Tina’ star directs groundbreaking play ‘Black F*gg*t
Beaulah Koale, Fasitua Amosa, Taofia Peseta, Shimpal Lelisi, Iaheto Ah Hi and Haanz Faavae Jackson are just a few of our starry Pasifika actors that have played the Black Faggot characters over the years.
Now the queen of film and stage Anapela Polata’ivao brings Auckland the latest iteration of this groundbreaking theatre piece.
Victor Rodger ONZM’s Black Faggot returns to Tāmaki Makaurau with fire, wit and a renewed sense of urgency, opening at Q Theatre’s Rangatira stage from June 25 to 29. Boldly queer and unapologetically Pasifika, the play reclaims a label historically used to silence and shame, delivering humour, depth and truth in every line.
First staged in 2013 in response to Destiny Church’s “Enough is Enough” march and later protests against marriage equality, Black Faggot remains unflinchingly relevant in 2024. Rodger reflects on the origins of the piece, saying:
“At the very, very least, one of those kids marching against the bill will be gay and feeling wretched about themselves as they grow up… Black Faggot is a response to that.
Through a series of powerful monologues, the show introduces audiences to a vivid cast of (mostly) gay Samoan characters — from a closeted Destiny Church member who accidentally ends up protesting his own rights, to a clean freak annoyed his partner just climaxed on their new bedspread. With razor-sharp writing and emotional depth, Black Faggot offers a snapshot into queer Pacific life in all its contradictions.
Rodger says the latest production isn’t just about entertainment, it’s about creating space.
“It's not easy being young, Samoan and gay...especially when God & your mother are watching”
At the helm of this new season is powerhouse director and performer Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM.
Fresh off the global success of her lead role in Tinā, a film that took the world by storm with its raw and moving portrayal of Pacific motherhood, Polata’ivao returns to the stage with the same fierce energy and deep commitment to storytelling.
In an interview with The Coconet earlier this year, she shared:
“I do want the next generation to be better, and specifically Pacific… If I’ve got the energy and the strength to continue to do those things, I will.”
Her continued collaboration with Victor Rodger builds on a legacy of bold, unflinching theatre. She previously directed Wild Dogs Under My Skirt and The Savage Coloniser Show. With Black Faggot, she again centres queer Pasifika voices with care, humour and grit.
The cast features Gideon Smith (Grafted, Camp Be Better) and Jake Arona (Dawn Raids, Fresh Off the Boat, O Le Malaga Fa’a’Atua) who step into roles that have been performed around the world, including Australia and the Edinburgh Fringe, to sold-out success.
While the play still packs the same punch as it did 12 years ago, the cultural and political landscape has only heightened its urgency. Recent headlines like “Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church Pride protests: Te Atatū witness describes terror inside library” and “‘Woke churches’: Destiny Church bites back” show that queer Pasifika communities are still under fire.
In that context, Black Faggot isn’t just theatre. It’s resistance. It’s laughter. It’s survival.
This return season isn’t just for a new audience. It’s for those who never got to see themselves reflected onstage, and those still navigating what it means to be queer, brown and loved.
Black Faggot will be shown at the Q theatre: purchase your tickets here
- 7:00pm, Wednesday 25 June 2025: Opening Night
- 7:00pm, Thursday 26 June 2025: Post Show Q&A
- 7:00pm, Friday 27 June 2025
- 7:00pm, Saturday 28 June 2025
- 7:00pm, Sunday 29 June 2025: Closing Night
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