Young performers from Afghanistan, India, Congo, Myanmar and other communities will explore identity, belonging and the pressure to fit in through a new theatre production in...
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Young performers from Afghanistan, India, Congo, Myanmar and other communities will explore identity, belonging and the pressure to fit in through a new theatre production in January.
By Webfit News | Arts & Community | 27 October 2026
What happens when you arrive in a new country, carrying memories of home, unfamiliar expectations and the pressure to fit into a world you are still trying to understand?
For a group of young people in Auckland, those experiences will become the foundation of a new theatre production.
In Borrowed Clothes – With Maps That Don't Match will be presented at Pitt St Theatre on 23 and 24 January 2027, bringing together young people from refugee, migrant and local backgrounds to share their stories through drama, dance and music.
Presented by Mixit, the production explores what it means to find your place in a new community while navigating the expectations of modern life.
And unlike a conventional theatre production, the young performers will help create the work themselves.
The title captures an experience familiar to many migrants.
Arriving somewhere new often means learning different customs, understanding unfamiliar social expectations and finding ways to connect with people whose experiences may be very different from your own.
Sometimes, fitting in can feel like wearing clothes that do not quite belong to you.
The production uses borrowed clothes, suitcases and mismatched maps as symbols of that experience.
But its message extends beyond migration.
In an age of carefully managed social media profiles, young people from all backgrounds face pressure to appear confident, successful and perfectly put together.
The performance asks what happens when that public image begins to hide someone's real identity.
For young migrants and former refugees, the challenge can be particularly complex as they balance their cultural heritage with the expectations of their new surroundings.
The production brings together participants aged approximately 15 to 25 and older.
The young performers have connections to Aotearoa New Zealand, Afghanistan, Congo, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Turkey, Somalia, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
Although their journeys differ, they share the experience of growing up, developing their identities and finding a sense of belonging.
Mixit's approach is to give participants the opportunity to contribute their own ideas, experiences, movement and lyrics.
The resulting production is developed collaboratively rather than built around a conventional script written entirely in advance.
That makes the performance an opportunity for audiences to hear perspectives that are not always represented on mainstream stages.
Mixit works throughout the year with young people from former refugee, migrant and local communities.
Through creative activities, the organisation helps participants build confidence, communication skills, friendships and connections.
Its annual summer production brings that work into a public setting.
The young people are not simply attending workshops or rehearsing someone else's story.
They are participating in the creative process and helping shape how their experiences are presented.
The production also provides opportunities for former participants to return in creative and technical support roles.
That involvement helps build continuity between generations of Mixit participants.
The 2027 production will be guided by a team combining established arts practitioners and emerging creatives.
Producer Wendy Preston MNZM, Mixit's co-founder and former director, will work alongside co-directors Margaret-Mary Hollins and current Mixit director Kaviesha Abeysinghe-Perera.
Choreography will be led by contemporary Māori dance maker Caleb Heke.
Musician Mel Bailey, also known as Kloos, will contribute to the production's musical direction.
Mixit alumni will support the creative and technical work.
The team will begin an intensive development process in early January, working with participants to transform their ideas into three public performances.
Auckland's summer arts calendar offers plenty of concerts, festivals and professional productions.
In Borrowed Clothes offers something different.
Its performers are young people drawing on their own experiences of identity, migration and community.
The themes may be especially familiar to families who have moved to New Zealand and watched their children navigate life between different cultures.
But the production is not intended only for migrant audiences.
Questions about acceptance, identity and the pressure to meet other people's expectations are relevant to young people across society.
By bringing those experiences together on stage, Mixit aims to encourage understanding through performance rather than speeches or formal discussions.
The production will have three performances at Pitt St Theatre in central Auckland.
Tickets are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis, ranging from $10 to $30.
The approach is intended to make the performances accessible to a wider audience.
Seating is limited, and advance bookings are recommended.
For those travelling by public transport, Pitt St Theatre is located opposite the Beresford Street exit of Karanga-a-Hape Station.
For the performers, the production is an opportunity to express experiences that may be difficult to communicate in everyday conversation.
For audiences, it offers a chance to see New Zealand through the eyes of young people whose journeys have crossed countries, cultures and communities.
The central question is simple.
How do you build a sense of belonging without losing the parts of yourself that make you who you are?
In Borrowed Clothes – With Maps That Don't Match may not offer one answer.
Instead, it will give young people the space to explore that question in their own voices.
And that is what makes this Auckland production worth watching.
Production: In Borrowed Clothes – With Maps That Don't Match
Presented by: Mixit
Venue: Pitt St Theatre, 78 Pitt Street, Auckland Central
Performances:
Tickets: $10–$30, pay what you can
Bookings: accounts@mixit.co.nz
Website: https://www.mixit.co.nz/
Source: Elephant Publicity / Mixit
