Telecom Bringing Theatre Magic To Schools

Telecom is joining forces with the New Zealand Actors Company to bring the excitement of the theatre to secondary school students.

The Telecom Dream Matinees will bring Shakespeare’s magical play A Midsummer Night’s Dream to school audiences in Whangarei and the South Island. The performances, starring Robyn Malcolm and Katie Wolfe, are part of the New Zealand Actors Company’s 2001 programme, which follows the great success of last year’s North Island “Dream Tour”.

Telecom’s General Manager Communications, Jane Austin, said Telecom was delighted to again be involved in the Dream Tour.

“Last year’s Telecom Dream Matinees were a great success and we’re very pleased to be giving more young New Zealanders the opportunity to join in the magic this year.

“It’s a fantastic production and we see the Telecom Dream Matinees as a wonderful opportunity to broaden the play’s audience to students, who’ll relate to a brilliant young cast they may so far have seen only on television shows like Shortland Street.”

After each Telecom Dream Matinee there will be a forum in which students can question the cast about the play and the performance.

Cast members will also be visiting schools to conduct Telecom Dream Acting Workshops, where students will be able to try out the acting craft for themselves.

Telecom has also created an on-line resource on Shakespeare’s life and work to link the live Shakespeare performance to the secondary English curriculum. The site – http://encore.tef-telecom.co.nz - also has information about the tour.

Telecom is a leading sponsor of arts and education in New Zealand, donating around $12 million to schools every year.

The Smokefree Arts Dream Tour 2001 is visiting Whangarei, Christchurch, Dunedin, Greymouth, Queenstown and Invercargill between July 25 and 18 August.

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