March 07, 2018
Play offers hope for child abuse action
Playwright Hone Kouka hopes his new play will help people find ways to tackle child abuse.
Bless the Child starts with the death of a child and brings together three interlocking stories from three worlds.
Kouka says he was challenged to write the play by his mother, who died in 2015.
It opened in Wellington last week.
"The response from people has been, 'e hoa, I expected to come and see it and it is to be very very heavy,' and yes it is, it's intense but people have come out of it going 'I can see what you are trying to say. I can do something about this. The little bit I can do, can help to be there for us to help protect our tamariki,'" Mr Kouka says.
Bless the Child directed by Miria George opens at Q Theatre in Auckland tomorrow for a five day season as part of the Auckland Festival.
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