Role shines a light on heritage | Auckland Lifestyle News | Health, Fashion, Food and Wine in Auckland

The characters in a new play find the things that bring them together are their differences, writes Sharu Delilkan.

Playing Hera in Unitec Lab Research Theatre Company's production of Alfonsina has given Katie Burson the opportunity to discover the depth of her Maori heritage.

"I didn't know much about my Maori background before. It has been great researching my culture," she says.

Learning about her ancestry has helped the Massey resident become more sensitive to the play's central character, new immigrant Alfonsina's (Andrea Ariel) plight. "Although Alfonsina (Argentinian) and Hera are from different ethnic backgrounds, it's their similar experiences as minorities fighting the system that give them common ground."

The theatre company describes Alfonsina as a tragi-comedy that reveals the paradoxes of the immigration experience, involving friendship, honesty, hardship and the desire for a better life.

Hera and Alfonsina are cleaners who work for Sparkle and Shine. Their story is a social commentary rather than an exposition of their lives as cleaners.

The show is Burson's third working with director Pedro Ilgenfritz, a young theatre director from Brazil, one of whose specialties is physical theatre. 

"I really connect with his style of devising rather than relying on a script, and although it's hard work, almost like boot-camp at times, I love that he keeps us on our toes," says Burson.

Ilgenfritz says he involved the recent performing arts graduate because she'd shown her capability.

"Katie is a very intelligent actor who is fearless and likes to take risks. And she's very goofy as well, which is great."

Alfonsina, Musgrove Studio, Maidment Theatre, 8 Alfred St, Aug 9-14. Tickets: ph 308 2383 or see: www.maidment.auckland.ac.nz