Tauranga’s Te Wharekura o Mauao head boy Tutakangahau Teepa has been named as one of 25 students around New Zealand to travel to London to perform Shakespeare on the famous Shakespeare Globe stage.
The Shakespeare Globe New Zealand Centre is sending the gifted kapa haka enthusiast.
This descendant of Tapu Ika and Ngāi Tūhoe wants to take te ao Māori into a Pākehā performing arts space and show the world that Māori can make it in Pākehā theatre.
He is following in the footsteps of great Māori actor Rawiri Paratene.
Teepa usually performs haka on stage but soon he will be in London performing Shakespearean plays. “I'm really excited because I never knew I would make the travelling cast, I am thankful. This is important for me that I go over there being Māori and to represent Māori and our world in London,” Teepa said.
Will Smith the inspiration
Teepa knew what he wanted to do from a young age.
“When I was a child I always wanted to be an actor. When I saw Will Smith walk the red carpet, that was my inspiration” he said.
He was successful at the Bay of Plenty Shakespeare competitions and advanced to Wellington with 50 other secondary students from around the country. After a week of training and final performance, he then made the cast to travel to London.
Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand chief executive Dawn Sanders said the actors spend the two weeks in London doing walks, talks, seminars, workshops, rehearsals as well as going to performances and performing on the Globe stage.
Kaiako Wiremu Mako from Rātana Pā, puts Teepa’s success down to his natural talents and abilities, the school’s values; whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, tūmanako, whakapono, me te mahi tahi. And a big advantage is his connection to kapahaka.
Fifth student on trip
Sanders also mentioned that Teepa and Te Wharekura o Mauao have done really well with students making the final cast to travel the world. Teepa will be the fifth student from Te Wharekura o Mauao in the Shakespeare Globe.
On his return from London Teepa will apply to study at an institute that will progress his performing arts skills so that one day he too will be on that red carpet in front of the whole world.
Shakespeare Globe Centre New Zealand is a life skill-enhancing organisation using the works of William Shakespeare. It interacts and collaborates with Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
SGCNZ was founded in 1991. By the end of its 28th year in 2019, 120 000 plus students had been involved in its festivals and associated activities.