The winds of change are sweeping the sleepy island of Karukam. A new resort promises a brighter future for all until fate puts the hopes of the community in the hands of Sidu - the village idiot!

Kicking off their national tour in Tauranga, Indian Ink Theatre Company presents its latest creation Kiss the Fish at Baycourt Theatre on June 4-6.

Indian Ink Theatre Company presents Kiss the Fish at Baycourt Theatre on June 4-6. Photos: John McDermott

Created by Justin Lewis and Jacob Rajan, the show weaves together Balinese masks, ancient theatrics and modern pop culture to create an 'epic comic love story”.

It is directed by Justin, with Jacob heading an exceptional cast which includes actors Nisha Madhan and Julia Croft, actor/comedian James Roque and award winning musician David Ward.

'It tells the tale of a family living in a small village community which has a chance at life changing riches,” explains Jacob. 'So they're caught between the old and the new world; tradition and progress.

'Of course, every village miser, bride and priest is lining up for their slice of the dream, but unfortunately it falls into the hands of the village idiot. Often the way in politics.”

At the heart of Indian Ink is the desire to keep creating new theatrical works and it's enjoyed a lot of critical success with many of their previous works including Krishnan's Dairy, The Guru of Chai and The Candlestickmaker.

But it takes a lot of hard work, years of hard work in fact, and for Jacob the writing process never gets any easier.

'Everything is made from scratch and it never gets any easier, we take about two years to construct shows and it's not about making things complicated, it's actually about keeping things simple.

'Simplicity is the hardest thing to create, to create a clear story articulating what you want to say is really tough.

'But it's also incredibly satisfying when you get it on stage in front of an audience and they all have their own interpretations, I guess it reflects the depth of thinking we are able to put into show.”

Jacob says when it comes to the writing process, invariably he injects aspects from his own life into his plays.

This can be seen in his first work Krishnan's Dairy where Jacob, albeit unconsciously, examined the arranged marriage of his parents while trying to reconcile it with his upbringing in New Zealand.

'In the west romantic love is the be-all and end-all. But for me, coming home every day and realising my parents essentially met on their wedding day was something I was struggling to make sense of.

'In Kiss the Fish, for myself as a father, it grapples with ideas of what the world is like, and what kind of world I am leaving my children.”

'All our work deals with big universal themes, they grapple with the question of how do you live a good life. So if you come and see Kiss the Fish you will find the answer to life,” he adds jokingly.

A big feature of Kiss the Fish is the show's use of masks that have been created by a Balinese Master Carver which is hugely important as the carving process itself is quite sacred.

'They're exquisite objects in their own right but when you put it on these actors they absolutely sing, the actors completely disappear and these new beings appear in front of you.

'I don't think many in the cast had much experience working with masks but for certain people you can teach them how to act while wearing masks, but at some level the mask just chooses you.”

Earlier this year the company enjoyed a successful winter tour of North America, playing cities like Kansas and Minnesota, where temperatures plummeted below zero.

'That was a rather interesting experience, given the show is set on a tropical island and all, so we're very happy to be home where it's a lot warmer.

'But we had an incredible response from American audiences, we had standing ovations every night and it just went off. We're now really excited to be touring it here at home.”

SunLive has one double pass to Kiss the Fish to give away to one lucky reader who can tell us which theatre company is presenting the show?

Visit out Competitions Section to get yourself in the draw. All entries must be received before Wednesday, June 3.