TAHI Festival Announces 2026 Creative Residency Artists

TAHI New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance has announced the recipients of its 2026 Creative Residencies, supporting four artists to develop new solo performance work ahead of the 2026 festival in Pōneke, Wellington.

Now entering its second year, the Creative Residencies programme provides solo theatre-makers with time, space, mentorship and production support to explore new ideas and deepen their practice in a collaborative environment. The residencies acknowledge that while solo performance centres a single voice on stage, the creative process behind it is rarely a solo endeavour. These residencies are supported by Creative New Zealand.

The 2026 residency artists are Anna Barker, Anna Bailey, Mamaeroa (Mo) Munn, and Zody Mārino Takurua.

Across the residency period, artists will receive a stipend, dedicated development space, mentoring, and opportunities for collaboration with other practitioners. The programme culminates in presentations of the developing works during the 2026 TAHI Festival, running 9-19 September.

The selected artist for the Māori creative, in partnership with Taki Rua Productions, isMamaeroa (Mo) Munn (Ngāi Tahu, Ngā Puhi, Ngāti Hine), a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning comedian based in Pōneke. Her debut solo play Oversharer premiered at NZ Fringe Festival to sold-out audiences and strong critical response. An improviser of eight years, Munn has toured to the United States and also produces the NZ Improv Festival. Her work blends comedy with sharp observation and emotional nuance.

Zody Mārino Takurua (Ngā Rauru, Te Kāhui Rere) is the BATS Theatre LGBTQIA+ creative. Zody is an emerging performer and theatre maker and a 2025 acting graduate of Te Kura Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. Zody’s work centres queer and Māori storytelling, with credits including The Haka Party Incident, RURANGI and The Undertow. In 2025 they continued to develop the new Takatāpui Theatre through Te Pou Theatre’s KOANGA playwrights programme and the APHIDS residency at LA MAMA theatre in Naarm.

The two recipients of PAYPA (Performing Arts and Young People) partnership, creating work for younger audiences are Anna Bailey and Anna Barker.

Anna Barker is a Pōneke-based actor with a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre (Acting) from Te Herenga Waka. Working across acting, devising and publicity, Barker is known for work that leans into the wild, the wacky and the comically absurd. Her work has received multiple nominations at the NZ Fringe and Wellington Theatre Awards, including Most Promising Emerging Newcomer.

Also joining the programme is Anna Bailey, a puppeteer whose work celebrates the unique flora and fauna of Aotearoa. Through playful and engaging performances, Bailey creates empathy for endangered species while entertaining, educating and sparking conversations about environmental issues. She founded String Bean Puppets after beginning her puppeteering journey as an au pair for a puppeteering family in Italy, and has since performed in schools, museums, libraries and festivals across New Zealand and internationally in 13 countries.

The Creative Residencies programme sits alongside TAHI’s wider mission to grow the ecosystem around solo performance in Aotearoa by providing development pathways, mentoring and presentation opportunities for artists.

TAHI Festival will return to Pōneke 9-19 September 2026, with the full programme to be announced later in the year.

More information can be found at tahifestivalnz.com.

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