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Celia Lashlie comes to mind when I think of this wonderful performance. There are so many parallels between her book “Growing Gorgeous Boys Into Good Men” and the journey the gorgeous young men of The Brave have taken as performing artists to bring us The Brave - complete with artistic director Sam Scott and Carla Martell of Massive Company appearing to take the off stage starring roles of ‘parents’.  

Sam says “We make theatre about what it means to be human, to live this life with all it throws at us”, and The Brave demonstrates this in spades. Personal experiences of each of the eight young men are woven into a theatrical performance reflecting closely lives as we know it in contemporary Aotearoa.

There’s a ‘boys will be boys’ backdrop to the performance incorporating haka, hip hop, nightclubs, drinking, drugs, gyms and workouts, woven seamlessly with personal confessions of abuse, insecurities, fears or inferiority complexes. Culture also plays its part as individual stories are bravely told reflecting backgrounds and upbringing.

These are New Zealand stories we can relate to; macho ‘strong’ male personas masking sensitive, expressive and genuine identities of gorgeous boys who have grown into good men.

The Brave features Jonny Moffat, Todd Emerson, Beulah Koale, Scott Cotter, Dominic Ona-riki, Andy Sani, Leki Jackson Bourke, and Neil Amituanai and is directed by Sam Scott.

The Brave will be touring four venues throughout Hawaii in March 2015. We wish them well.

About The Brave:

In this deeply sincere, dynamic and intimate work (Concrete Playground), eight men take to the stage to honour those people who are or once were in their lives. Combining true confessions with raw athleticism, THE BRAVE is a devised work that shows bravery defined by a new generation. It’s a multi-cultural work that actively engages audiences, and encourages conversation around what it means to be a man, questioning stereotypes and defying social expectations.

 

Bravo boys from The Brave

 
 
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