Transcript
When he was seventeen, Joshua Iosefo opened up to his family to say he was gay.
His family struggled to understand, he says, what it meant for the family, and for him.
For years, he was depressed and suffered serious anxiety.
"It took about five years for me and my family to kind of do a full circle moment where... I mean, it wasn't easy, but I think together as we navigated a) through working out, you know, what it means to be gay or what it means to be queer and Pasifika and from south Auckland and also what it means to be mentally well in that space."
New Zealand-born Pacific youth are three times more likely to attempt suicide than other groups.
Mr Iosefo says by sharing his story, he hopes other families may learn.
"I identify that if our family were going through this, and if our family didn't necessarily know the tools of how to go through this, it makes me wonder and makes me think how many other families, Pasifika families, families from south Auckland may not know what mental health is, what it means to be well, you know what it means to look after your mental wellbeing."
Mr Iosefo's mother, Fetaui Iosefo, also plays the mum in the show.
She says she was raised a certain way, where mental health wasn't talked about.
She says there are limitations to that, and parents don't know everything.
"Vulnerability is so difficult, but when it's worth saving a life for and when we read the stats for youth suicide and when we read what they are associated with and most of them are around sexuality and that's heart-breaking, so we've spoken to Josh about it. It's been like we can't afford to let one more youth person die because they were uncertain about their sexuality."
Due to the heaviness of the theme, cast and crew were put through mental health first aid training as part of rehearsals.
The training involves things like how to help someone who is experiencing mental health issues or a crisis.
Talia-Rae Mavaega, who plays the protagonist Daphne, found the role eye-opening.
"Something that I really relate to with Daphne is that she's kind of disconnected from her culture in a traditional way, so she's not very well versed in Fa'a Samoa [the Samoan way] and that's also me as well, so she's given me a kind of different outlook in its kind of okay to walk the world in a different way. It doesn't make you any less Samoan, it doesn't make you any less Pacific islander."
Mrs Iosefo says the show is not only a testament to the passion her son has for storytelling, but a way of healing past trauma.
"We've always believed that we wouldn't be able to play this piece if it wasn't something we had healed from. I'd like people to see that actually there is a possibility and how mental health and sexuality and homosexuality was viewed before and never spoken about, I want people to know that actually it is possible. We just have to let go of our egos and unlearn a whole lot of things that aren't about love."
For Joshua Iosefo, he hopes families learn to rally around.
"In the same way it takes a village to raise a child, I think in the same way it takes a village to have a proper conversation and if you see one of your children or anyone in your village going through a tough time, as a village come together. Talk, share openly, make sure the village is safe, so that you can share openly."
Both seasons of the play included an opportunity at the end of the show for people to sign up to mental health first aid courses to increase awareness in the community.
The play will be shown at south Auckland's Mangere Arts Centre and will run from the 12th to the 15th of February.
This is Sela Jane Hopgood.
