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Six Hawkes Bay elders have shared their personal stories with a local theatre group, and now their words are woven faithfully into a work of theatre.
"Verbatim theatre" can take numerous forms. For As the Day Draws In, Teresa Woodham and director Puti Lancaster have taken parts of the translated recordings to create a work that's a blend of personal family stories and a broader social history of Heretaunga.
Puti and Teresa's interviewees were in their 70s through to their early 90s, and the verbatim theatre work is about to be presented at the Harcourts Hawke's Bay Arts Festival, after changes made following a development season last year.
Lynn Freeman talks with both Puti and Teresa, who tells her there was a lot of trust involved in recording these life stories.
As the Day Draws In premieres on Wednesday the 14th of October at the St Andrews Hall in Hastings as part of the Harcourts Hawke's Bay Arts Festival.