The group—consisting of Fane, Gaoa, Lelisi, and Kightley—began in 1998 with a stage production entitled
Naked Samoans Talk about Their Knives (a parody of a New Zealand film
Topless Women Talk About Their Lives). The show was a sellout success in several cities across New Zealand. It led to a series of successful theatre productions and greater media attention. Their material on such subjects as racism and violence were surprising to some, but nonetheless their base grew.
Robbie Magasiva and
Iaheto Ah Hi joined the group in January 2001 and have remained members since. In 2003 they performed
Naked Samoans Go Home at
Downstage Theatre in Wellington and the Herald in Auckland. Between 2004 and 2006, the Naked Samoans were involved in two major projects. In television, the original members created the animated show ''
bro'Town'', New Zealand's first adult animated show. It received critical praise and numerous awards from the country's domestic entertainment industry. In film, most of the group members starred in the comedy film ''
Sione's Wedding, known as Samoan Wedding in other regions such as North America, co-written by Oscar Kightley and James Griffin. The movie became one of the highest-grossing Kiwi films of 2006, making over $NZ3 million. However, it also got media attention as being a victim of unauthorized distribution, resulting in some loss of potential revenue. Sione's Wedding was later released in Australia and distributed in the United States under a new title Samoan Wedding''. After a successful 2006, the Naked Samoans returned to their roots and performed with their new production,
Naked Samoans Go Home (Again), in December. In 2018 for a 20-year anniversary celebration the Naked Samoans teamed up with the Pasifika theatre company The Conch to present a show called
Naked Samoans Do Magic, commissioned by the Auckland Arts Festival (co-produced by The Conch). The production had a season from March 22 - 25, 2018 at the
Civic Theatre in the Auckland Arts Festival. One of the reviews states, "While hinting at many of the social problems that affect Aotearoa and the world, the production celebrates the transformative power of magic and of theatre, leading to a sense of optimism and hope." ==Filmography==