Justine Simei-Barton is a Samoan theatre and film director and producer in New Zealand.

Early life and education

Simei-Barton was born in

Porirua Porirua, ( mi, Pari-ā-Rua) a city in the Wellington Region of the North Island of New Zealand, is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. The name 'Porirua' is a corruption of 'Pari-rua', meaning "the tide swee ...

to Samoan parents. She says she saw few brown faces in theatre, but she was inspired by seeing

Jim Moriarty James Moriarty (born 20 June 1953) is a New Zealand actor and theatre director, who began acting professionally in 1967. He came to national attention and is probably best known for his role as the school teacher Riki Winiata in the 1970s soap ...

play Hamlet, and

Don Selwyn Don Charles Selwyn (22 November 1935 – 13 April 2007) was a Māori actor and filmmaker from New Zealand. He was a founding member of the New Zealand Māori Theatre Trust and directed the 2002 film '' Te tangata whai rawa o Weneti (The Maori m ...

. Simei-Barton moved to Auckland to attend university in 1987. Simei-Barton initially studied law, but graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Studies from the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn ...

, and then earned a post-graduate diploma in broadcasting.

Work

Simei-Barton formed the Pacific Theatre company in 1987 based in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

. Finding a script for a Papua New Guinea musical in the university library as a student led to Simei-Barton staging ''Feiva/Favour!'' (1988) at the Maidment Theatre's Little Theatre in Auckland. The show was a sell-out. It was also a springboard for other Pasifika performing artists, notably choreographers Iosefa (Sefa) Enari, founder of Pacific Dance New Zealand, choreographer

Lemi Ponifasio Salā Lemi Ponifasio (born in Lano Samoa), is globally renowned for his progressive application to theatre, politicking, and engagement with indigenous, Māori and Pacific peoples. He was the Arts Foundation Laureate in 2011, and was the recipi ...

, and film director Vela Manusaute, who turned up on Simei-Barton's doorstep begging to be involved. Actors included

David Fane David Rodney Fane (born 28 December 1966) is a New Zealand actor of Samoan descent. Early life and education Fane was educated at St. Pauls College in Grey Lynn. Career Fane got into acting quite late and trained at the New Zealand Dram ...

and Shimpal Lelisi. In 1993 Simei-Barton directed ''The Contest'' written by her husband Paul Simei-Barton inspired by poem ''The Contest'' by

Albert Wendt Albert Tuaopepe Wendt (born 27 October 1939) is a Samoan poet and writer who lives in New Zealand. He is one of the most influential writers in Oceania. His notable works include ''Sons for the Return Home'', published in 1973 (adapted into a ...

. Collaborators included choreographer

Mary Jane O'Reilly Mary Jane O'Reilly (born 23 July 1950) is a New Zealand dancer and choreographer. She is best known for co-founding the Limbs Dance Company and the Auckland Dance Company, and choreographing the opening ceremony for the 1990 Commonwealth Games ...

, designer John Parker, costumier Suzanne Tamaki and a cast also including Fane and Lelisi and also Erolia Ifopo, Sefa Enari and Vela Manusaute. This production was presented at the Watershed Theatre in Auckland and at Taki Rua Theatre in Wellington. Simei-Barton co-directed with

Alan Brunton Alan Mervyn Brunton (14 October 1946 – 27 June 2002) was a New Zealand poet and playwright. Biography Brunton was born in Christchurch and educated at Hamilton Boys' High School, the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington ...

a performance of ''Romeo and Juliet'' for Auckland University's Summer Shakespeare in 1992, with an exclusively Pacific Island cast. The university did not welcome the production:

"That was so controversial I could not believe it," she says. "The university was 'not ready to see people running around in tapa cloths trying to speak English'. That was quoted to us in a memo from the committee, they found it quite offensive."

''Tusitala and the House of Spirits'' by Paul Simei-Barton, (Maidment Theatre 1994, Taki Rua 1996) was a notable production initially Simei-Barton co-directed with

Colin McColl Sir Colin Hugh Verel McColl, (born 6 September 1932) was Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) from 1989 to 1994. Career Educated at Shrewsbury School and at The Queen's College, Oxford, McColl joined the diplomatic service in 1 ...

. It is the story of English writer Robert Louis Stevenson's involvement in Samoan politics. Actors included Sylvia Rands and

Martyn Sanderson Martyn Sanderson (24 February 1938 – 14 October 2009) was a New Zealand actor, director, producer, writer and poet. Sanderson was described as one of the founding fathers of modern theatre in New Zealand. In New Zealand he had appearances ...

. These plays were part of the beginning of a movement for Pacific people presenting professional contemporary performing arts. Many of people worked on each others productions, with interchange for example between Pacific Underground in Christchurch and Simei-Bartons company in Auckland. Simei-Barton moved into film and television work. This includes short films ''Brown Sugar'' (1995) and ''The Trophy'' (2008), ''The Overstayer'', and ''Coming Home'' for the series "Tala Pasifika". Simei-Barton was producer, creator, writer, and director of the 2003 television series ''Good Hands–Lima Lelei'', which took seven years to bring about. The series is about a South Auckland-based netball team, and was nominated for Best Drama Series and Best Supporting Actress at the 2005 NZ Screen Awards. Simei-Barton has worked with producers Don Selwyn and Ross Jennings, cinematographer Allen Guilford. In 2007, Simei-Barton directed a play by Jason Greenwood, ''Lena'', at the Herald Theatre in Auckland. Simei-Barton directed the production of Wanjiku Kiarie Sanderson's New Zealand African play ''In Transit'' in May 2017 at Mangere Arts Centre.

Awards and honours

Simei-Barton was awarded a Senior Pacific Artist Award in 2007 as part of Creative New Zealand's Arts Pasifika Awards. She has won a QEII Arts Council Travel Grant and the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Ca ...

Travel Award.

Personal life

Simei-Barton is married to writer and teacher Paul Simei-Barton.

References

External links

Oral history of Simei-Barton
at Auckland Library, interviewed by Jean Hyland in 2006
Items by Simei-Barton in the Te Papa Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simei-Barton, Justine New Zealand theatre directors New Zealand women theatre directors New Zealand film directors New Zealand television directors New Zealand women film directors Women television directors People from Porirua Year of birth missing (living people) Living people New Zealand people of Samoan descent