Audiences at Mercury Bay Area School were treated to a captivating blend of Māori mythology and futuristic science fiction during an impressive four-show run from 18 – 20 August. The production brought high energy, thought-provoking drama, and stellar student performances to the local stage telling the story of Māui Unmasked.
Set in the year 2050, the narrative imagines an overpopulated Earth where humanity prepares for a 40,000-year one-way journey into deep space. To preserve key history, an evaluation panel of androids -led by the formidable Lady Sarah, portrayed by Anahera Kingi (Rm 20) – summons legendary figures to decide which stories deserve a spot in the universal knowledge bank.
A cultural clash erupts when the legendary demigod Māui – played with bravado by Nash Martin – is brought forth to account for his life. Joined by his brothers Māui-taha (Ben Castle), Māui-roto (Jonah Samuels), Māui-pae (Wallace Roberts), and Māui-waho (Jake Leddy), alongside sister Hina (Amelia Jones), the cast vividly retold iconic legends: fishing up Te Ika-a-Māui, slowing the sun, finding fire from Mahuika (Summer Anderson), and confronting the goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-Po (Gia Choi).
Narrators, Muri-rangi-whenua (Sean Proctor) and Mahuika, guided the audience through Māui’s bold exploits. However, the sterile evaluation panel – featuring Lord Mortimer (Keylan Taogaga), Rupert (Junior Morgan-Joyce), Karen (Marli Jarvis), Andy01 (Parker Churches), and the human voice Nan (Davie Hutt)- abhorred Māui’s cavalier tricks and voted to erase his legacy entirely.
Yet, true to character, Māui leaves the audience with one final, unforgettable twist before the curtain falls.
Supported by standout performances from Olivia McGregor as Ruaki and Marley Anderson as Martha Mischief, the production highlighted the immense theatrical talent across MBAS classrooms. The fusion of traditional storytelling and speculative fiction left local audiences thoroughly entertained and inspired.
Behind the Scenes: A True Village Effort
Overseeing and directing the ambitious sci-fi epic was Freya Marra (Miss Marra). Miss Marra emphasized the immense collective effort required to bring the show to the stage: “Putting on a production like this is no small feat; it truly takes a village, and I could not be prouder of the incredible team who brought this vision to life.”
A show of this scale relied on dedicated contributions from across the school and wider community.
