HANNA
HANNA
HANNA
HANNA
A professional premiere of NZ Theatre Company's first production.
HANNA
By Sam Potter
Directed by Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Performed by Cassandra Woodhouse
Presented by NZ Theatre Company Ltd
"Being a young mum is supposed to be hard – but for Hanna, the only thing she's ever been brilliant at is raising her beloved daughter, Ellie. Until a DNA test reveals staggering news. Ellie is not Hanna's child. And now her 'real' parents want to meet.
How can an accidental mix-up in an overstretched maternity ward be explained to a three-year-old? Is Hanna supposed to let these strangers into her daughter's life? Forced to question what being a parent really means, Hanna makes a drastic decision that will change all their lives.
Sam Potter's funny, heartfelt and compelling one-woman play Hanna asks what family means in a modern society, delicately weaving in questions of racial identity, economic privilege, and the lottery of birth."
Press Quotes
“‘Gripping… a memorable and moving look at nature and nurture and what family really means’”
“Gripping... raise[s] a whole series of questions about class, race and nature versus nurture... I found myself hanging on every word”
“Sam Potter constantly keeps the audience on their toes. Her unpredictable text encourages curiosity. The tightly woven script explores themes of race, class and identity, and each notion gets unpicked with a high level of delicacy… bleak and humorous in equal measure”
“A well-constructed, absorbing monologue... there’s a lovely naturalness to the writing, which allows Hanna to develop its themes – on the impact of parenting, race, and class – with a light touch”
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
“Compelling and rich”
Creatives
CREATIVES
Creatives
CREATIVES
Hanna
CASSANDRA WOODHOUSE
Cassandra has been in the entertainment industry for 18 years. Having worked professionally as an actress and model on stage, film and television. Cassandra is thrilled to bring her self produced Hanna to the DOLPHIN THEATRE. Cassandra is passionate about merging the experience of both community and professional theatre. She seeks to create an environment where audiences can experience a fresh level of strong, empathetic and transformative storytelling whilst also providing employment opportunities for artists to enable sustainability, continued growth and employment in their artistic careers. A strong advocate for mental health, Cassandra is passionate about the vital role storytelling contributes to society and aims to continue to produce stories that ignite connection of the human heart, empathy and the comfort of seeing representation and diversity so we may walk this world feeling united and less alone.
Director
Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Te Atamira
Since training at Auckland’s Theatre Corporate, Jennifer has worked extensively in theatre, film, television, musical and radio for 40 years. She is also a trained Intimacy Coordinator for stage and screen.
Jennifer was a founding board member of the Watershed Theatre and a co-founder of the drama school, The Actors' Program. She is President of Equity New Zealand (since 2007), Patron of Q Theatre, Theatre New Zealand and Te Manu Tīoriori Trust and serves as a trust board member of the Actors Benevolent Fund.
In the 2007 New Year’s Honours List, she was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to theatre and the community. In 2018 she was named SPADA Industry Champion and in 2019 New Year’s Honours List, she was named a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to theatre, film and television and presented with a Woman of Influence Award (for arts and culture) Most recently, Jennifer was honoured as the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year 2020.