From sacred comb to family conflict: Tongan play to premiere in South Auckland

An upcoming Tongan theatre production explores family, faith and conflict through a uniquely Tongan lens at the Māngere Arts Centre next week.

Written by Seluvaia ‘Iloahefaiva, Fā’onelua ‘o Manako Polohiva is a play centred on a noble family in a Tongan village who lose a sacred comb, triggering tensions and revelations that push relationships to their limits.

‘Iloahefaiva is a first-generation New Zealand-born Tongan from South Auckland and the youngest of seven children. She trained at the Unitec School of Drama and has written and performed in several works, including Brown; It’s Complicated and Mr. Shop.

Speaking with John Pulu on PMN Tonga, Lotukalafi Finau, who debuts as the main character Amelia, describes the role as an exciting opportunity. She says as a “non-experienced” actor, her debut encourages other Tongan creatives to put their foot forward in the arts if they wish to.

“They’ve given us such a great platform to learn the basics. Which is why I feel like I've been able to come this far in this rehearsal space, because we've been well taken care of and I feel really safe,” Finau says.

Metuliki Manu plays Lei, a Punake (composer), tasked with preparing the kāinga (relatives)for a faiva (performance) during a royal coronation. Manu says Lei brings “joy and a little pop of comedy towards the rest of the show”.

Watch the Fā’onelua ‘o Manako Polohiva crew interview on PMN Tonga below.

Tovale Mahe plays Lei’s sibling, Tiuta, who goes “hand in hand” with Manu’s character and balances the formality of others with humour.

Shauntelle Jones portrays the character of Fahu-Lupe ‘O Palataisi, whose mantra is “it’s Fahu’s way, there’s no other way”. She adds that her character is both layered and anchored by Fahu’s grandmother.

Zecharaiah Soaki, the producer, has been part of the creative team since the early development. He praised works like Red, White and Brass, saying ‘Iloahefaiva and him were so inspired by it that she began writing Fā’onelua o Manako Polohiva soon after.

He says ‘Iloahefaiva wanted to write a story that “complicates and also celebrates the richness and complexity of Tongan women”.

Soaki also highlights the challenge of incorporating Tongan language and accents into the production, saying he has been in awe of how the cast have worked “their tongues around the consonants and the vowels”.

“It's a real challenging process, but one that I have loved watching them just meet time and time again through that rehearsal process. I do want to give flowers to the team. The growth and the improvement is incredible,” Soaki says.

“How lucky we are to be in a time where Indigenous stories are not just important, but they are ones that our community love and believe in. We were so humbled that we sold out on closing night within an hour, which was crazy.

“We're in an age where Chief of War has the Hawaiian language in the mainstream. It is so cool to see more of our stories told in our mother tongues, because it means that the characters exist in a different time and space than if they just default to English.”

Fā’onelua ‘o Manako Polohiva will run at the Māngere Arts Centre, Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, from Thursday 9 October to Saturday 11 October.

To purchase tickets, click here.