“Tupu rekindled a flame that I thought was burning out, but after being part of the show my love and
passion for the arts has grown.”

"Tupu has been a fun process. As a professional with experience working in kids theatre with the amazing Healing Through Arts Trust in Auckland, I had always wanted to devise and give the young learners in the South Island the opportunity to experience and interact in a show with a positive message".

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"My primary focus in Tupu was imparting into the local emerging artists and watch them grow as actors, dancers and vocalists. I enjoyed creating a safe space for them to devise freely in but most importantly learning to apply the fun and silly aspect of storytelling on a professional platform".

“Opportunities like this aren’t very common in Marlborough. As a Pacific Island male I felt that Tupu
gave me the opportunity to be a role model to the next generation of upcoming artists. In Marlborough it is rare to see male pacific islanders pursue the creative arts, especially in shows like Tupu. I felt that just by standing on stage and performing would have inspired other pacific island youth and males to give the creative arts a go.”

“Being able to work alongside professionals gave me a different mindset and an insight of what it’s like working in the industry. Through the experience of Tupu I’ve gained a lot of confidence, resilience and personal growth as an artist. I’ve learnt techniques and strategies that I can use in my own practice in the future.”

“Not many opportunities for paid work for artist come up in Marlborough. Tupu gave me a platform to do something I love alongside creative professionals and be paid for it.”

“With the experience I had with Tupu , it flipped a switch for me making me want to grow as an artist especially in a region where the arts can be overlooked. Being able to experience high calibre directing, intense workshops and performing in a high-quality show was definitely what I needed to grow my artistic practice.”

"Through the project we definitely saw role modelling of Pacific males as role models and pursuing alternative careers like the arts and getting paid for it, just like they would with any other jobs. It showed young children that this is something they can do as a career".

"I was speaking to a teacher from one of the Primary schools and she told me about a behavioural student that she was working with – he had been really into gangs and wanted to make money selling drugs and doing illegal activity, but after he watched Tupu, he asked the teacher if the performers get paid to do that. The teacher told them yes, I think they get paid really well and the student replied with “I think I want to do that performing stuff instead.”

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"Tupu also allowed me to develop both my artistic and professional practice, especially on the producing side with rehearsal and show scheduling across all the schools".