OYSTERS PO’BOYS& 2025
By Estelle Chout
ABOUT US
Black Creatives Aotearoa (BCA) is a community-centric social enterprise that represents a vibrant community of creatives with Black heritage (including African/Caribbean, African diaspora, Afro-Indigenous) residing in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Established in February 2018, our core mission is to contribute to a sense of purpose, pride and belonging for all people of African descent here in Aotearoa through connection, creation and collaboration. Committed to playing an active role in sharing the stories of our community within the arts and cultural sector, we are a national organisation that prioritises connection, compassion and critical engagement across all our mahi and have a track record of producing a range of successful events (visual exhibitions, stage shows, literary publications, online web series, music concerts and more) as well as community workshops and labs. Please visit www.blackcreativesaotearoa.com for more information.
www.blackcreativesaotearoa.com
PO' BOYS AND OYSTERSSEASON TWO
“Po Boys & Oysters is deeply personal to me because it’s the story I wish I’d seen growing up, a celebration of Black queer motherhood, identity, and love. I wrote it to give voice to proud, resilient women like myself, and to create a space where our families, our struggles, and our joys are seen, honoured, and uplifted on stage”
Estelle Chout, Playwright
From the visionary team that brought you the original sensation, directed by Dione Joseph (Black Creatives Aotearoa), the critically acclaimed, awardnominated drama that set Auckland stages ablaze returns for its sizzling second season. Follow our fierce Black lesbian power couple as they navigate the intoxicating waters of love, desire, and family dreams in a city that's still learning to embrace them.
Some stories are too powerful to tell just once.
WHAT WE NEED
WEARERAISINGOURLAST25KTOSUPPORT
International guest artist fees & travel (Sonya Renee Taylor)
Production and technical costs
Artist fees for the five-member cast and crew
75K 50K
Community access and low-cost ticketing
We are grateful for the incredible support we have already received from our generous funders
Season Partner
Logo on all promo, comp tickets x6, Full-page programme ad
Hosted event with cast
$5,000
Donor Circle
Name
We
Supporting Partner
Logo on select promo, comp tickets x4
Programme acknowledgement
ABOUT THE SHOW
Po’ Boys and Oysters follows a Black lesbian couple of Haitian descent who’ve immigrated to Auckland and are navigating the fraught terrain of adoption.
Themes: Family, class, sisterhood, queer identity, immigration, and love
Recognition: Nominated for the Adam NZ Play Award (2021)
Genre: Political drama with tenderness, grit, and humour
Setting: A Tāmaki Makaurau living room filled with hope and tension
www.blackcreativesaotearoa.com
WHY IT MATTERS
The only theatre work in Aotearoa led by and about Black queer immigrant women A powerful vehicle for storytelling, visibility, and advocacy Engages with urgent issues around parenthood, belonging, and intersectionality Provides professional and developmental pathways for Afro-Kiwi artists
CREATIVE TEAM
Written and Performed by
Estelle Chout
Martinique-born, Auckland-based
“I wrote Po’ Boys and Oysters to give voice to proud Black queer mothers like myself.”
DIRECTED BY
Dione Joseph (Directed by Dione Joseph (ANTi, America Rex)
“This is the first ever AfroCaribbean show in New Zealand's theatre history to make it to the mainstage - what an honour and privilege it is to be able to share our stories with such gusto to a growing audience”
FEATURING
Sonya Renee Taylor – Global thought leader, author, poet, activist Sandra Zvenyika – Acclaimed Zimbabwean-Kiwi actress
Andrew Johnson - Experienced Pākehā actor and director
Jack Briden- UK based Pākehā screen and stage actor
RECEPTION
“Featuring a fresh and urgent playwriting voice, held together by clear and confident direction, and telling the story of our diverse communities in Tāmaki Makaurau - I came out of the show ecstatic and privileged, eagerly anticipating what is to come”
Nathan Joe Director || Auckland Pride
“BCA delivered a wildly entertaining, poignant and heartfelt play, one of its kind and a critical addition to New Zealand theatre canon. Excellently directed with style, humanness and humour and produced with the kind of audacity that makes you quiver in your boots!”
Nisha Madhan Programming Manager || Basement Theatre
“To have a play with the key characters as black lesbians, living a authentic and happy life supported by humor is a achievement in 2023. It’s a shame we had to wait so long.”
Michelle Mascoll Founder || SameSameButBlack
