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“A work of art is not just the art object, the painting, the performance, the book, but also what that thing does with and in the minds, imagination and memory of the watching audience. Our ambitions for young audiences should be for them to be active and empowered audiences." Matthew Reason – Senior Lecture in Theatre York St John University RESOURCE PACK Te Pō Theatre Stampede and Nightsong Productions New Zealand Suggested Curriculum Links: Year 11-13 (Level 5-8) Subject NCEA Achievement Standards Achievement Objectives Drama 1.5, 1.7, 2.5, 2.7, 3.5, 3.7 L5-UC, CI/L6-UC, DI, CI/L7&8-UC, DI Music 1.5, 2.5, 2.6, 2.9, 3.10 L5&6-UC, CI/L7&8-UC, DI, CI English 1.11, 2.10, 3.8, 3.9 NA History 1.4, 2.4 NA (arts subject only) festival.co.nz/schoolfest CONTENTS The Company and The Show o Theatre Stampede and Nightsong Productions o The Show o What Others Have Said Meet The Makers of Te Pō – A Talented Bunch! o Additional Company Members Further Reading Video Reviews Your Curriculum Links Discussion Questions – Let’s Talk! IMAGE: CARL BLAND (DESIGN) AND JOHN MCDERMOTT (PHOTOGRAPHY) THE COMPANY AND THE SHOW Theatre stampede and Nightsong productions Carl Bland, writer of Te Pō, founded Nightsong Productions with Peta Rutter in 1990. Past shows by Nightsong Production include: The Bed Show, The House of Doors and Camels, Peta and Carl at The Last Supper, Sofa Stories and (in collaboration with Theatre Stampede) Head (winner of Chapman Tripp Most Original Production), and 360 – a theatre of recollections for the New Zealand Festival 2010 and Auckland Arts Festival 2014. Te Pō is a collaboration between Nightsong Productions and Theatre Stampede. Theatre Stampede was founded by director Ben Crowder. The show Where is the playwright Bruce Mason? Why has he suddenly gone missing? What made him leave his desk in such a hurry and disappear into the night? The investigation into his disappearance is led by Detective Inspector Brett. He immediately finds two prime suspects waiting in Bruce's study: the local minister Reverend Athol Sedgwick who is hiding something, and the blind Werihe, who has an appointment and refuses to leave. Then there's the seagull who seems to be trying to tell them something. Finding Bruce Mason soon becomes a matter of life, death and catching a big fish. Their investigation into his disappearance seems to reveal more about themselves than him, and when Bruce is finally found on Te Parenga Beach a terrible truth about their own lives is revealed. The play’s main themes are love and death - two opposites. This concept of opposites is used throughout the piece. It is a play about grief and yet it presents itself as a farce. Our three characters are full of these opposites. Detective Inspector Brett is a man who is constantly searching for the truth but cannot see the truth about himself. Reverend Sedgwick is a man of belief who doesn't know what to believe. Werihe is blind and he sees more than anyone else. The set emphasizes these opposites; the furniture moves from one side of the stage to the other. There is the light on stage the actors perform in and the dark of the theatre that surrounds it, a dark the characters use at the end of the play. Te Pō is about love outlasting death, about love waiting in the dark for you to find her again. Te Pō draws on a range of theatrical styles to create a unique view of the world – it relies on strong visual imagery and original use of language. The work is chaptered by love songs in a Māori showband style (performed by the actor who plays Werihe) and features puppetry in the form of a giraffe and a seagull. The Set The first two acts are set in Bruce Mason’s office. The set has a conventional box set quality. It is realistic, with the detritus of a writer scattered about – there are bookshelves, a piano and a desk. Beyond there are windows and sky. The play is set towards the end of Bruce Mason’s life – so the furnishings and wardrobe of the characters reflect this late 70s, early 80s tone. However, as the work progresses the set starts to reveal it is not all it seems. At times all the furniture moves and tricks the unwitting characters trying to keep a grasp on what is true; when the piano is played, it sounds like the typewriter and vice versa. We are also visited by a seagull from outside and more mysteriously a giraffe makes an appearance at times when characters are struggling with their sense of reality and consciousness. At the beginning of the third act, a transformation occurs in front of the audience’s eyes – the office of Bruce Mason dissolves and the expansiveness of Te Parenga beach arrives. All this is done by theatre illusion and trickery – there is no visible stage management – it is dreamlike and beautiful. What others have said Te Pō premieres at the New Zealand Festival 2016 so there are no quotes. The following two quotes are from the last show made by these two companies: “It’s a tale of memory and hope and desire and, of course, loss. By the end, if you’re like me, you’ll be sitting there with waves of sadness washing over you – and yet do not let that put you off. You will also be filled with delight at the beauty they conjure before your eyes, the moments of glorious comedy, the subtle and wondrous ways the show claims your heart.” Metro magazine on 360 – a theatre of recollections “…the work's strength is that content, form and structure reflect each other beautifully … Movement, puppetry, object theatre and a smart 360 degree soundscape and lighting design amplify the work's joyous celebration of the adventurousness needed to make leaps into the unknown in life. It has all the magic of an old fashioned children's pop-up storybook.” New Zealand Herald on 360 – a theatre of recollections MEET THE MAKERS OF TE PŌ – A TALENTED BUNCH! Ben Crowder - Director Ben is a co-founder and director of Auckland’s independent company Theatre Stampede. He studied drama at both Otago and Auckland Universities and went on to continue his professional training at The John Bolton Theatre School in Melbourne. His productions are well known for their theatricality, bold physicality and visual flair. Work includes: The Young Baron, Blossom, The Secret of Dongting Lake, Well Hung, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In past years he has collaborated with Nightsong Productions resulting in the works Head and most recently 360 - a theatre of recollections – which enjoyed an acclaimed première season at the New Zealand Festival in Wellington 2010 and went on to very successful season at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. The show won an inaugural excellence award and also The Hackman Cup, the people’s choice award for most original production at the 2014 Auckland Theatre Awards. Ben regularly directs and leads development workshops for a range of other theatre companies and organisations. Carl Bland – Writer/Actor Carl Bland is a writer, actor and painter. He has written and created his own shows with Peta Rutter under the name Nightsong Productions. Collaborating with Theatre Stampede they also made Head (winner of Chapman Tripp Most Original Production) and 360 - a theatre of recollections. Owen Hughes - Producer Owen is a film and theatre producer. He was production manager at Downstage Theatre in the 1970s working with directors Ian Mune, Mervyn Thompson, Phil Mann, George Webby, Grant Tilly, Nola Miller and Sunny Amey. In 1990 he production managed Richard Campion and Don Selwyn’s reenactment of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi for its sesquicentenary. He has produced over 50 documentaries, seven one-hour television dramas and two feature films. In this capacity he has won Best Film at the Nokia New Zealand Film Awards (1999) for Memory & Desire and Best Drama for Overnight and Trifecta (1998) and Home Movie (1999). For the Auckland Festival (2013) he produced Walk, Eat Talk as part of Auckland Theatre Company’s Dominion Rd Stories. His most recent documentary was Anzac: Tides of Blood with Sam Neill. Andrew Foster - Designer Director/Designer Andrew Foster was a co-founder of the award-winning Wellington theatre company Trouble. He has become known for his contribution to the development of new works. Collaborations with playwrights Jo Randerson, Gary Henderson, and Duncan Sarkies, have become contemporary landmarks. Andrew was Head of Radio Drama at Radio New Zealand in 2004-05 and during this time was instrumental in bringing many of the new voices of New Zealand theatre to radio, including Flight of the Conchords, Te Radar and The SEEyD Trilogy, which won Best Radio Drama at the 2005 NZ Radio Awards. Recent projects include: directing Eli Kent’s ‘slacker comedy/supernatural whodunit’ Black Confetti for Auckland Theatre Company; designs for Gary Henderson’s Peninsula and Stuart Hoar’s Pasefika at the New Zealand Festival; direction/design of the Jo Randerson/Trouble classic The Lead Wait, and the Tony Award-winning Red at Circa Theatre. In 2013 he directed and designed Apocalypse Z, an immersive theatre work about a zombie apocalypse in Auckland’s Aotea Square. Elizabeth Whiting - Costume Designer Elizabeth has designed costumes for The NBR New Zealand Opera, Auckland Theatre Company, Silo Theatre, Court Theatre, Red Leap and Okareka Dance, Black Grace, Douglas Wright Dance, Michael Parmenter, Atimira and Shona McCullagh and the Royal New Zealand Ballet. She designed costumes for Pop-Up Theatre in London, which was performed at the Edinburgh Festival. Opera design credits include Faust, Carmen, La Bohème, Falstaff, Barber of Seville, The Marriage of Figaro, Così Fan Tutte (NZO). She designed Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci for the Opera 2011 winter season, Acis and Galatea 2012, Don Giovanni in 2013 and Tosca for 2015. Theatre design credits include In the Next Room, Mary Stuart, Well Hung, Equus, Cabaret, Into the Woods, Sweet Charity, Hair, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Duchess of Malfi, Pillow Man, My Name Is Gary Cooper, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Glass Menagerie and Anne Boleyn (ATC); The Country Wife, La Cage aux Folles, The Great Gatsby and Cabaret for the Court Theatre. Tartuffe, Top Girls, Three Days of Rain, Irma Vep, The Scene, Holding the Man, When the Rain Stops Falling, Assassins, Tartuffe and Angels in America (Silo). For Theatre Stampede and Nightsong Productions she designed the costumes for both their previous collaborations: Head and 360 – a theatre of recollections. Elizabeth designed the World of Wearable Art core show for Wellington every year from 2011-2015. In 2010 she won the Chapman Tripp Costume Design Award for The Arrival (Red Leap). She represented New Zealand at the Prague Design Quadrennial in 2003 with her costumes for Falstaff, and again in 2007 with a team of designers who created the exhibition Blow. Ella Becroft - Puppeteer Ella works as an actor, director and producer. Ella has been a Red Leap Theatre company member since 2007, when she first collaborated with Kate Parker and Julie Nolan on the production Beyond the Blue. She then went on to devise and perform in their multi-awarding-winning production of The Arrival, for which she was awarded a Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Ella was also a cast member in Red Leap’s Sea and Dust Pilgrim. Ella co-founded theatre company Petit Workshop, and recently directed The Two Farting Sisters, which toured to Wellington and Auckland. Petit Workshop create beautiful worlds using puppetry, shadow and pop-up storybook sets. As well as working in theatre, Ella recently featured in the television series Coverband and puppeteered Kune from children's series Kune's Kitchen. She has designed and created puppets for Auckland Theatre Company, Theatre Stampede, Red Leap Theatre and Petit Workshop. Nik Janiurek - Lighting Designer Nik is a theatre practitioner, specialising in freelance production & technical management, and lighting design. Originally trained at the Bristol Old Vic in the UK, he has worked for premier companies both in the UK and New Zealand. He has toured extensively with shows in New Zealand and internationally to festivals throughout Europe, Australasia, Asia and North America. Nik's previous work includes international tours of Little Shop of Horrors (Jumpboard),Masi and Vula (The Conch), Gathering Clouds (Black Grace), The Magic Chicken (Theatre Beating) and The Rocky Horror Show. National tours include The Kiss Inside (Douglas Wright), The Thing from the Place (Theatre Beating), Tic Tic (Jumpboard) and Rita and Douglas (Armstrong Productions). Recent work includes Evita, Mamma Mia and Rent (Amici), Between the Waves (Passion Productions), 360 - Theatre of Recollections and Flora (Theatre Stampede), Len Lye - The Opera (NICAI) and The Chinese Lantern Festival. Nik has also worked on Guys and Dolls, The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate, Like there's No Tomorrow, God of Carnage, Mary Stuart and Disgrace for Auckland Theatre Company. Nik regularly lights the National Youth Theatre Company productions, including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, The Wizard of Oz, Grease, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Sound of Music, Pinocchio and High School Musical. He has occasionally taught lighting at the University of Auckland, AUT, Unitec and Toi Whakaari. John Gibson – Sound Design John Gibson has been composing original scores for theatre film dance and television since 1980. He has clocked up close to a hundred original scores and sound designs for theatre since then. In 2009 he received a Qantas award for his score with Jack Body for Vincent Ward's Rain of the Children. He has worked on all of Nightsong Productions shows – including the Theatre Stampede collaborations Head, 360 – a theatre of recollections. Andrew Grainger - Actor Andrew's career as an actor began in the 1980s in England. Some of his first professional productions, all performed on London's West End, were South Pacific, Seven Brides For Seven Brothers and Little Shop Of Horrors. Television and film highlights from the UK include roles in BBC’s Pride and Prejudice and Our Friends From The North, The Bill, Rosemary And Thyme, Heartbeat, Bad Girls and Eastenders, Sky Runners, Avalon High, In The Beginning; appearing in feature film Mean Machine, and working alongside Robert Redford in Spy Game. After emigrating to New Zealand, Andrew has rapidly built up an impressive collection of credits, appearing in When We Go To War, a six part television series for TVNZ, Shortland Street, Outrageous Fortune, The Million Dollar Con Man, Life's A Riot, The Cult, Spartacus, Super City and most recently Ash Versus Evil Dead. His film credits here include Six Days and The Dark Horse. For Auckland Theatre Company, Andrew has appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar, The Good Soul of Szechuan, Once on Chunuk Bair, Chicago, The Heretic, Anne Boleyn, Little Shop Of Horrors, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Twits, Calendar Girls, Mary Stuart, Poor Boy, August: Osage County, Oliver, Le Sud and Lysistrata. For Silo Theatre: Assassins, That Face, and Ruben Guthrie. Andrew was also proud to be a part of 360-a theatre of recollections created by Carl Bland, Peta Rutter and Ben Crowder. George Henare - Actor Fifty years in this vagabond but very rewarding profession. A career that began in 1965 with the NZ Opera Company’s production of Porgy and Bess, then subsequent operas graduating from chorus member to character principal then into Legit Theatre, working with the NZ Maori Theatre Trust, Downstage, Mercury, Court, Circa, Taki Rua, Stetson Productions, Aucklsnd Theatre Company and Newmarket Theatre Company. Across the ditch with Melbourne Theatre Company, Sydney Ensemble and Company Belvoir - all these interspersed with radio drama, television, talking books, films, documentary narrations and hosting award ceremonies. “The honours, achievements and awards over the years have been an extremely humbling experience for which I will be eternally grateful.” FURTHER READING New Zealand Herald interview with Carl Bland (2015): http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11397813 The Big Idea interview (2014) with Ben Crowder on him directing Famous Flora: http://www.thebigidea.co.nz/news/interviews/2014/nov/151064-stripping-down-the-story Theatre Scenes site’s collection of theatre reviews of shows directed by Ben Crowder: http://www.theatrescenes.co.nz/tag/ben-crowder/ VIDEO Trailer of 360 – A Theatre of Recollections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG-Xd8NY8g REVIEWS Being a brand new show, there are no reviews for Te Pō yet. Below is a list of full reviews of Theatre Stampede and Nightsong Productions most recent show, 360 – A Theatre of Recollections: http://www.metromag.co.nz/culture/stage/360-a-theatre-of-recollections-review/ http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10628255 http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=2877 YOUR CURRICULUM LINKS Which subjects does Te Pō link to? Drama Music English History How? The main elements students can engage with in Te Pō are: writing, performing, strong movement, character, Maori music, puppetry, and a significant historical figure of NZ. Regarding content there are some strong ideas around love and grief that can provide some opportunities for significant discussion around the plays overall themes and what it’s trying to say to its audience. Read further for more specific information about how Te Pō contributes to the following Achievement Standards: Subjects and Standards Drama Attending this show meets the following Achievement Standards for students attending live performance. AS90011 - 1.7 Demonstrate understanding of the use of drama aspects within live performance. AS91219 - 2.7 Discuss drama elements, techniques, conventions and technologies within live performance. AS91518 - 3.7 Demonstrate understanding of live drama performance. There is an opportunity here to study the recent and current work of Carl Bland as a playwright and theatre maker with Nightsong Productions since 1990. He is also an actor and painter, so there is scope for discussion around multidisciplinary artists. Additionally, Te Pō offers the added opportunity to use the piece as a starting point to more deeply understand and examine the work and life of Bruce Mason, a profoundly significant figure in the history of NZ theatre. AS91000 - 1.5 Demonstrate understanding of a significant play. AS91217 - 2.5 Examine the work of a playwright. AS91516 - 3.5 Demonstrate understanding of the work of a drama or theatre theorist or practitioner. Music Te Pō features love songs in a Māori showband style. The piece can support the following Achievement Standards with regards to understanding the conventions of these types of musical scores, as well as providing an opportunity to investigate and research a specific aspect of NZ music and music history. AS91094 - 1.5 Demonstrate knowledge of conventions used in music scores. AS91276 - 2.6 Demonstrate knowledge of conventions in a range of music scores. AS91278 - 2.9 Investigate an aspect of New Zealand music. AS91425 - 3.10 Research a music topic. English The following English Achievement Standards are met by Te Pō based on the strength of the writing of both Carl Bland and Bruce Mason; specifically in the realm of literary understanding, analysing, critiquing and use of language. Carl Bland has a proven track record with writing and creating strong pieces of text, and as a contemporary NZ playwright students can study the kind of work currently being written in NZ. Bruce Mason’s link to this piece also provides students with the opportunity for a starting point to engage with the writing of one of New Zealand’s most lauded writers. AS90856 - 1.11 Show understanding of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and/or listening, using supporting evidence. AS91107 - 2.10 Analyse aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and/or listening, supported by evidence. AS91479 - 3.8 Develop an informed understanding of literature and/or language using critical texts. AS91480 - 3.9 Respond critically to significant aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading, supported by evidence. History Te Pō could be a starting point for students to investigate the life and work of one of New Zealand’s most significant artists. Bruce Mason was a playwright “who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre”. AS91004 - 1.4 Demonstrate understanding of different perspectives of people in an historical event of significance to New Zealanders. AS91232 - 2.4 Interpret different perspectives of people in an historical event that is of significance to New Zealanders. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS – LET’S TALK! These questions are a guide. They will be more appropriate for some ages and subjects than others. They are designed to provoke further discussion. What was this show about? What was the story? Could you relate to the show? How did you feel watching it? How successful were the performers in keeping the audience engaged throughout the performance? How did the performers use their bodies to create different moods and characters within the piece? Did the performers have presence? Discuss what stage presence is, and how we achieve it. The piece had puppets. Using what you know about puppetry and what you observed in the show, what skills do you think a good puppeteer needs to have? What can you say/share about the writing? Did you follow it? What didn’t you follow (if anything)? What did you notice about staging, lighting, sound, music, costume, direction and other production elements? How did the production elements support or enhance the performance? Was there anything you didn’t like about the performance? Why? Were there parts of the performance you feel you didn’t understand? Were there parts of the performances that really grabbed or surprised you? Why? What was your overall impression of the show? If you were to recommend the show to a friend, how would you describe it?