Join us for an inspiring three-day workshop series tailored for Pasifika performers, guided by industry professionals.

These immersive sessions are designed to celebrate and strengthen Pasifika voices in the performing arts, offering advanced training in acting, storytelling, movement, and cultural expression.

Connect with mentors who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of being a Pasifika performer, while gaining valuable tools to enhance your craft, as you prepare to shine on local and international stages. Thanks to generous support from Palmerston North City Council Community-Led Initiatives Fund and Arts Heart Grant, these workshops are FREE.

These workshops are intended for students aged between 13-18 years.

This drama workshop is designed to inspire and support Pasifika creatives in bringing their ideas to life on stage or screen. With over 30 years of experience in the industry—both in New Zealand and on the international stage—Vela Manusaute and Anapela Polataivao are passionate about sharing knowledge and helping others turn their creative dreams into reality. Through a mix of acting, writing, and producing, participants will gain practical skills, industry insights, and the confidence to be able to develop their own original work, in a supportive and encouraging environment

Samoan-born Anapela Polata’ivao is from the villages of Vailoa ma Vaiusu in Upolu and Fagae’e Safune in Savai’i. Her current works include Red White & Brass (co-director) for the ATC 2024 season and The Savage Coloniser show by Tusiata Avia. Polata’ivao made history as the first Samoan woman to have directed a show off-Broadway when Wild Dogs Under My Skirt made its New York debut and was subsequently named the winner of the Fringe Encore Series at the SoHo Playhouse. In 2019, she staged her first original Samoan opera with opera superstars Sol3 Mio in South Auckland. Her film and TV credits include HBO’s Our Flag Means Death, Tinā, The Rule of Jenny Pen and One Thousand Ropes.

Vela Manusaute, is a Niuean-Samoan multi award winning writer, director, and actor. In 1996, he became the first Niuean to graduate from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. In 1997, he won the Best Male Comedy award at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards as part of the comedy duo The Brownies. In 2002, he co-founded the Kila Kokonut Krew, a theatre company addressing the lack of Pacific Island representation in performing arts. His debut play, "Taro King," premiered that same year. Vela is the creator and writer of New Zealand's first bilingual English-Tongan television series, "Brutal Lives - Mo'ui Faingata'a" and in 2013 he was the writer and director of the first Pacific Musical, “The Factory”, with the Kila Kokonut Krew for the Auckland Arts Festival and an international tour. In 2014, he received the New Generation Award from the Arts Foundation, alongside Anapela Polataivao with who he co-directed “Red, White & Brass” for ATC in 2024.

Sign up here: https://www.centrepoint.co.nz/pasifika-on-stage
Location: TBC