The Matariki Glow Show!

May 16, 2022: The Glow Show’s fabulous, giant-scale, glow-in-the-dark puppets are back, touring all of Aotearoa!

The magical MATARIKI GLOW SHOW is coming to a theatre near you, during Term 2 AND the July school holidays. This wildly flamboyant, addictively toe-tapping show is fitting celebration of an incredible event, our first Matariki holiday!

The MATARIKI GLOW SHOW tells the gorgeous story of te kāhui whetū o Matariki (the star cluster/whānau of Matariki) as they gather to light up the skies for te tau hou Māori (Māori New Year). But where is here is the smallest star Waipuna-a-rangi? Could she be lost in the moana?

The show brings this mythical tale to life with its unique puppets, which glow under UV lights in a black box theatre and intrigue tamariki wherever they go. Delightfully told in te reo Māori and English, the Matariki Glow Show educates as it entertains, with its cutting-edge concept, upbeat original soundtrack, and themes of whakawhanaungatanga, friendship and togetherness. It offers a truly memorable experience with positive and uplifting messages for tamariki.

The MATARIKI GLOW SHOW is the latest in the wildly popular live performance series from Sarah Burren, who created the concept in 2017 and has toured Aotearoa with it annually since. The Glow Show dramaturg Midge Perez brings years of experience as a performer, producer, writer and director for stage, film & television. It is directed by Rokalani Lavea, a performer across dance, music, screen and theatre, who most recently starred in TVNZ series ‘The Panthers’.

This year’s talented cast is made up of Māori, Samoan and Pakeha artists, all with incredible backgrounds and skills. We are extremely proud to introduce:

• Bella Robertson, a singer, songwriter and dancer who joins the Glow Show for the third time, this time as our smallest Matariki star, Waipuna-a-rangi!
• Daedae Tekoronga-Waka, who joins the whānau after stints with Q Theatre, BATS Theatre, and in feature film Rūrangi and stage performance Maniac on the Dance Floor.
• Georgie Tuipulotu, an emerging multidisciplinary artist who most recently performed in schoolkid spectacular Sau e Siva Creatives, and proudly takes inspiration from being a NZ-born Tongan.
• Hamish Davies, who studied at New York’s Atlantic Acting School and is joining the Glow Show whānau again after treading the boards for the 2021 Wonderland Glow Show.
• Te Keepa Aria, Queen of the South 2020, who performed in the first Glow Show in 2017, is back, fresh from Māori Television’s Ahikāroa.

The MATARIKI GLOW SHOW will perform at 40 venues, from Kaitaia to Invercargill, with two different shows - a concise version for under 5s, and a longer version with Q&A for 6- to 12-year-olds. Shows sell out so book your tickets here, fast!

Who’s behind the Glow Show?

Sarah Burren launched the Glow Show in 2017, after dreaming up the concept over several years. Sarah, a New Zealander, was based in London and Toronto for 15 years, and designed and made costumes for numerous TV and theatre shows, including Basil Brush’s attire for the BBC. She also worked across Europe and in North America, making couture garments for a range of celebrities, including Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson in the mid 1980s.

She returned to Auckland in 1995 and has designed for theatre, TV, film and spectacular live events including The America’s Cup Ball, Volvo Ocean Race, Sky City opening and Rugby World Cup 2011 as well as designing sets, costumes and props for over 50 children’s shows.

Sarah and the talented cast members are available for interviews.

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