Every time I perform the play, I fall further and deeper into it. The internal rhythms, their own shapes begin to emerge, and I ride the wave of the story motion; it carries me, like a river flowing to its end, the ocean, the resolve, the spreading of peace.

The wonderful Arts On Tour producer Steve Thomas asked that we create an opportunity for discussion following the performance. The response has been quite shocking in that people have been very affected by a number of facets. Always questions about the origins of the story, so I am able to elucidate on all my reading and pay respects to the likes of Claudia Orange, Dame Anne Salmond, Trevor Bently, Ned Fletcher (and others)  Witi Ihimaera, and Patricia Grace. Such people, as academics and novelists, have provided such a rich resource. Then we get to the Treaty, and as I detail my own thoughts as to the Treaty being a wise and radical guide for us and the deep consideration that was undertaken in its development in the decade leading up to its signing, I sense the possibility of re-consideration. A woman asked me, “So you don’t think it was a deliberate attempt to cheat Māori and was never intended to work?” I say, “The 500 Maori who signed it were not stupid, the treaty is sound and valid, and sensible. The promotion of the two translations as a reason to disregard it is undertaken by people who will benefit from that disregard”. I find people to be receptive to these provocations. Frequently, people comment on the presence of te reo Maori in the play, and those who understand express their joy at being able to follow. A 12-year-old Maori boy told me, “I didn’t even have to translate it for myself, I just understood.” A very humble Pākehā couple proudly told me they study together and were up to level 5 at the local Wananga. To touch into their lives in such a way is certainly the business of theatre.

There are complimentary comments on my work and I learn from what they notice and speak of. The mask also requires explanation, as the last sequence, being so different from the rest of the play, causes people to alter perception and they ask what such a presence could mean. These discussions are so very satisfying and I feel a deep committment to a mission of theatre, that we move through entertainment to an uncovering of pertanent issues, both personal and political.

I sense a struggle out here, people seem backed into a corner. Venues apologise that audience numbers are so small and people tell us of the dwindling of resources and the dissapearance of musical and dramatic societies, and how hard it is to convince people that the live performance experience is worth leaving home for. We must fight to save our communities from the bedlam of global digital distraction and revive local culture and the spirit of creativity. We must teach healing through storytelling and the elevation of the spirit through communal innovation.

Kia kaha the arts!