TO THE STARS KI NGA WHETU

Directors: Jeremy and Courteney Mayall

Conductor: Adam Maha

Story and script writers: Aimee Anderson-O’Connor, Scott Granville, Alexis Holmes, Maria Huata, Dan Inglis, Benny Marama, Courteney Mayall, Jeremy Mayall, and Cian Parker

Choreographers: Alexis Holmes, Lauren Mann, Mikey Sorenson and Kelly Webster

BNZ Theatre, Hamilton

19-21 January 2026

As the fly tower began to climb skyward at the Victoria Street site, conversations about an opening production echoed through every green room, rehearsal space, dance studio, office, and hall in the Waikato. Would all interested parties get a crack at staging a show in back-to-back performances? If so, who would go first or go last? Furthermore, would a constant changing of the guard every 24 hours hinder rehearsal and pack-in requirements to the detriment of the following performance? In a venue where no one had previously had an opportunity to consult with their own technical teams, what exactly was the theatre capable of?

Ultimately the Waikato Regional Property Trust commissioned husband and wife team Jeremy and Courteney Mayall to create a large-scale collaborative production showcasing the Waikato’s vibrant arts community through storytelling, theatre, music and dance.

Mayall Creative Ltd approached local writers and poets, and a story emerged of an intergenerational family going on a journey of discovery through the lens of creativity. A twinkling idea had been realised, and the project was named To The Stars Ki Ngā Whetū. The script comprised drama, comedy, monologues, and poetry.

Actors Mihailo Laðevac (Grandfather), Cian Parker (Mother) and Silas Mark (Child) delivered faultless performances, driving the narrative arc with emotion, humour, and relatability. Their return to the living room at stage right became a point of reset. It drew the audience back to the storyline following the family’s curious encounters with the world – real, spiritual, and imaginary. The living room setting and intermittent projections were crucial in buying time for gargantuan movement behind the scenes as an ensemble of more than 450 dancers, actors, and musicians were corralled on and off stage. These transitions were seamless and slick.  

A theme of flight was weaved throughout with silk banners, birds, kites, and planes through video and props, providing opportunities for multi-disciplinary and multi-media creative and visual artists.

Choreographers Alexis Holmes, Lauren Mann, Mikey Sorenson and Kelly Webster each showcased their expertise across multiple dance disciplines including musical theatre, classical ballet, jazz, and contemporary. Kapa Haka, breakdancers, stilt-walkers, and aerialists also performed. In the true spirit of the diverse Waikato community, cultural groups including Pasifika, Sir Lankan, Korean, Desi, Chinese, Flamenco and Filipino in national costumes took to the stage. Each troupe’s choreography was individually captivating and thoroughly magical when performed en masse to Mayall’s compositions.

Ex-Hamiltonian and currently United Kingdom-based Adam Maha was selected as the conductor. Maha, an accomplished violist, violinist and arranger was a solid choice. Maha has an innate understanding of Mayall’s compositions, and he led the ever-shifting groups of musicians in the pit and onstage with calm authority, encouraging full commitment to Mayall’s score. Nick Braae and Maha also composed pieces for To The Stars Ki Ngā Whetū, and the performance included arrangements of “Waikato Te Awa” by Rangi Harrison, and “Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi” by Wi Te Tau Huata.

It appeared as though every genre of music was represented – cultural, orchestral, choral, bagpipes, Taiko drums, bluegrass, jazz, string quartets, barbershop, folk, and more. Mayall proved himself to be a modern-day maestro creating a work in which every discipline literally played to their strengths without curbing the talents of those around. An exceptional example of this approach was the quartet of quartets – a jazz band, a bluegrass band, a string quartet, and a four-person barbershop. The grand piano played by David Sidwell in the jazz quartet was one that he donated to the BNZ Theatre. What a wonderful full circle moment for the Sidwells, the audience, and the theatre. Each quartet performed in isolation and then amalgamated into a 16-piece ensemble that should have been an aural challenge. Instead, this became a highlight of the evening, a triumph in finding common ground through music. Bravo!

Aaron Chesham’s artful lighting design and Eric Cowan’s astute sound design were befitting of a venue that is spec’d to the hilt with all the technical advancements currently available. At one point, Colin McCahon’s “I AM” backdrop courtesy of the Royal New Zealand Ballet was displayed, and at another point aerial rigging allowed for an actor to be flown. Interestingly, the McCahon backdrop cloth was last seen in Hamilton at the RNZB's final performance at the Founders Theatre.

The performance ended with the entire 450+ performers on stage alongside bagpipers with a rousing rendition of “Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi.” This spine-tingling finale awed the audience and resulted in a standing ovation.

Jeremy and Courteney Mayall were provided with the opportunity of a lifetime. Their creative vision, brilliance, and passion for encouraging the Arts meant they generously extended that opportunity to hundreds of creatives, performers, technicians, and crew members from across the Waikato. The Mayalls collaboratively devised, composed, produced, and executed an extraordinary production worthy of a world premiere at a sparkling new theatre. The heights the BNZ Theatre will climb will far exceed the fly tower. This was proven by the enormous talent on display earlier this week.

To The Stars Ki Ngā Whetū indeed -with the stars of today and tomorrow treading brand new boards whilst recognising that art in all its forms is an intrinsic part of a flourishing community.

In closing, the final lines of Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi seem apt:

Ki-a ko-tahi rā

Tātou tātou e

Tā-tou tā-tou e E

Hi aue hei

Act as one

All of us, all of us

All of us, All of us

Hi aue hei.