Dunedin Arts Festival - Wahine Mātātoa: The (Mostly) True Story Of Erihāpeti Pātahi
March 27th — 29th, 2025 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Allen Hall
A comedy of consequences, Wahine Mātātoa tells the story of our wahine Kāi Tahu across time and space, where the protagonist, Elizabeth, navigates how to balance decisions that could potentially end her dreams of adventure. This all takes place as she visits the (mostly) true stories of her ancestor Erihāpeti Pātahi, a high-born, high-spirited wahine, a force as untameable as the sea.
A direct descendent of the titular character, playwright Cindy Diver has woven the play’s narrative around the stories of her fiery tupuna, bringing to life a uniquely southern story that has us consider what parts of stories are passed down – and what we end up piecing together from other sources.
How do we navigate the future while holding on to our dreams? Turns out even the most rebellious of tupuna can guide us on our paths.