Moresby Arts Theatre is proud to announce the upcoming play “Meisoga”, a dramatized study of the culture of the Meisoga people on Misima Island in Milne Bay, starting March 16.
The play is special for many reasons. It is a play about PNG culture and traditions. It has a Papua New Guinean cast. It is written by a Papua New Guinean. And most special of all, it is written by 16-year old student, Andrew Kuliniasi. This is Andrew’s second time to direct a play at MAT, with the first one being “Hercules” in 2015.
The fact he has decided to write and direct his own play is impressive enough. But the fact he is willing to tackle cultural do’s and don’ts, village taboos, and the good, bad and ugly of his people shows a level of maturity beyond his years.
Says Andrew: This is my second time directing and this time I wrote my own script. The first show I directed was “Hercules” at the Moresby Arts Theatre was when I was 15. It was so much fun that I thought why not give it another go. Last year on my 16th birthday I decided to try my hand at writing a script for a play.
The end result I hope is an entertaining and informative story about my culture and the clan “Meisoga”, and the story of an amazing woman named Sine Kepu.”
Andrew says he wrote the play to encourage fellow Papua New Guineans to take an interest in their cultural heritage.
“I wrote this play to promote my culture but also to inspire other young people to take pride in their culture by actually getting to understand the stories that have been passed down through generations, as is the way in PNG, through oral storytelling and actually find out more about their own clan’s history.”
Source: Moresby Arts Theatre Media Release
