Makerita Urale
Encyclopedia
Makerita Urale is a documentary director and a leading figure in contemporary Polynesian
theatre in New Zealand
. She has produced landmark productions in the performing arts. She is also a playwright
. She is the writer of the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all female cast. Working in different art mediums, Urale also works in film and television. She is the director of the political documentary Children of the Revolution which won the Qantas Award (2008) for Best Māori Programme. Urale was born on the island of Savai'i
in Samoa
.The family moved to New Zealand in the 1970s where they lived in Wellington. Urale has two brothers and three sisters, and the siblings also work in the arts and media. Urale's sister Sima Urale
is an award winning filmmaker and their brother King Kapisi
is a hip hop artist.
in Wellington
in 1998 with a cast of three women which included her sister Sima. The director of the first production was Erolia Ifopo followed by other directors when the play toured the country and internationally. In 2004, the play was published by Play Press
and is a key text in theatre studies at schools and universities. The play is about three sisters, born in the tropical islands of Polynesia who move to New Zealand where they work as cleaners. The story explores the women's dreams and aspirations through the use of lyrical poetry, imagery and stylised movement. The play was nominated Most Original Production at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.
The play has toured in New Zealand as well as internationally including Canada
, Australia
and UK. It has also had playreadings in Toronto
and New York
. Urale has written plays for children including The Magic Seashell and Popo the Fairy as well as children's books and feature articles in magazines.
and co-written by Oscar Kightley
and Dave Fane, staged at Downstage Theatre
. The play was nominated Best Production, Best Director and Best Set Design at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards
. Other productions include Ricordi (1996) at the State Opera House, written by Peter Wells
and directed by Colin McColl, Beauty and the Beast (1998) staged at St James Theatre, and the Samoan operatic work Classical Polynesia (1998) directed by the late Iosefa Enari
and starring Jonathan Lemalu
. Other theatre productions include The Debate (1995), Duty Free (1998), five short plays by Māori writers directed by Tanea Heke, Two Days in Dream (2003) written by Mario Gaoa
, Sex with Strangers (2004) directed by Colin Mitchell as well as working on Paradise (2003) directed by Lemi Ponifasio
for Auckland Festival
. In 2007, she was the event producer of the opening festival of Tagata o le Moana, the permanent Pacific exhibition at National Museum of New Zealand
which brought together performers and artists around the country. In 2008, she produced the short film Journey to Ihipa directed by Nancy Brunning
.
(2006). The award winning documentary Children of the Revolution
focused on the children of iconic political activists in New Zealand as well as landmark protest movements during the 1970s and 1980s. The documentary featured interviews with Māori activists Tame Iti
, Māori Party Member of Parliament Hone Harawira
and his wfie, former NZ Green Party MP Sue Bradford
, musician and Polynesian Panthers
Minister of Culture Tigilau Ness
, anti-apartheid leader John Minto
. Hip hop star Che Fu
is the son of Ness, and he features as one of the children. Other works include freelancing for the television arts series The Living Room,The Gravy, a short experimental documentary The Other Day in Paradise as well as directing an AV installation in the permanent Pacific exhibition at the National Museum of New Zealand
. Urale has produced numerous music videos including Reverse Resistance, Groovilation, Ko Wai Ka Hua and the underwater Sub-Cranium Feeling for King Kapisi, directed by her sister Sima. Filmed underwater, the music video won best busic video awards including Flying Fish, BFM and TVNZ Mai Time. In 2003, the video received an award from New Zealand On Air
for contribution to music video making in New Zealand.
Polynesian culture
Polynesian culture refers to the indigenous peoples' culture of Polynesia who share common traits in language, customs and society. Chronologically, the development of Polynesian culture can be divided into four different historical eras:...
theatre in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. She has produced landmark productions in the performing arts. She is also a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. She is the writer of the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all female cast. Working in different art mediums, Urale also works in film and television. She is the director of the political documentary Children of the Revolution which won the Qantas Award (2008) for Best Māori Programme. Urale was born on the island of Savai'i
Savai'i
Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...
in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
.The family moved to New Zealand in the 1970s where they lived in Wellington. Urale has two brothers and three sisters, and the siblings also work in the arts and media. Urale's sister Sima Urale
Sima Urale
Sima Urale is a New Zealand filmmaker who has won national and international awards. Her films explore social and political issues and have been screened worldwide. She is one of the few Polynesian film directors in the world with more than 15 years in the industry...
is an award winning filmmaker and their brother King Kapisi
King Kapisi
King Kapisi is a New Zealand Hip hop recording artist. He was the first Hip hop artist in New Zealand to receive the prestigious Silver Scroll Award at the APRA Awards for Songwriter of the Year for his single Reverse Resistance in 1999, which followed on the popular release of his debut single...
is a hip hop artist.
Playwright
In 2000, Urale's play Frangipani Perfume (1998) was listed Top 10 plays of the decade by New Zealand literary magazine The Listener. The play was first staged at Bats TheatreBats Theatre
BATS Theatre is New Zealand's leading venue for the development of new theatre practitioners and plays. Most of the productions at Bats Theatre are New Zealand works...
in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
in 1998 with a cast of three women which included her sister Sima. The director of the first production was Erolia Ifopo followed by other directors when the play toured the country and internationally. In 2004, the play was published by Play Press
and is a key text in theatre studies at schools and universities. The play is about three sisters, born in the tropical islands of Polynesia who move to New Zealand where they work as cleaners. The story explores the women's dreams and aspirations through the use of lyrical poetry, imagery and stylised movement. The play was nominated Most Original Production at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.
The play has toured in New Zealand as well as internationally including Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Australia
and UK. It has also had playreadings in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Urale has written plays for children including The Magic Seashell and Popo the Fairy as well as children's books and feature articles in magazines.
Producer
In theatre, Urale was the producer of a number of major productions for the bi-annual New Zealand International Festival of the Arts in Wellington. She was producer of A Frigate Bird Sings (1996) directed by Nathaniel LeesNathaniel Lees
Nathaniel Lees is a New Zealand born actor and theatre director of Samoan descent. He is known for his role as Captain Mifune in The Matrix trilogy and his role as "Uglúk" in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. He has also had roles on the TV series Young Hercules, Hercules: The Legendary...
and co-written by Oscar Kightley
Oscar Kightley
Oscar Vai To'elau Kightley, MNZM, is a Samoan-born actor, television presenter and writer who has been a resident and citizen of New Zealand for most of his life.-Biography:He acted in and co-wrote the successful 2006 film Sione's Wedding...
and Dave Fane, staged at Downstage Theatre
Downstage Theatre
The Downstage Theatre is a theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, and the country's longest running professional theatre, established in 1964.The founders at the inaugural meeting in the Wellington Public Library on 15 May 1964 were actors Peter Bland, Tim Elliott and Martyn Sanderson, with...
. The play was nominated Best Production, Best Director and Best Set Design at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards
Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards
The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards are the theatre "Oscars" in New Zealand and honour the best stage talent and productions in the capital Wellington....
. Other productions include Ricordi (1996) at the State Opera House, written by Peter Wells
Peter Wells
Peter William "Pete" Wells was the founder and slide guitarist in Australian hard rock band Rose Tattoo. Wells was previously bassist with the pioneering Sydney-based heavy metal outfit Buffalo in the 1970s....
and directed by Colin McColl, Beauty and the Beast (1998) staged at St James Theatre, and the Samoan operatic work Classical Polynesia (1998) directed by the late Iosefa Enari
Iosefa Enari
Iosefa Enari was a New Zealand opera singer who was born in Samoa. The Iosefa Enari Memorial Award, presented annually by Creative New Zealand, recognises Enari's pioneering contribution to Pacific Islands opera. Enari was the Artistic Director of Classical Polynesia, the first New Zealand opera...
and starring Jonathan Lemalu
Jonathan Lemalu
Jonathan Fa'afetai Lemalu is a New Zealand opera singer, of Samoan descent. Born in Dunedin, he sings in the bass baritone register....
. Other theatre productions include The Debate (1995), Duty Free (1998), five short plays by Māori writers directed by Tanea Heke, Two Days in Dream (2003) written by Mario Gaoa
Mario Gaoa
Mario Gaoa is a Samoan New Zealander actor, writer and director, best known as a member of the Naked Samoans comedy group. As part of the group he has appeared in the film Sione's Wedding; provided the voices of Sione Tapili and God in the animated series Bro'Town, which he also co-writes; and...
, Sex with Strangers (2004) directed by Colin Mitchell as well as working on Paradise (2003) directed by Lemi Ponifasio
Lemi Ponifasio
Lemi Ponifasio is a Samoan choreographer and the founder and director of MAU, New Zealand's most prolific international contemporary dance and theatre company...
for Auckland Festival
Auckland Festival
The Auckland Festival is a biennial arts and cultural festival held in New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. The Festival features works from New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia and beyond, including world premieres of new works and international performing arts events.-History:Auckland was the first...
. In 2007, she was the event producer of the opening festival of Tagata o le Moana, the permanent Pacific exhibition at National Museum of New Zealand
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
which brought together performers and artists around the country. In 2008, she produced the short film Journey to Ihipa directed by Nancy Brunning
Nancy Brunning
Nancy Brunning is an actress and director who has won awards in film and television and has made a major contribution to the growth of Māori in the arts. Her accolades include Best Actress awards on stage and screen. She won Best Actress at the NZ Film Awards for her lead role in the movie What...
.
Documentary Director
Urale has directed a number of documentaries including Savage Symbols (2002) which premiered at the New Zealand International Film Festival,Gang Girl - Tarnz's Story (2005), Mob Daughters (2006) and Nesian MystikNesian Mystik
Nesian Mystik was a New Zealand Hip-Hop/R&B group formed in 1999. Their cultural backgrounds unite a remarkable diversity of Polynesia by bringing together Cook Island, Tongan, Samoan and Maori ancestry...
(2006). The award winning documentary Children of the Revolution
focused on the children of iconic political activists in New Zealand as well as landmark protest movements during the 1970s and 1980s. The documentary featured interviews with Māori activists Tame Iti
Tame Iti
Tāme Wairere Iti has become well known in New Zealand as a Tūhoe Māori activist.- Early life :Born on a train near Rotorua, Tame Iti grew up with his grandparents in the custom known as whāngai on a farm near Ruatoki in the Urewera area of New Zealand...
, Māori Party Member of Parliament Hone Harawira
Hone Harawira
Hone Pani Tamati Waka Nene Harawira is a New Zealand Māori activist and parliamentarian. He was elected to the Parliament of New Zealand for the Māori electorate of Te Tai Tokerau in the 2005 general election as the Māori Party candidate. His resignation caused the Te Tai Tokerau by-election, held...
and his wfie, former NZ Green Party MP Sue Bradford
Sue Bradford
Sue Bradford is a New Zealand politician who served as a list Member of Parliament representing the Green Party from 1999 to 2009.- Early life :...
, musician and Polynesian Panthers
Polynesian Panthers
The Polynesian Panther Party was an organisation founded by New Zealand born Polynesians on June 16, 1971.The party was explicitly influenced by the American Black Panther Party, particularly Huey Newton’s policy of black unity. They located the causes of Māori and Pacific Island oppression within...
Minister of Culture Tigilau Ness
Tigilau Ness
Tigilau Ness is a Niuean New Zealand activist and reggae artist, and performs as Unity Pacific.Ness is a political activist and first generation Pacific Island New Zealander.-Lifetime achievement award:...
, anti-apartheid leader John Minto
John Minto
John Minto is a New Zealand based political activist known for his involvement in various left-wing groups and causes, most notably Halt All Racist Tours. A 2005 documentary on New Zealand's top 100 history makers listed him as number 89. Today he is involved with the protest group Global Peace...
. Hip hop star Che Fu
Che Fu
Che Fu MNZM is a New Zealand Hip hop/R&B and Reggae recording artist and producer. Originally one part of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of albums both in New Zealand and internationally, including in Australia and the UK.-History:Fu is one of New Zealand's...
is the son of Ness, and he features as one of the children. Other works include freelancing for the television arts series The Living Room,The Gravy, a short experimental documentary The Other Day in Paradise as well as directing an AV installation in the permanent Pacific exhibition at the National Museum of New Zealand
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum and art gallery of New Zealand, located in Wellington. It is branded and commonly known as Te Papa and Our Place; "Te Papa Tongarewa" is broadly translatable as "the place of treasures of this land".The museum's principles...
. Urale has produced numerous music videos including Reverse Resistance, Groovilation, Ko Wai Ka Hua and the underwater Sub-Cranium Feeling for King Kapisi, directed by her sister Sima. Filmed underwater, the music video won best busic video awards including Flying Fish, BFM and TVNZ Mai Time. In 2003, the video received an award from New Zealand On Air
New Zealand On Air
NZ On Air is an independent New Zealand broadcast funding agency. It is an autonomous crown entity separate from central Government and governed by a Board of six appointed by the Minister of Broadcasting...
for contribution to music video making in New Zealand.