Tecuani

The sacrifice is nigh. The Nemontemi ceremony approaches as Mētzili counts down the days, hours and minutes to her imminent death. A strange voice grows stronger, calling for her to escape into the wild and embark on a perilous journey across the treacherous jungle of Lakam Tum. Tecuani is a devised physical theatre show created during Emilio’s last year at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School working with dancers from NZSD to create a show that explores themes of community, corruption, self-discovery, indigineity, and latin-futurism as vehicles for re-imagining a future where indigenous languages are dominant. 

Surrealism is a crucial component in the way we tell this story and we are in utter awe of the team we have built together - a testament to the passion for this story:

Director  Emilio Mancilla - Emilio Mancilla was born and raised in Ciudad de México (Mexico City).  He made the move to Aotearoa at the age of 19, debuting on screen in the film Shut Eye (NZIFF, 2022). While studying acting at Toi Whakaari, Emilio has performed his solo at the Wharewaka function centre for the Festival of the Day of the Dead (2022), and acted in short film Prince (2023) opposite Beula Koahle. Emilio's latest screen projects include: A Remarkable Place to Die on TVNZ as well as Our Party (2025). He is currently working on the development of his new play Tecuani.

Directing Mentor Regan Taylor

Producer Waikamania Seve

Producing Mentor Taylor-Rose Terekia

Lighting Design  Elekis Poblete

Costume/Set Design Asha Barr

Identity Design Reuben Nicolas

Composer Tīhema Bennett

Costume Renske Gordon

Set & Props Murphy Cody

Production Manager Mitch Sigley

Stage Manager Allikins Arts

Storyboarder: Diego Huacuja

Operator: Abigail Fricker

This funding will mean we can provide professional standards to our Cast and crew. Our aim is that with your support we will provide a high quality work of theatre that can also support the people involved.

The money will go towards paying show-related costs such as: 

• Rehearsal spaces
• Venue fee
• Performer's fees
• Construction of costumes and props 

• Providing kai for our performers. 

  Our show is scheduled to show as part of Fringe Festival 2025 from 25-27th February 7:30 PM at Hannah Playhouse. We are reaching out to the generous art loving community to help bring this project to life.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, is hugely appreciated. Alux Theatre hopes that the audiences will connect with this story and deepen the understanding of indigenous cultures around the world.

*For every $300+ donation you will receive two complimentary tickets to any show date of Tecuani of your liking to be chosen before the 15/02/2025.

After a successful development season of Tecuani, Emilio has gathered his observations alongside his mentor. With these learnings, Emilio is prepared to polish and give the Wellington audience an authentic taste of his culture. 

Tecuani engages with mostly emerging artists, working with recent graduates of the New Zealand School of Dance as well as Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, to create a show that explores indigenous Latine storytelling and a surrealist performance that reminds us of the absurdity of life. Emilio's biggest question throughout the process is how to engage with the Wellington audience with a foreign story and hopes that specificity in universality will bring empathy and understanding of the human experience. 

Tecuani centres on the character, Mētztli and her brother, who have grown up in a small village in the middle of the jungle of Lakam Tum. Mētztli's journey travels from lack of experience to curiosity, disappointment, and eventually a reevaluation of one-self and a more grounded vision of her mission in her world, culminating on the ultimate decision of risking everything she's ever known.

The funds will be critical to showing how we can create work locally rather than going outside of Wellington to look for opportunities to live and work. Emilio says “I want to give a platform for those emerging artists to sustain their careers in this creative, special little city. I strongly believe that this funding is critical for Tecuani, as it can be an example for other young, emerging creatives that the arts can be a viable career path.”

Tecuani uses the character of Mētztli as a vehicle to examine the dangers of a single story as well as her venturing on a perilous journey of self-discovery and resistance. 

Looking at the world through Mētztli's eyes, this show aims to simply put a story on stage and for the audience to get their own meanings from it. Tecuani is an indigenous show, thus, it aims to tackle language barriers by having no language at all.

As Shaun Tan perfectly articulates: "There is no guidance as to how the images might be interpreted, and we must ourselves search for meaning and seek familiarity in a world where such things are either scarce or concealed. Words have a remarkable magnetic pull on our attention and how we interpret attendant images: in their absence, an image can often have more conceptual space around it and invite more lingering attention from a reader who might otherwise reach for the nearest convenient caption and let that rule their imagination."

These are themes we are very keen to explore as we believe it is of utmost importance for migrant voices to be heard and new stories to surface, giving a platform for those stories to strengthen our community and our arts sector, providing diversity and visibility.