The Iliad

We have 23 talented emerging performers in this new dramatic work, which will take place at Te Pou Theatre in New Lynn April 12-14, and The Pumphouse Coal Bunker in Takapuna April 19-28, with shows for schools in Auckland and other centres.

Our retelling of Homer's Iliad visually updates the setting to commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. It explores the timeless horror of war through the characters of the ancient Greek epic and waiata performed by an all-female chorus of singers.

A decision to make...

Achilles has a decision to make: live peacefully, or die in battle and be remembered forever.

The choice becomes harder when Agamemnon, the High King of Greece, publicly dishonours Achilles. Achilles withdraws from the fighting, but when his friend Patroclus dies in battle, his need for revenge drives him back in to the war, even though he knows it will mean his death.

An exciting new adaptation...

This Iliad script is an exciting new adaptation that marries old language with new, the comedic with the tragic, realism with expressionism. It has been adapted by award winning playwright and director Claire Ahuriri-Dunning, who is co-directing with her husband and editor James Dunning.

We have decided to set the play in WW1 not only to commemorate the centenary, but to honour the common Kiwi soldier in that war, and to show that the suffering and cost of war continue through the ages, from ancient wars, through to the modern day.

As the original Iliad is very male-heavy, we have given our female cast members the task of expressing the sorrow and suffering of the women through song. It is often forgotten in history that the civilian populations suffer great atrocities in wartime, and the stories of the women in Troy are heightened examples of this.

Big dreams!

Pearangi Creative is our collective name. Our beginnings are as amateur actors with big dreams, so this is our opening gambit to show that we've got what it takes to present a professional-level, polished performance.

We have support from Auckland Council's Creative Communities Scheme, the Devonport-Takapuna local board, and Police and Families Credit Union, but we need your help to get the best costumes, set and props we can, so we can bring you the high-quality performance we all dream of. Please help us get this exciting project up and running so we can show what we can do.

Check out our Facebook page and updates as we lead up to opening night. We'll keep you updated with snippets from rehearsals so you can see we're serious about bringing impactful new theatre to the stage.

Thanks for your support!