Menu
This is a Te Pou/Massive Theatre Company collaboration as part of Whakapuāwai Programme.
This free two day workshop offers theatre training for young people aged 14-25 years. Suitable for all levels of experience, it’s led by two professional teaching artists from the Massive teaching team. You will learn a wide range of theatre foundation skills and techniques, and explore different ways of making theatre pieces using your own ideas and stories. The workshop runs from 10am to 4pm each day.
TEACHING ARTISTS: Denyse Su’a and Manunui Rainey
Denyse Su’a is an educator, creative practitioner and ‘maker of things’. Denyce has been a member of Massive Theatre Company since 2012, and has trained as an actor, director and teaching artist with the company. She performed in The Wholehearted (2016-2017) and The Island, which toured to the National Theatre of Scotland Youth Exchange Programme in 2016. She loves collaborative spaces where ideas can be let loose, and magic can be found. Theatre’s the perfect space for all that goodness to happen.
Manunui Rainey is an actor hailing from a little town called Tūrangi. He graduated from Unitec in 2023 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Performing and Screen Arts. Manu joined Massive at the start of 2023 through a Foundations workshop, and has been a member of Massive Nui Ensemble ever since. He recently performed in Massive’s 2024 production of Te Ao Hou, and is taking part in Massive’s Directors Lab 2024.
Āhea | When: Weds 1 & Thurs 2 Oct, 2025
Roanga | Duration: 10am-4pm
Kei hea | Where: Te Pou Theatre, 2 Mt Lebanon Lane
Utu | Cost: Free
Miriama (Ngāti Hine and Ngāpuhi) is a graduate of Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School and has been an actor for over 20 years. She recently played Younger Whina Cooper in the feature film Whina, and won the Best Actress Award at the NZ Television Awards in 2020 for her role in Head High. She is a theatre and television director, and has extensive experience in working with physical theatre and devising with Massive Theatre Company. She has also trained at Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Clown and Le Jeu. Miriama has been a board member of Equity New Zealand since 2018 and is a founding member of Intimacy Coordinators Aotearoa.
Equity New Zealand is a community of performers working together to build a vibrant, thriving, diverse industry that operates with creativity and professionalism.
Equity is the largest creative union in NZ, advocating for individual and collective workers rights and improving working conditions and pay for performers. The union works with the Equity Foundation to provide its members with a free professional development program, offering workshops that go to the heart of performers’ needs – skills development, community building, international training opportunities and much more. Equity New Zealand champions wellness, equality and inclusion industry-wide.
The Whakapuāwai Programme at Te Pou Theatre is an annual programme offering opportunities for development and connection for the Māori performing arts community. Check out the other opportunities below!
Kua roa koe e ako ana i te reo Māori? Kua oti katoa rānei i a koe ngā akoranga reo Māori i Te Wānanga o Aotearoa? Tēnā haramai ki te Whare Whakaari o Te Pou ki te wānanga, ki te kata, ki te inu kawhe, tī rānei. Haramai kia tangatanga anō tō arero māori.
Intimacy Coordination is about cultivating a safe and professional environment for the crafting of intimate content on screen and stage. This workshop will provide participants with valuable tools and language that will add to your kete & professional practice.
Nau mai ki Āperira Waiata Sessions! This an opportunity to come together, whakawhanuanga and just sing. Each session, the group learn a new waiata and hokimahara to previous ones. These are relaxed, drop-in style sessions so nau mai, haere mai!
Bringing back our popular Te Pou Awe acting workshops for 2024, we are inviting whānau Māori of the industry to come along and have a play with some acting. Facilitated by Tainui Tukiwaho, covering the many facets of acting and what makes Māori Theatre.
We are grateful to have various organizations, businesses and people supporting many different aspects of Te Pou. We couldn’t achieve what we have without their support. Our Whakapuāwai Programme is sponsored by the following:
