Poetry Meets Rock Opera

The reTHiNK Grant team fired a bunch of interview questions at the cast of reTHiNK Possible Worlds. This is what Shane Hollands had to say. 

What is your role in show? I am The Visionary

What is reTHiNK Possible Worlds about?

It’s about destigmatising the mental health issues that affect a large majority of people in our society. We are all integrated and part of society. Often people think that people who suffer from mental health issues are 'separate' from themselves and I think that is one of the reasons why the theme of the show is 'we are all human being navigating the maze of life' to show that we are all in it together, we all make up this 'society' it is not separate from us and we are not separate from it.

How do you relate to the themes in the show?

I have suffered from some forms of mental illness and associated with people who have lived with conditions. I have spent the most of my life searching for ways to be expressive and real, to find my place in society and to find the people whom I live my life with. I'm as much a part of the show as it is a part of me.

What has it been like creating this production?

It has been full of hard work, practice and joy. I have got to watch a wonderful thing evolve and unfurl like a bloom. I have enjoyed working with everyone especially the newer performers in the show. It has been a healthy experience and a lot of fun. Rehearsals are hard work but worth every lost weekend.

What can an audience member expect to encounter?

Something they have never seen on stage before. Think poetry meets rock opera meets real life issues.

Why do you think people should make sure they see reTHiNK Possible Worlds?

They should come to be entertained in a new way and to take time to think about how we all relate. They should also come to support Like Minds, Etched Dance Productions and The Literatti, it’s an amazing project and it needs all our support.

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Shane Hollands is an Auckland based performance poet who fronts the jazzbeat poetry-rock band Freaky Meat.  Freaky Meat ‘Brings back a sexy form of Beat Poetry at home on the stained streets of Auckland’ (No Mag). Shane founded The Literatti and was Creative Director for the collective’s initial year. Shane has been an innovator in the spoken word/performance poetry scene in New Zealand for decades and is instrumental in New Zealand’s poetry-music crossover renaissance. Shane has performed throughout New Zealand and his work has been published in Live Lines, Side Stream and Tongue In Your Ear.

reTHiNK Possible Worlds is a multimedia theatre show that hits the stage at Galatos on October 14th and 15th. Dance, music, art, film and poetry are interwoven to tell the story of multiple characters as they journey out of madness and rethink their possible worlds. Tickets available online at www.theliteratti.com.