Anna Shaw and daughter Lily Shaw are both performing their own shows at Wanaka’s Festival of Colour.
Anna Shaw, originally from Melbourne, raised her family primarily in Wanaka while working at Mount Aspiring College as a music and drama teacher.
She has since also lived in Wellington and even went on to teach remote indigenous communities in the Northern Territory, in Australia, which was the inspiration behind her one-woman show in the previous festival.
This year she is bringing another one-woman show to the festival. It is about her attempt to move back to Wanaka during Covid-19.
She incorporates her guitar and acting skills to express the ups and downs of trying to reconnect with a place she once called home.
As exciting as the show is for Ms Shaw, what makes this year even more unique is her daughter’s performance as part of the band Revolver.
"It's just such a joy to think that we’re both on in different capacities but [the] same festival and that makes it particularly special for me as a parent ... all parents love to see their children perform," she said.
Although this is not her first time performing at the festival, it is her first time as the saxophonist for Revolver.
The band first began as a group of friends attending jazz school at Victoria University of Wellington.
After finishing their studies, most students stayed in Wellington, including Lily.
Her drive to become a musician was inspired by her mother who has always supported her passion.
"When I was at school, she taught music, drama and English and so she was always really supportive of me doing music and other creative stuff and always helping me," she said.
Ms Shaw, being a music teacher, surrounded her children with a lot of creativity which has made an impact on both Lily and her brother Fabien who is part of the band the Teskey Brothers.
"Between music and theatre, they’ve always seen us rehearsing something ... and then both of our children ended up doing the same degree" she said.
Both mother and daughter were expecting the festival to be a special bonding experience, inspired by a childhood of creativity.
