Wild Dogs Under My Skirt - Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival

Through her vivid, compelling and at times hilarious characters, Avia paints a deeply personal view of Pacific Island life and its sometimes uneasy collisions with the Kiwi way. Heart-stopping and unmissable theatre.

Samoan New Zealander Tusiata Avia’s poetry becomes a fearless and enchanting piece of theatre under the direction of Anapela Polata’ivao and a cast of six powerful Pasefika actresses.

Breathing provocative new life into Avia’s examination and celebration of what it is to be a Samoan woman, Polata’ivao’s direction adds “extra levels of nuance, power and dramatic sophistication” which earned her Best Director in the 2016 Auckland Theatre Awards and also Best Production in the 2018 Wellington Theatre Awards as well as a Best Actress gong.

“One of the best pieces of theatre I’ve seen in many years” - Albert Wendt

Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival
Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival is the Gisborne region’s new flagship contemporary arts and cultural event, taking place, for the first time, from 4-20 October this year. Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival will deliver performance events by hundreds of performers from across New Zealand and the Pacific.

The festival celebrates what it means to be of Tairāwhiti and of Aotearoa. It reflects and celebrates the people of the Gisborne region and the East Coast. It reinforces the importance of people and place, and further affirms the region’s strong position in the creative landscape of Aotearoa.

For the full programme and ticketing information, please visit www.tetairawhitiartsfestival.nz.