Originally published in Waikato Times, Saturday 17 January 2026.
By Mike Mather.
Part of the To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū crew. Pictured at rear from left are Alexis Holmes (choreographer), Aimee Anderson-O'Connor (writer/poet), Mihailo Ladevac (actor), Scott Granville (writer), and Dan Inglis (writer/filmmaker). At front are Cian Parker (writer/actor), Silas Mark (actor), Jeremy Mayall (composer/co-Director), Courteney Mayall (co-director/performer), Maria Huata (writer/actor), and Michael Moore (poet/actor). PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
An ensemble cast will take to the BNZ Theatre’s stage on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights in a unique - and entirely Waikato-made - multimedia production.
Incorporating drama, dance, musical theatre, kapa haka, projection and even puppetry, To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū is a collaboration between about 500 performers and artists, all of whom either live in or whakapapa to the Waikato region.
Commissioned by the Waikato Regional Property Trust to mark the opening of Hamilton’s new $80 million performance venue, the show will tell a completely original story about a family - a grandfather, a mother and a child - who embark on what proves to be a journey of discovery.
Several cast members were in the Drama Room at Knighton Normal School when the Waikato Times went to investigate, deep in rehearsals under the watchful eye of co-directors Jeremy and Courteney Mayall, as well as the writing team - Dan Inglis, Scott Granville, and Aimee Anderson-O'Connor, and choreographer Alexis Holmes.
To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū has been described as “a shared act of creativity”. Here, writer/actor Maria Huata, poet/actor Michael Moore, writer/actor Cian Parker and co-director Courteney Mayall go over a scene. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
Jeremy Mayall described To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū as “undoubtably the project with the biggest scale that I have ever been involved with”.
“The best way I could describe it, the closest thing I could compare it with, would be an Olympic opening ceremony.”
As well as showcasing local talent, To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū will also demonstrate the physical and auditory range of the city’s new performance space.
“Every different performing art form is part of the story,” Mayall said. “We wanted to get as many different kinds of groups we could. It’s a real mash-up of different forms of creativity, but they all help form part of the story.”
This mix included such feats as pairing kapa haka with orchestral music, or circus performers with breakdancers.
“At one point we will have a quartet of quartets, all from different musical genres, all performing together.”
The performers and writers have been getting into rehearsals for To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū with gusto. PHOTO: Kelly Hodel / WAIKATO TIMES.
The story partly set in the real world, “but there is also a dream space - a creative realm - where a lot of things happen. It’s where the muse comes from,” Mayall said.
“The players jump between these worlds quite freely. It’s a piece that looks at our relationship with the universe. Some of it is taken from Māori lore and how the stars in the night sky are seen as ancestors that look over us.”
To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū’s three-night season will be followed by an official launch event on Friday night featuring top New Zealand singer-songwriter Teeks, and this in turn will be followed by two nights of performances by Sir Dave Dobbyn on Saturday and Sunday nights.
Tickets to To The Stars/Ki ngā Whetū can be obtained via waikatoregionaltheatre.co.nz, through a process where people can sign up to join a waiting list for a draw for seats.