Stratford Press | 14 July 2022
A Hāwera High School graduate is taking to the stage to address difficult subjects such as family violence and suicide as part of a Māori theatre production this July.
Jewel Te Wiki, 18, will perform in Te Rākau Theatre's presentation of The Swing in Wellington at the end of the month.
The Swing weaves the ancestral pūrakau of Hinetītama and Tānemahuta into the contemporary portrayal of a whānau struggling to recover from the shadow of ngau whiore (sexual abuse) and whakamomori (suicide).
While the play deals with some heavier subject matters, Jewel says the themes are relevant to rangatahi in New Zealand.
"It's important that rangatahi and their whānau are aware of the issues we talk about in the play, because they are more common than we think," says Jewel.
"It's natural to want to escape those feelings, but burying it all is super-unhealthy. Having support to talk through uncomfortable topics is important."
Read more on the NZ Herald website.