An intriguing title, Out the Gate, especially above the image of a heavily hapū kōpū / pregnant belly, adorned with tā moko. The hands that hold it – embrace it? – suggest male and female: mother and father. Ideal. But the legend below the image reads: Theatre marae kōrero about the broken promise.

As a kīwaha (colloquialism), ‘out the gate’ means at or from the very beginning; from the outset; immediately upon starting (Wiktionary). As slang, it refers to the behaviour of someone who does what they want with no thought of later consequences (Urban Dictionary).

Both meanings apply to Te Rākau Theatre’s Out the Gate, written by Helen Pearse-Otene, directed by Jim Moriarty and produced by Lisa Maule.

Out of the Pātaka Art + Museum foyer and into the in-the-round space, we find it full of excited children exuding innocence and delightfully inquisitive potential, in the bodies of 16 adult actors: Piripi Awatere (Kaa), Jimole Cremin, Jesse Duckworth, Ari Hayvice, Rylee Herewini, Dylan Fa’atui, Ace Goff, Mycah Keall, Kawa Koliavu, Saulo Kolio, Angie Meikljohn, Hariata Moriarty, Tamati Moriarty, Erena Page, Brooke Wharehinga, Paige Wilson. Green skirts, tops or capes are worn over black shorts and singlets (Kaihoahoa Kākahu / Costume Designer: Cara Louise Waretini).  

The lighting towers at each corner are labelled Tokerau, Rawhiti, Tonga, Uru: North, East, South, West. Kaihoahoa Tūrama / Lighting Designer, Janis CY Cheng, is at her station behind a row of seats, as is Ringa Whakahaere Kaitito / Sound Technician, Ryan Holtham, ready to implement Reon Bell’s Kaitito Puhoro / Sound Design. Ringa Pūoro / Musician, Rameka Tamaki, is also standing by with his guitar. (Click ‘Production Details’ above for the full list of credits).

The vibrant space that welcomes us morphs into a gentle, loving one as now adult couples dance, in anticipation of new life to come … The Promise all tamariki deserve is expressed: love, a warm dry home, a good night’s sleep, good food in their puku …

The shattering transition to ‘Promise Broken’ is sudden and shocking. Snapshot actions denote adults fighting, children locked in their rooms, unwelcome visits, insidious abuse – examples of adult behaviour that are teaching children how to be in this world.  

Now they’re at school with Mr Mansfield. It’s Careers Day and warps are appearing in the world views of the tamariki. A father turns out to have fathered other children a son didn’t know about. The boy only finds loyalty in his dog. A daughter seeks peace of mind in ballet as she speaks of stepfather abuse and her mother believing him not her. The boy she can trust is gay.  

A ‘rich’ girl has good food. Another has ‘skin privilege’. Boys claim territory in the playground. Vapes are currency. A would-be peacemaker gets blamed for fighting. Home life is wrecked by drug addiction.

The programme subtitles the sequences above, ‘The Hurt That Sticks. Soul wounds from childhood.’ Whakawātea / clearing comes with ‘Ko te Hari’: “a lullaby to a child about their ancestry, potential and wishing them nurturing, peace and protection.” And so to the next Sequence: “What I did to survive. The drivers for imprisonment. One night with the rangatahi.”

Shoplifting is justified because “the coloniser put the shop on Māori land”. The ‘rich’ girl works there and has to deal with it. Her mum’s credit card gets her back in favour. A fight breaks out. Girls find ‘independence’ by being ‘On the Game’. Back stories emerge … A passed-out mother, her deviant boyfriend, how money is earned …

Drug dealers make demands. How can you break out of the toxic cycle when you’re in the red? Suddenly a ramraid looks like an answer, fuelling the wherewithal to party party …!!

All this is plays out with extraordinary clarity, without props or costume changes, by actors adept at flipping their whole way-of-being in an instant – from loving to angry; confident to lost; happy to fearful … – as they transform the spaces in our imaginations: a supermarket, a wharepaku without toilet paper, a car in motion, the ramraid smash … The party is wondrously captured (Kaitito Nekehanga / Choreographer, Tānemahuta Gray).

Then bang: ‘The Takedown.’ The commands, slams and clanks of incarceration. Poignant insights: “Old school friends I haven’t seen for years.” Tragic revelations: “Mum doing life for killing the pervert that raped her little girl.” A waiata and dance – ‘Downward Spiral’ – hold the space for us to sense the loss of everything.

Prison yard culture: a cauldron for the outcomes of generational abuse. A hint that this, at least, is ‘home’ vies with, “Anything to not come back.” But the persistent pain and the desire for retribution are not easily dismissed. May they – may we – hope …? A Dance of Reconciliation “with the inner child” suggests resolution is possible.  

As pakeke / mature adults, they reunite to honour the ageing Mr Mansfield, for allowing them to be seen and heard back when they didn’t realise how special that was. He shares a thought: “You are so much more than your biggest mistake – and mine.” Each pakeke reveals how they’ve moved on and what they are up to now. The closing waiata, ‘I Te Timatanga’, celebrates the strength to be found in reconnecting to culture and whakapapa.

It is astonishing how much human experience has been so vividly conjured into being through Te Rākau’s creative sleight of theatre. There are stories enough for a four-part miniseries yet the experience of sharing the space in their marae theatre format could not be replicated in a recorded, arms-length production. As we travel together on this emotional rollercoaster, we know it is safe because we are breathing the same air; he waka eke noa.

Out the Gate is steeped in authenticity, gained from four years of research and script development then four weeks of production development, enriched by some in the cast bringing their lived experience to it. Almost everyone stays for the optional post-show kōrero, and I can do no better than summarise some of what was said:

So many thoughts, feelings and questions to process: who is responsible and accountable for developing and unleashing this potential?

Seeds get planted one way or another … Who is to say who is to blame?

The general public doesn’t know what goes on behind closed doors.

This shines a light on something that is fundamental to us as a country.

So much respect, care and love has gone into creating and performing the work – has it contributed to your own healing?
Yes. Not only for us. It has given us the strength to bring others into the whānau.

This play – like other Te Rākau Theatre productions – has taught me not to be ashamed.

You made me cry, I thought I was tough … You made me confront my childhood, it was reality – and I thank you!

This needs to be done on a much bigger scale. There are so many people who need to see this.

You’ve taught us we can’t keep quiet anymore. You are my witness that I must take a stand. How can I honour your truth? You have taught me a strategy of healing.

Healing takes place within the creative field.

Thank you for the therapeutic nature of this. It was a good buzz.

It was done so well – with no props. And that beautiful guitar!

It really opened my eyes. I’ve never seen it … Thank you for showing me what the signs are. And how I might approach it.

I look back at how I treated my son – as I was treated … Why does it take so long to get it?

Speaking from a position of white privilege, I see it is my responsibility to hear your stories. The line that resonates for me is, “You are so much more than your biggest mistake – and mine.”

Kaiwhakahaere Papamahi / Stage Manager, Regan Taylor, offers a thought in closing: “Plants have a hard time growing in a thunderstorm. They need gentle rain.”

As we mix and mingle I feel, once more, a profound respect for the way Helen Pearse-Otene, Jim Moriarty and their Te Rākau whānau create theatre that genuinely makes a difference. Feeling seen and heard is a crucial step on the path to healing – and the selfless way this skilled ensemble manifest reality is a gift to a world that needs such empathy more than ever.

Pātaka Art + Museum, Porirua (premiere) – Wed 29 Oct, 7.00pm
Māoriland, Ōtaki – Fri 31 Oct, 7.00pm
Orongomai Marae, Upper Hutt – Sat 1 Nov, 7.00pm
Wainuiomata Marae – Sun 9 Nov, 1.30 pm & 7.00pm
Massey University, Mt Cook, Wellington – Wed 12 Nov – Sat 15 Nov, 7.00pm

Booking: https://www.terakau.org/out-the-gate

Recent Te Rākau productions: Unreel; The Swing.

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