The Prophet (play)

2004 play by Hone Kouka

The Prophet

Written by| Hone Kouka
Date premiered| 12 March 2004
Original language| English, with some te reo Māori
Subject| teen pregnancy, teen suicide, Māori, leadership

The Prophet is a 2004 play by New Zealand playwright Hone Kouka. The play has themes of teenage pregnancy and suicide. It is the third play in the Waiora trilogy of plays. It was first performed at the 2004 New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington. It was published by Playmarket in 2006,[1] and televised as part of the six-part series of Māori plays Atamira in 2012.

## History

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The inspiration for the play came when playwright Hone Kouka was touring in Gisborne in 1999 with his play Waiora. While he was there a cousin's child committed suicide. The Prophet was his attempt to find out what teenagers would think about this.[2] The cousins are the children of characters from the first play in the trilogy, Waiora: Ty is Mahurangi's son, Laura and Matt are the children of Rongo, Andrew Beautiful is the son of Amiria, and Maia is Boyboy's daughter.[3] The parts Aunty Kay and Laura were written for the actors Tanea Heke and Waimihi Hotere.[4]

## Characters

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The cousins

* Ty – 20 years old
* Matt – Laura's brother, 18 years old
* Laura – 19 years old, Matt's sister
* Andrew Beautiful – 16 years old
* Maia – 20 years old and mother to a baby boy

And

* Kay – In her early forties, the mother of the boy who committed suicide, and aunt to the cousins
* DJ Ngutu – Waiora's DJ

## Synopsis

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Five teenage cousins return home for the unveiling of a cousin who committed suicide a year ago. The play takes place over three days and is set on a basketball court. It deals with themes of suicide, teenage pregnancy, and urban and rural Māori.

## Productions

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Production  | Date  | Crew  | Cast

|
|
|

Studio 77, Victoria University (workshop)  | June 2002  | Director: Kirk Torrance, Hone Kouka  | Ty: Jason Te Kare

Laura: Marie Louise Williams

Maia: Miriama McDowell

Matt: Jarod Rawiri

Andrew Beautiful: Mark Ruka

Aunty Kay: Waimihi Hotere

Downstage Theatre, Wellington (premiere)[2] | 12 March 2004 – 21 March 2004  | Director: Nina Nawalowalo

Dramaturg: Catherine Fitzgerald

Kaumātua: Enoka Waitoa

Set designer: Ross Gibbs

Sound designer: Warryn Maxwell

Lighting designer: Jennifer Lal

Waiata: Hone Hurihanganui

| Ty: Jason Te Kare

Maia: Miriama McDowell

Matt: Jarrod Rawiri

Andrew Beautiful: Mark Ruka

Laura: Maria Walker

Kay: Tanea Heke

DJ Ngutu: Mark Wagner

Maidment Theatre, Auckland[5] | 26 March 2004 – 3 April 2004  |  |
Hawai'i, Tawata Productions[6] | 17 Oct 2006 – 31 Oct 2006  |  | Jarod Rawiri

Waimihi Hotere

Taungaroa Emile

Andrew Beautiful

Miriama McDowell

The play was televised as the last part in the six-episode series of Māori plays, Atamira. The episode aired on Māori TV on Sunday, 27 May 2012 at 8.30pm.[7] The cast included Tola Newbery, Matariki Whatarau, Juanita Hepi, Cian White, Scott Cotter, and Waimihi Hotere.[7]

## References

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1. ^ "The Prophet". www.playmarket.org.nz. Archived from the original on 18 October 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
2. ^ a b Hone Kouka (2006). The Prophet. Wellington: Huia Publishers. ISBN 1-86969-241-1. OL 8649434M. Wikidata Q106819253.
3. ^ Murray, Edmond (April 2007). "Te Kaainga/Where The Fire Burns - Hone Kouka's Trilogy: Waiora, Homefires and The Prophet". Australasian Drama Studies. 50: 91–110.
4. ^ "Pacific Experiences: Native Playwriting - Kaʻiwakīloumoku - Hawaiian Cultural Center". Kaʻiwakīloumoku Hawaiian Cultural Centre. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
5. ^ "Putting people before prophet". NZ Herald. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
6. ^ Warrington, Lisa. "Theatre Aotearoa". Theatre Aotearoa database, University of Otago. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
7. ^ a b "Atamira". www.theatreview.org.nz. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.