Massive Theatre Company is one of Tāmaki’s longest running theatre companies – with more than three decades under its belt.
A long-held dream for Massive, who had a small office space for the core staff of five but rented various spaces for annual activities, was to have their very own space where they could rehearse, run their free theatre workshop programme, and gather with community members and like-minded people to share ideas – and kai. Thanks to funding from Manatū Taonga, that dream was realised last year with the company moving into new premises at 562 Richmond Road.
Massive was founded in 1991 by Artistic Director, Samantha Scott MNZM as the Maidment Youth Theatre Company. They create original physical theatre, working from the authentic personal stories of the creatives involved.
Although originally a youth theatre company, the evolution over the years has seen Massive become intergenerational, as those who joined in their teens wanted to continue creating with the company when they chose the performing arts as a career and worked professionally.
This includes the likes of Kura Forrester, Miriama McDowell, Bree Peters, Wesley Dowdell, Siene Leo’o (Bubbah) Olo, and many more familiar names and faces that regularly grace our stages and screens.
Still passionate about emerging artists and the energy and freshness they bring, Massive continues its free theatre devising workshop programmes for rangatahi, with many of the long-term company members working as teaching artists to run the programme.
Massive usually presents two shows each year – an emerging artist production that acts as a milestone in their development programmes, and a professional production with more established company members. This year both productions will be presented at Te Pou Theatre in Henderson.
I LOVE YOU G, running from 1 – 11 May, sees long-time Massive company members, Neil Amituanai (The Brave, Three Wise Cousins), Dominic Ona-Ariki (The Brave, One Lane Bridge, Double Parked) and Beulah Koale (The Brave, Hawaii Five-O, Next Goal Wins) co-directed by Scotty Cotter (The Brave, Mauri Tau, Shortland Street) and Artistic Director Sam Scott.
This show delves into the complexity of friendship, illustrating the constant navigation and negotiation involved in maintaining and evolving these bonds. It portrays the essence of showing up for each other, the resilience required to weather storms together, and the transformative journey towards forging friendships into brotherhood.
These three inspirational actors bring their real lives to the stage. Full of trademark cheek, grit and a whole lot of heart, I LOVE YOU G is a gutsy and at times uncomfortable love letter to brotherhood - a joyous invitation to “soften the f**k up.”
Premiering in July, Te Ao Hou sees five emerging Māori and Pasifika artists co-directed by Margaret-Mary Hollins and Hone Taukiri This show dares to imagine a world without boundaries and poses the question of who we could be if we free our imagination.
Registrations for Massive Theatre Company’s free theatre devising workshops and information about their upcoming shows are available at www.massivecompany.co.nz
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Published: March 2024