Ahi Karunaharan

Ahilan Karunaharan is writer, director, actor and producer of Sri Lankan descent from New Zealand. He is a recipient of the New Zealand Arts Laureate Award.

Background and Education Ahi Karunaharan was born in the United Kingdom and raised in Sri Lanka and New Zealand. His family is from Sri Lanka, they moved to the Wellington suburb of Newlands in New Zealand in 1990. He is a graduate from Victoria University of Wellington and Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. He graduated from Toi Whakaari with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) in 2007.

Career Karunaharan is a theatre-maker. He acts, writes, directs and produces. He founded the theatre company Agaram Productions, which curated and produced the first ever South Asian Writers Festival, Karunaharan is the artistic director of Agaram Productions. He has worked as an associate producer for Tawata Productions, and been a member of Prayas Theatre since 2011, a South Asian theatre and cultural group based in Auckland.

Other theatre organisations Karunaharan has worked with include Tara Arts, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and Silo Theatre. For Satellites he created Kollywood Extra, an immersive event at Sandringham Reserve.

My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak was commissioned by Silo Theatre and premiered in 2019. It was written over two years by Karunaharan, and celebrates the communal spirit and ritual of making art in India. He also directed and it is described as an immersive experience and received positive reviews. "The script is light and brilliantly performed, with the fourth wall being broken quite a few times! "

When asked in an interview to give advice to his younger self some of the things he said are: "Know your artistic whakapapa. Don't try to please everyone. Know what you're saying, who you're saying it to and what you want them to feel."

Influences Aki Karunaharan has named the writer Briar Grace-Smith and her play Purapurawhetu starring Nancy Brunning as an influence. Also Apirana Taylor's Whaea Kairau: Mother Hundred Eater which he saw at Otago Museum, and actors Taungaroa Emile and Jarod Rawiri who he had seen in The Prophet by Hone Kouka.

Melodic Maladies

My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak. Silo Theatre – a play set in 1970s Bombay, and a collision of East and West, with themes of representation, modernity and tradition.

My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak, Silo Theatre

Thali for Auckland Fringe Festival

Rudali-The Mourner for Prayas Theatre

2011 Kingdom of Cards Prayas Theatre

2014 A Thousand Hills House of Hudson

2017 The Night Mechanics Tawata Productions

2019 Counting and Cracking Belvoir St Theatre's, Sydney Arts Festival

Producing 2020 Yatra - For Prayas Theatre

2019 First World Problems For Agaram Productions

2018 Dara For Prayas Theatre

Appearances 2020 Auckland Writers Festival, Schools Programme. Featured writer.

2020 Dark Magic. Auckland Arts Festival. Panelist.

2019 Literally Lorne. Auckland Writers Festival. Writer

Awards 2020 Arts Laureate Award – The Arts Foundation

2019 Excellence in Leadership – Auckland Theatre Award.

2018 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award – winner

2018 Best Overall Production – Auckland Theatre Awards, Tea Auckland Arts Festival

2017 Best Ensemble - Auckland Theatre Awards - Swabhoomi: Borrowed Earth