He waka eke noa (A canoe which we are all in with no exception)

On one side of the stage (stage left) is the bull whale.  He represents the Maori history. All of the characters will be played by humans, so the backdrop on this side is the ocean. This is supposed to portray that the characters on this side represent the whales.  On the other side (stage right) is the whale rider known to us as Kahu.  She represents the more recent history.  All characters here are human.  The backdrop on this side of the stage is supposed to be similar to Once on This Island backdrop.  However, the plants and wildlife will be what is native to New Zealand.  The narrator is present in center stage. They will move the story back and forth between left and right.  The backdrop here is the sand of a beach because it is the middle between the humans and the whales.  Most of the show, lights will only be up on one side and the narrator, but at the end there should be a scene or two with all parts of the stage (left, center and right). This would show when Kahu meets the whale rider and also where recent history meets distant history.  The worlds would cross representing all Maori people in the history and in the present.  

Title: Maori Proverb meaning we are all in this together. This fits with my adaptation because the people and whales don't know each other but they work together to allow the Maori people and culture to survive.  

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