bright light on our place here in Aotearoa, and the extraordinary efforts we are all making in order to keep ourselves and our whānau safe.

Details about the October School Holiday Digital Programme will be announced soon, to keep up to date visit the PANNZ website.