Co-producer Jackie Shaw says the "verbatim" play reveals what those directly affected by the earthquake were really thinking.
The Queenstowner, together with Christchurch writer and producer Victoria Abbott, met more than 80 people from Christchurch, ranging from a 4-year-old preschool pupil to a grocer's wife and some of the television news journalists sent to cover the quake.
The play tells stories of loss and gives an unfiltered perspective on one of the worst tragedies faced by New Zealanders, Miss Shaw says.
"Journalists often [put a] shield up and people often think they are out of place asking families about what they have lost. We wanted to remove that shield and ask them how they were actually feeling as a person during this time, not just as a reporter."
Miss Shaw says the perspective of a reporter is most interesting because often they are "not given the time of day" by the general public because of their intrusive line of work.
The Bare Hunt Collective production took more than eight months to put together and premiered in Wellington in January to a sellout audience.
The collective then decided to take the show to Christchurch. Miss Shaw says she has received overwhelming feedback from Cantabrians since.
"They were really taken back by this. Everyone in New Zealand has been affected one way or another. We all know someone who was there."
Miss Shaw says researching the play opened her eyes to the different world Cantabrians are still living in.
"What I realised is this is still going on. So it's good to try to give justice to these people."
The play uses material from 15 of the interviews, re-creating those interactions on stage, all characters played by either Miss Shaw, Miss Abbott or third cast member Frith Horan.
Miss Shaw says the play is not all doom and gloom. There is some laughter among the grief.
The objective, she says, is to encourage story-telling in the community and provide an opportunity for discussion.
"It's a good way to process your own grief. A lot of people are removed from it - we are removed from it down here in Queenstown."
The former Wakatipu High School pupil and University of Otago arts graduate says the next step for the show is to take it to Auckland and then Australia. The small production company has also been in communication with a Los Angeles producer.
The show
• Munted will be performed in Otago for the first time on September 11 and 12 in Queenstown, then September 13 in Wanaka and in Dunedin for two shows on September 14 and 15.
• Tickets can be bought by emailing barehuntcollective@gmail.com
• Some door sales will be available.
