Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu presents Out the Gate, a major new Theatre Marae work by Helen Pearse-Otene, directed by Jim Moriarty, with choreography by Tanemahuta Gray.
Rooted in lived experience and kaupapa Māori led research, Out the Gate is a layered, embodied and communal response to the stories that follow people in the prison pipeline as they transition back to whānau and hapori.
Premiering at Pātaka Art+Museum in Porirua (Jim Moriarty’s tūrangawaewae) on 29 October, the production will tour marae, community venues and tertiary spaces across the lower North Island through 15 November. Confirmed performances and venues below. Tickets go on sale by 26 September via www.terakau.org/out-the-gate
OUT THE GATE plays:
Pātaka Art + Museum, Porirua (premiere) - Wed 29 Oct, 7.00pm
Māoriland, Ōtaki - Fri 31 Oct, 7.00pm
Orongomai Marae, Upper Hutt - Sat 1 Nov, 7.00pm
Wainuiomata Marae - Sun 9 Nov, 1.30 pm & 7.00pm
Massey University, Mt Cook, Wellington - Wed 12 Nov – Sat 15 Nov, 7.00pm
More venues and community presentations to be announced. Tickets on sale from 26 September 2025 at www.terakau.org/out-the-gate.
... Ultimately, Out the Gate is a postulation of hope. Hope springs eternal. It’s inside people no matter how damaged they might have been by their experiences, no matter how wounded they are. We’re all basically looking for the way out.”
– Jim Moriarty, Director
Te Rākau Hua o Te Wao Tapu is Aotearoa New Zealand’s longest surviving independent Māori theatre company. Guided by Te Tiriti o Waitangi the organisation have worked in schools, prisons, Marae, urban and rural communities, and youth justice residencies across Aotearoa, using Theatre Marae as a tool for change. Te Rākau is a registered Charitable Trust, with a small team of kaimahi who work all year based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
Content advisory: Some taumaha language and content may offend. Recommended for ages 14+. Whānau and tamariki welcome with parental guidance
For more information visit: https://www.terakau.org/out-the-gate
For all media enquiries contact:
Ali Nicoll van Leeuwen at Elephant Publicity
[email protected] 027 428 5080
