The eagerly awaited premieres of four New Zealand works at the New Zealand International Arts Festival will give Festival audiences the opportunity to see the finest of our actors, directors, designers, musicians and writers in action.

Trial of the Cannibal Dog

Commemorating the dramatic twists and turns of New Zealand history, the Festival has commissioned a contemporary operatic retelling of Dame Anne Salmond's Montana Award-winning The Trial of the Cannibal Dog. Salmond's book details the remarkable story of Captain Cook's voyages and is underpinned by a rich social account of the cultural collision between the 18th-century explorers and the indigenous people of the South Pacific.

Director Christian Penny, composer Matthew Suttor and librettist John Downie are joined by an intriguing mix of operatic and non-operatic voices. Australian born bass-baritone Andrew Collis and multi-talented singer Janet Roddick play James and Elizabeth Cook, 2007 Lexus' Song Quest winner Phillip Rhodes is the Chief and renowned soprano Deborah Wai Kapohe will play the Queen. Chorus members are Mere Boynton, Teina Moetara, Nigel Collins, Nick Dunbar, Brendan Casey and Hadleigh Adams. This production promises to be a vibrant and exciting experience for all involved.

Te Karakia

Downstage Theatre plays host to a couple of New Zealand International Arts Festival co-productions written by two of our countries outstanding young playwrights. The first of these, presented by Taki Rua Productions (celebrating their 25th anniversary), is Te Karakia, written by multi-award winning playwright Albert Belz and directed by David O'Donnell.

Te Karakia is a bi-cultural love story set over nearly two decades of New Zealand history. As children, Matthew (Tim Foley) and Ranea (Miriama McDowell) meet each day at a rural bus-stop, but a burgeoning romance in their teen years is cut short when Matt is unjustly cast out by his fundamentalist family. With past secrets apparently dead and buried along with Matt's stern grandmother, they meet again against the backdrop of the 1981 Springbok tour protests. Cut off from his family, Matt has gained security from his job in the police force, where he quickly rises to the top ranks of the Red Squad.

Where We Once Belonged

The second co-commission, which comes from the Auckland Theatre Company, is Where We Once Belonged, skilfully adapted by Dave Armstrong from Sia Figiel's award-winning novel. Dave is one of New Zealand's most prolific and popular playwrights; his hit comedy Niu Sila, co-written with Oscar Kightley, played to sold out seasons and won a Chapman Tripp Award for Best New Play in 2005; The Tutor was a hit in 2006, and King and Country successfully toured all round New Zealand. For television, Dave co-created and co-wrote the comedy series Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby and wrote for the satirical series Spin Doctors.

Where We Once Belonged is an unflinchingly honest, poetic and often wildly funny coming-of-age story set against the back-drop of 1970s Samoa, a society on the cusp of change. Alofa, Lili and Moa are typical teenage girls. They tease the local boys, misbehave at school and worship Charlie's Angels. But there is a darker side to Alofa's life. As Alofa navigates the mores and restrictions of village life, she begins to come to terms with her own changing identity and the price she must pay for it.

Celebrated artist Michel Tuffery and actor/director David Fane join Arts Foundation of New Zealand laureate artist Colin McColl and Tony Rabbit to evoke mythic and contemporary Samoa with breathtaking theatricality. Cast members include Goretti Chadwick, Robbie Magasiva, Pua Magasive, Anapela Polataivao and Joy Vaele.

The Dentist's Chair

Also commissioned by the Festival is The Dentist's Chair the first production in five years from renowned theatre company Indian Ink Theatre.

This brilliant new work stars Jacob Rajan as Albert Southwick, a dentist with a gift for easing others' pain – but not his own. Albert's long-neglected passions are inflamed by a delicate operation on a young woman. In the process of straightening her teeth will Albert straighten out his own life? To complicate matters Albert is haunted by the ghost of William Kemmler - the first man to be executed in the electric chair, who is encouraging him to make a rather personal extraction.

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Article by Ruth Graham

Image: Where We Once Belonged