Inia Te Wiata

Inia Te Wiata (b. Otaki, New Zealand, 10/06/1915 - d. London, England, 26/06/1971) was an opera singer, film actor, whakairo and artist.

Despite the fact that he was of Maori origin, he was granted permission by the Apartheid state to come out to star in the JODS production of the musical Show Boat, with Ronnie Shelton, Marie Van Zyl, Olive King, Shirley Arden and the Capedium Choir at the Civic Theatre in 1963. Anthony Farmer directed and did the designs for the production. It played at the Civic again in 1964, and JODS took it to African Theatre’s Cape Town venue, the Alhambra, where the Eoan group replaced the Capedium Choir. He returned in 1969 to star in the JODS production of South Pacific which was staged at the Civic by Brickhill-Burke in 1969. There were designs by Keith Anderson and it also starred June Hern, Jean Dell and James White.

Sources

Tucker, 1997.

Theatre programme held by NELM: [Collection: THEATRE PROGRAMMES]: 2016. 45. 157.

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