Soho Playhouse Will Kick-off The New Year With Three Award-Winning Productions From New Zealand

The Soho Playhouse (Darren Lee Cole, producing artistic director) will kick-off the New Year with a trio of powerful productions from New Zealand, WILD DOGS UNDER MY SKIRT, THE MODERN MĀORI QUARTET: TWO WORLDS and CONTOURS OF HEAVEN beginning January 4 - 18, 2020. Individual tickets are $39 and can be purchased by visiting FringeEncoreSeries.com .

WILD DOGS UNDER MY SKIRT, written by Tusiata Avia, directed by Anapela Polata'ivao

Breathing provocative new life into the play's examination and celebration of what it is to be a Samoan woman, Anapela Polata'ivao's commanding direction, introduces nuance, power and dramatic sophistication into Tusiata Avia's deeply personal view of Pacific Island life and its sometimes-uneasy collisions with New Zealand.

Heart-stopping and unmissable theatre. From what began as a vivacious collection of poetry revolving identity and Samoan culture from Avia, transformed into an award-winning one-woman show that has toured worldwide educating and representing the Samoan Experience, now becomes an award-winning phenomenon through ensemble storytelling of six strong, Pacific Island (Pasefika) women.

Performance Schedule: Fri, January 4 at 7:00: PM, Sat, January 5 at 7:00: PM, Sun, January 6 at 7:00: PM, Mon, January 7 at 7:00: PM, Tue, January 8 at 7:00: PM, Fri, January 11 at 7:00: PM, Sat, January 12at 7:00: PM, Tue, January 15 at 7:00: PM, Wed, January 16 at 7:00: PM, Thu, January 17 at 7:00: PM. Fri, January 18 at 7:00: PM.

THE MODERN MĀORI QUARTET: TWO WORLDS written by James Tito, Matariki Whatarau, Maaka Pohatu, and Francis Kora

With signature style and humour the award-winning MMQ weaves together four stores full of heart and revelation that unfold the fabric of Maori musical culture, its genealogy and evolution. Layering an earnest and uniquely Kiwi narrative to their soaring harmonies and classic quirky charm, the award-winning Modern Maori Quartet invite you to meet Koro, Big Bro, uncle and Bub, and experience their take on what it really means to be Maori in this day and age.

Performances Schedule: Wed, January 9 at 7:00: PM, Fri, January 11 at 5:00 PM, Sat, January 12 at 5:00: PM, Mon, January 14 at 7:30: PM, Wed, January 16 at 9:00: PM, Thu, January 17 at 9:00: PM, Thu, January 17 at 9:00: PM

CONTOURS OF HEAVEN created by Ana Chaya Scotney, Puti Lancaster, Marama Beamish and Owen McCarthy, directed by Puti Lancaster

Told with aroha, love, and striking originality through verbatim theatre, live harmonies and movement, this one-woman show tells the real stories of six young people in the East Coast of New Zealand.

Performances Schedule is Fri, January 11 at 2:00: PM, Fri, January 11 at 9:00: PM, Sat, January 12 at 3:00: PM, Sun, January 13 at 7:30: PM

All three shows are linked by the common concerns born of separate experiences embodied in the performances - experiences which defy borders and cross cultures. SoHo Playhouse's Darren Lee Cole explains " With its guttural slam poetry style about women finding their voice in their world, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt transported me back to the first time I saw Ntozake Shange's acclaimed theatre piece, where seven women who have experienced oppression tell their stories. The Modern Maōri Quartet: Two Worlds, through music and captivating storytelling, offers a universal lesson - no matter who we are, or where we are, only the truth will set us free. Contours of Heaven invites us into the world of youth at the margins of society all through an incredible soundscape. All three are humanizing plays that show how performance art can truly bring the world together."

The Soho Playhouse's Fringe Encore Series will run through January 18. The SoHo Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam Street. Individual tickets are $39 and can be purchased by visiting www.sohoplayhouse.com

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