May 07, 2024
Identity play gets book festival outing
Actor and playwright Isaac Martyn says every time he performs his play He Māori? he feels vulnerable.
Martin takes to the stage at the Herald Theatre next week as part of the Auckland Writers Festival.
He Māori? has enjoyed sold out seasons in Poneke and West Auckland’s Te Pou Theatre.
The play explores the complicated nature of identity formation using elements of stand-up comedy, waiata and theatrical performance.
He’s found it resonates with many people like himself with a mixed Maori and Pakeha heritage.
“It was something I always had in my head like all these ideas like am I Māori enough? Do I look Māori enough? Do I sound Māori enough, yada yada, and I put it all on a page in some kind of word vomit and then crafted it into something a little more crafted,” Martyn says.
He Māori? is at the Herald Theatre in the Aotea Centre at noon on May 18.