Sarai Perenise-Ropeti
Director, Dramaturgy, Producer, Playwright
Ngāti Porou, Te Arawa, Solosolo, Iva | Sarai is a storyteller based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, who stands on the shoulders of the giants who came before her. She holds a BA and MFA in Theatre from Te Herenga Waka.
In the last few years, she has trained and worked in Pōneke, serving as the Playmarket Moana Script Advisor Resident in 2022 and 2023. More recently, in 2024, she was the Creative New Zealand x BATS Theatre Pacific Producer Resident, grounded in intention for the stories yet to be told.
She has directed Brown Crown, We Are Many (Circa Theatre), Frangipani Perfume (Centrepoint Theatre), and Riding Waves, Growing Roots. She has worked with the National Theatre for Children to produce the Bite Sized Treats Festival and the national tour of The Grumpiest Child in the World. She now serves as the Programming Coordinator at BATS.
Her kaupapa is to share the stories of Tagata Moana, to create spaces where Indigenous voices are uplifted. She is always seeking to collaborate, always seeking to nurture the vā, to weave, and to talanoa.
