Te Tupua The Goblin

Ka whakahoki a Tupua he kōrero ia
whakarongo ki te tangi ra kua pahemo.

Te Tupua will come and speak,
Listen to this cry from the past.
Haere mai Te Tupua

A solo play written and performed by John G Davies

A Scottish sailor is shipwrecked on the coast of Aotearoa; the year is 1815.  Captured by a Māori hapu he lives as a slave, a warrior, and a husband. It is a fight for survival, and such occurrences are present in the historical records and the oral histories of Iwi Māori.

John G Davies has 50 years of experience as a writer, director and actor and combines extensive research and intercultural theatre practice into a dynamic solo performance that has captured and inspired the hearts of audiences throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.

Te Tupua The Goblin has been performed throughout New Zealand in festivals, Arts on Tour NZ 2024, Tahi Festival Wellington, Fuel Festival Hamilton, Hamilton Gardens Arts Festival, and a recent Auckland Season in 2025.

Reviews and audience feedback

“Energy is high throughout.”
Theatreview Review by Hannah Molloy. 20th May 2024

“Intense, fast-paced tale of early colonial Aotearoa.”
Theatreview Review by Matt Keene, 16 Oct 2022

“A bracing dive into our collective history and imagination.”
Theatreview Review by John Anderson. 21 Oct 2021

RNZ Interview Culture 101, 5 May 2024

“John Davies is an experienced practitioner in devised theatre, a storyteller and a risk taker.
Using minimal props he relies on raw tools – the voice, the body, the imagination and the story. And what a well-told story it is.”
Gail Pittaway. Waikato Times 2003

“I really enjoyed it—moving, powerful, funny, skilful.” Dr Steve Mathews 

“We were gripped for the whole show, the story, the performance—absolutely outstanding!
Your piece is a gem that brought our spirits up! ” – Thomas (TAHI festival performance)

“Stunning. A really moving journey that brought me to tears at the end...” – Rebecca Teele, Kyoto.

“It’s a tour de force. Fantastic!” Nancy Shatzkin. New York.

“I am so moved by this performance. What an extraordinary work...thank you so much.
I am grateful for the efforts you made so I could see this. Well done...great work.” – Deborah Hunt.  Puerto Rico.

“Stunning acting, powerful messaging, startling ability to master a bilingual, multi-character role. So impressive.” Audience member – Christchurch

“The intercultural made it very beautiful because that’s who we actually are.”  Audience member – Kerikeri

“Tonight, I learnt something about myself that I didn’t even know. Thank you.” Audience member - Cromwell 

A theatrical stage scene featuring an elderly man with gray hair, dressed in a black suit, barefoot, leaning forward and appearing to speak into a phone. Behind him, a woman with long, gray hair, wearing a tattered, patterned dress, is kneeling with
A man in a black suit is performing on stage, standing barefoot, with his hand on his chest, next to a wooden bench and a large wooden paddle with a forked top, against a black curtain backdrop.
A theater stage with two performers, one holding a large wooden spear and the other sitting with long hair facing away, a bench and a black curtain backdrop, dim stage lighting.

  • Te Tupua – The Goblin, is an entertaining and confronting solo play with clever use of a mask that conjures up spirits from the past.

    The author and performer, John Davies, celebrates 50 years as a theatre practitioner. After training at Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School he joined Red Mole Theatre and for 10 years travelled and performed with that infamous troupe. He has been trained in traditional acting technique, Greek chorus and poetic writing, Noh Theatre and Capoeira. John has made a significant commitment to learning te reo Māori and is an avid amateur historian, particularly the history of Aotearoa. All of these factors have a presence in this solo work. John knows theatre to be a place of spirits and imagination, a place where we allow the doors of perception to open wider, and notions of spirituality and inspiration enter our experience. The ancient Greek drama and the Japanese Noh Theatre continue to inspire and guide his work.

    The period of the early 19th century in Aotearoa was dynamic. Māori were becoming aware they were no longer alone, that other races from the north were coming. Pākeha who lived here at the time forged an existence on Māori terms and the recorded experiences are vivid, fraught with danger and yet these stories reveal deep alliances, friendships, marriages and hard-won loyalties. This play is drawn from those histories, and the central character is an amalgam of the experiences of some of those who lived here at that time.

    John has a steadfast dedication to the stories of Aotearoa, both contemporary and historical. He believes drama is an ancient devise that draws an audience into a common experience and then catharsis unites and informs. This is the role of drama and this play, performed very simply with three props and a whole heap of energy, is like being with a traditional storyteller from the days of the communal fire. John sees theatre as an unchanging phenomenon and to quote him “ When I go out into that space, the stage, I feel connected to all the ancient storytellers, to the people who imitate, embody, project, and summon their life force to engage their audience. That’s me, I’m one of those.”

  • I am deeply grateful for the support and guidance provided by the following individuals.


    Mokonuiarangi Smith | Mask design.

    Michelle Scullion | Music

    Haare Williams | Kaiwhakahaere script and character

    Piri Rewa | Te reo Māori translations

    Heneti Hammond | Waiata composition

    Michele Hine & Steven Ray | Performance consultants