World Premiere

The Conch Theatre’s much anticipated follow up to the international hit Vula, Masi grew from a unique collaboration between artistic director Nina Nawalowalo, legendary British illusionist Paul Kieve (the only magic advisor to the Harry Potter films), and an explosive ensemble of six male Fijian dancers.

Masi interweaved the meaning of Fijian Tapa cloth with the remarkable story of the meeting of Nawalowalo’s parents in 1950s New Zealand. This meeting between a Fijian high chief from the island of Kadavu and the daughter of Cambridge-educated public schoolmasters, happened over a game of chess in Wellington. Their romance was captured in a beautiful set of photographs by then budding photographer Ans Westra.

This love story in black and white was reflected in the patterns of the Masi, as themes combined into a rich journey exploring loss, memory and the tracing of the lines that make us who we are.