Paniora!

Co-produced with the New Zealand Festival and presented in association with Õkāreka Dance Company.

A thousand whānau secrets are woven into fate as an East Coast hapu fights to preserve its unique heritage. The Paniora have Spanish blood coursing through their veins. Prosperous, passionate and proud, the Hotai-Martinez family lives in an elegant homestead where they speak Spanish, eat tapas and dance the flamenco. Yet, beneath their fervent pride, they have demons to face; the one thing that can bring the Paniora - their "casta" or spirit - together is the thing that's driving them apart.

Briar Grace-Smith is an award-winning writer of theatre, film and short fiction and is of Ngāpuhi descent. Her plays have won wide acclaim both nationally and on international tours and her first screenplay, The Strength of Water, was selected for screening at Rotterdam and Berlin film festivals.

Arts Foundation Laureate, Briar Grace-Smith is undoubtedly one of New Zealand's most exciting playwrights. Her work is at once contemporary and deeply bedded in Maori mythology. In Paniora!, Briar works Spanish and the culture of the bullfight intothe mix. A potent blend of dance, drama, magic realism and soul-stirring music, Paniora! features leading Māori actors, Tai Royal and dancers from Õkāreka Dance Company.