Cream Of New Zealand Theatre Talent To Perform

Some Of The Cream Of New Zealand Theatre Talent To Perform Over One Weekend In Wellington

Some of New Zealand's finest directors, actors and dramaturgs come together in Wellington to help develop and present to the public over the weekend of October 18-20 six outstanding new New Zealand plays, at TellTale, Playmarket's 2002 National Playwrights Forum Workshop Series, Studio 77, Victoria University of Wellington (October 14-20).

They include:
… celebrated veteran actors Martyn Sanderson, Kate Harcourt and Ken Blackburn coming together to play political agitators in a rest home in Paul Maunder's Prophets from the Margins;
… Rachel House directing Albert Belz's rivetting new play Awhi Tapu, featuring John Katipa;
… Gary Henderson directing Jed Brophy, Eryn Wilson, Johnny Wraight and Sean Allan in Carl Nixon's adaptation of Lloyd Jones' celebrated novel about the 1905 All Blacks, the Book of Fame;
… Eddie Campbell as 'Bubba' with Jonathan Hendry as the Wildean Carlaw in Geoff Allen's The Cray's Return.
Presentation times, play synopses, and cast and crew lists are attached.

Political activism in a rest home, arson in a dying North Island forestry town, fishing and drinking at a Bay of Islands bach and legendary rugby rucks and scrums all feature at TellTale, a national playwright's gathering organised by Playmarket, New Zealand's playwrights' agency and script advisory service. Supported by Creative New Zealand and Victoria University. The plays will be rehearsed and workshopped over the week prior to their public presentations, having been selected by a panel following a call-out to playwrights nationally for new work for the stage.

TellTale will also include an evening conversation with Witi Ihimaera and Hone Kouka (Thursday, October 17, 7pm at Playmarket, 16 Cambridge Terrace), the announcement by Playmarket of the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award (Monday, October 14), and a session on writing for radio by Radio New Zealand (Wednesday, October 16, 7pm at Playmarket). The six plays will be presented to the public at Studio 77, Victoria University (77 Fairlie Terrace, Kelburn) over sessions on the Friday night and during the day Saturday and Sunday. Programmes are available from Playmarket.

Charge only $5 per session.
Playmarket members and client writers, all events free.
Observation of workshops and rehearsals possible with registration. Free. Book with Playmarket for observation and evening sessions.

For More Information visit our website www.playmarket.org.nz

TellTale
The 2002 National Playwrights Forum Workshop Series
October 14-20, Studio 77, Victoria University of Wellington

Public Readings And Presentations

Friday, October 18, 7pm.
Very Lucky People Peter Cox (Wellington)
Kael has twice been awarded the same scholarship. Lenny owns a computer consultation business called The Computer Consultation Business Ltd. Stanley is pregnant. These are very lucky people. A new drama from a strong emerging playwright.
Director: Andrew Foster
Actors: Adam Gardiner, Jason Whyte, Loren Horsley, Gentiane Lupi, Brett McKenzie, Aiden Greenlich and Mick Rose.

Saturday, October 19, 10am.
Prophets from the Margins Paul Maunder (Wellington)
A group of New Zealand's now elderly but still gutsy political activists gather round a rest home bed - with decidedly dramatic and comic consequences. "What a countryŠ Guts of a whitebait, morals of a tomcat."
Director: Lisa Warrington Dramaturg: David O¹Donnell
Actors: Kate Harcourt, Ken Blackburn, Michelle Amas, Tina Cook, Martyn Sanderson,
Mario Gaoa and Jamie McGregor

Saturday, October 19, 1pm.
Couch Stayci Taylor (Auckland)
A hilarious, ballsy absurdist take on contemporary Big Brother-style reality television, surveillance, karaoke and consumer culture. "There's a camera?! Who's watching?"
Director: Mel Johnston Dramaturg: Jean Betts
Actors: Jo Smith, Miranda Manasiadis, Loren Horsley and Luane Gordon

Awhi Tapu Albert Belz (Auckland)
From the writer of Te Maunga comes a new drama with an electric grasp of the dark and light knife-edge existence of life in a dying central North Island forestry town. "No more blades, no more trees, no more bark. Just fire."
Director: Rachel House. Dramaturg: Hone Kouka
Actors: John Katipa, Karlos Drinkwater, Fiona Collins and Raj Varma

The Cray's Return Geoff Allen (Auckland)
A beach house in the Bay of Islands. Bubba is the unofficial King of the Bay. Each year he donates 25 crayfish for the Fisherman's Ball. This year however the crays have not returned from the islands where they breed. "Why do we hurt the ones we love? Because we can."
Director: Kathy McRae
Actors: Eddie Campbell, Lara Matheson, Jonathon Hendry, Kelson Henderson and
Emily Regtien

Book of Fame Carl Nixon (Christchurch)
"We scored 830 points and conceded 39." From the author of Crumpy comes a dramatic and physically dynamic adaptation of Lloyd Jones' celebrated novel about the 1905 All Black tour of the United Kingdom.
Director: Gary Henderson
Actors: Sean Allen, Jed Brophy, Johnny Wraight and Eryn Wilson

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