Powerful New Pasifika Drama About Fathers, Sons & The Cycles That Shape Them

Auckland Theatre Company presents the world premiere of Sons of Vao, a powerful, award-winning Pasifika drama by Niuean playwright Vela Manusaute (Niue: Mutalau, Hakupu), directed by Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM (Samoa: Vailoa Faleata, Vaiusu, Fagae’e Safune). The season plays 18 June – 5 July at ASB Waterfront Theatre.

Spanning four decades, the play follows three brothers as they move from village life in Niue to the suburbs of Ponsonby. While migration and cultural change shape their world, the story is anchored in the violent reign of their father - a plantation man, drinker, fighter. Vao is funny, handsome, and charismatic, but when anger comes, “he is a monster.” The rule is simple: break his laws, and he breaks you. As the sons grow into men, raised in a world where violence becomes the language of love, can they break free from their father’s destructive hold?

Sons of Vao explores inherited patterns of masculinity, family violence, displacement, and the long shadow these forces cast across generations. It asks what it takes to unlearn the systems we are raised inside, especially those that leave little room for softness or change.
“As kids, we laugh at our pains. We laugh at our hunger. We laugh ourselves to sleep.”

This world premiere also marks the first Niuean story presented by Auckland Theatre Company. The Adam NZ Play Award-winning script is deeply personal, drawn from Manusaute’s lived experience. He co-directs alongside Polata’ivao who recently starred in the hit film Tinā and directed acclaimed Auckland Theatre Company productions Things That Matter and Red, White and Brass, and most recently A View from the Bridge for Silo Theatre. Known for her bold, physically driven storytelling, she brings visceral theatricality to the work.

The production features a company of Pasifika performers including Beulah Koale (Samoa: Sala’ilua, A’ele. Tuvalu: Nanumea) as Vao, alongside Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson (Tonga: Ma'ufanga, Tongatapu & Tauga, Vava'u, Samoa: Satalo, Falealili & Moaka’a, Niue: Alofi, Mutalau, Hakupu), Epine Bob Savea (Samoa: Salelesi, Safotu) and Brett Taefu (Samoa: Tagunamanono, Salamumu).

“Moving and powerful.” — Adam NZ Play Awards

This is a son’s love letter to his father, shaped by trauma and violence, but also by forgiveness. The past does not disappear, but it can be understood differently. As Manusaute suggests, love, eventually, is what brings healing.

Raw, emotional, and unexpectedly funny, Sons of Vao asks what it takes to break the cycle.

To ensure accessibility for all audiences, $20 tickets are available for Relaxed, NZSL-interpreted and Audio Described performances. Additional offers include $30 tickets for under-30s, supported by Europcar. The "Pay What You Wish" performance on Tuesday 26 May is available for a donation of $10 or more, on sale now until tickets are exhausted.

Advisory: Contains strong language and themes of family violence.

SONS OF VAO
ASB Waterfront Theatre
18 June – 5 July 2026
Duration: 1 hour 10 minutes (no interval)
Tickets: atc.co.nz

Creative Team
Playwright – Vela Manusaute
Co-Directors — Anapela Polata’ivao & Vela Manusaute
Production Design — Sean Coyle
Composer — David Long
Sound Design – Sam Clavis
Dramaturg – Stacey Leilua
Engine Room Assistant Director — Sepelini Mua’au

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