Performing The Whale Rider on stage presents some issues. The plotline revolves so much around being able to show this whale storyline alongside Kahu’s, or at least acknowledge that they are going on their own journey as Kahu is growing up. I think I would have to make some changes to the narrative, including the point of view. Rawiri acting as the narrator is an interesting perspective for the novel, but not anything that’s really applicable to the stage. I would choose to have Kahu more of the main focus in terms of narrative. The story would be hers instead of someone watching her. This means that gone would be the trip to Papua New Guinea and Sydney. I don’t think I’d even include the motorcycle gang. When I read the synopsis for the movie, there was very little mention of Rawiri (I still haven’t seen the movie. The clips on Youtube didn’t line up in some places, so I gave up.) I was surprised because he seemed so important to the story, but it’s easy to leave him out or to minimize his character. The same can be done for Kahu’s mother, step mother, and sister. Their roles are insignificant, which in the book highlights the perceived inferiority of females, but in a stage adaptation would just add unnecessary characters and make the story feel cluttered.
For staging, I would have a house front, upstage and to the left( stage right). This would be Koro’s house and for my purposes, the only house worth mentioning. This story is so focused on the Maori people’s connection to nature, to their gods and, consequently, the ocean, that putting more action indoors restricts the conclusions the audience can draw about the very real kinship these people have with the water. Conflict between Nanny Flowers and Koro would take place on the front porch and he would stalk off stage. Nanny Flowers’ flower beds would be directly at the front of the porch. I think I would choose to focus on this area because it would serve to ground Nanny and Kahu’s relationship. They would have this tangible proof of their growth together that would serve to show that they have a lasting relationship. I think this is where I would have Nanny bury Kahu’s umbilical cord in the beginning of the play. I think it’s important to keep that scene in the adaptation to show that there is this tie between Kahu and the land. If I understand what digital projection is correctly, to encapsulate the magical realism element that exists from Kahu’s birth, I would project that spear onto the stage and show it flying into that flower patch. For the audience to understand this, I’d have to give some background.
It’s crucial to the storyline to establish the role of the whales from the get go and to do that, the gods and Kahutia Te Rangi would need to make an appearance. The lighting would have to be dark, but the ocean should be projected on the stage. Kahutia would have to be standing center stage as the lights come up. His movements must be fluid and his costuming should immediately relay that he is a native. I do not know what the Maori people wear traditionally, but whatever they do is what Kahutia should be wearing. His spear should be in hand and whales should begin swimming behind him. Of course, this is not completely accurate, but short of building a whale, which would look odd, this is the best I could think to do that would relay what was happening- that Kahutia was swimming with the whales. There would need to be some speech in which he paid homage to the god of the water and then to the whales in general. He would need to dedicate himself to maintaining their relationship and then promise that in a time of need, a new leader would arise. Then the spear would be thrown, the lights would drop, and the stage would open on the house front with Nanny and Koro yelling.
The house front should be able to be pushed back, so the beach would take up most of the stage at any given time. This is where Koro would hold lessons, this is where Kahu’s concert would be held, this is where Kahu should hear the whales for the first time. The projection of the blue water and the whales is critical to relaying their importance to Kahu’s story. The score would also be something that would need to reflect the mood of the situation. It would be mysterious, but strong during the beginning, happy when Kahu visits the dolphin, and devastating, but triumphant when she heads with the whales into the sea. I think I would remove the hospital from the equation and have her return to the beach. Hopefully the lack of scene and set changes wouldn’t be too monochromatic, but I think it’s a good idea. Keeping minimalistic in terms of props and keeping the costumes simple, but reflective and respectful of cultural traditions, I think, is the way to go. The Whale Rider is an odd book to put on stage just because the story is very fantastical, so I think reigning it in and then having these scenes with a powerful score, wavelike lighting, and fluidity in motion will help show this contrast between the ‘real’ and ‘unreal’ without appearing contrived or overdone. 
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