Exit followed by Bears and Shrews
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Exit followed by Bears and Shrews
How apposite to have the culminating performance of Shakespeare Globe Centre NZ’s National Shakespeare Schools Production (SGCNZ NSSP) at Wellington Zoo, with 40 minutes of scenes being from The Winter's Tale, The Taming of the Shrew and The Comedy of Errors! The other performance is in Mac's Function Centre.
Forty-eight students, eight days, five workshop tutors, three plays and directors, two public performances, and one playwright. However, there is so much so much more to it than pure numbers. It is a week full of work, learning, personal and professional development, contact with very special events and people in the arts industry, linked by the ever-relevant words of the Bard.
These students were selected from the SGCNZ 24 Regional and National University of Otago Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festivals 2017 and its allied Costume Design and Music Composition Competitions to attend SGCNZ NSSP 2017. This theatre intensive has high expectations of these secondary school students who are cast, rehearse and perform abridged versions of three different Shakespeare plays with three highly respected directors, Robin Payne, Eleanor Bishop and Peter Hambleton respectively in just one week. For half of each day, they have invaluable Workshops taken by other renowned arts practitioners: Sir Jon Trimmer, Danny Mulheron, Raymond Boyce MBE, Hon LitD, Dr Hannah August, Lesley Graham and Brendan West.
Apart from honing their acting and performance techniques and expanding their knowledge of the arts and Shakespeare, the students learn the importance of being team players, as well as developing some leadership qualities, and how to interact with their peers and professionals.
"Hailing from forty-one different schools throughout the country, from area schools, through all the socio-economic strata, to a few private schools, the students are put on a 'level playing field' and gain experience in coping with the real life situations of collaborating and producing an end result for the public in just a week," remarked SGCNZ CEO, Dawn Sanders, "It is akin to a cultural version of Outward Bound."
Robin Payne will direct The Winter’s Tale with her group. Categorised as one of Shakespeare’s 'problem plays', The Winter’s Tale walks a fine line between comedy, tragedy and romance. Robin has worked in theatre world for over fifty years. Apart from being an actor and director, she has also taught drama and voice for many years in New Zealand and overseas, most recently in Singapore for some time.. She is the former Director of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.
Peter Hambleton will be working with the students on Shakespeare’s crazy and fun play, The Comedy of Errors, in a 21st century setting! Peter is not only an accomplished actor on stage and screen, having played the dwarf Gloin in The Hobbit Trilogy, but is also an extremely experienced theatre director. A former Shakespeare’s Globe International Actor Fellow in 2002, Peter directed the 2017 Wellington Summer Shakespeare production of All’s Well That Ends Well for which he received praise from audience and critics alike.
Eleanor Bishop is a New Zealand writer and director who is also active in the US theatre scene. She makes socially engaged and critical performances, aiming to reveal and explain oppressive social structures through audience participation. Her latest work is Jane Doe, a play about rape culture which she wrote over three years with the assistance of various US university campuses. In her hands The Taming of the Shrew will not only prompt laughter, but also evoke a substantial amount of critical thought amongst its teenage cast..
These 'two and a half comedies' promise to delight all. The first performance, on Saturday 7 October at 7.30pm, will be held at Mac’s Function Centre in the Te Aro Room, while the second one, on Sunday 8 October at 2.00pm, will be at the Wild Theatre, Wellington Zoo.
Through continuous assessment, half of the troupe will have the exciting additional 'bonus' of being selected to form SGCNZ Young Shakespeare Company 2018. They will travel to the UK in July next year to study, rehearse and perform on The Globe stage, attend performances and tours in London, and then go on to Stratford Upon Avon for more.
SGCNZ NSSP is a "life-changing" week, full of work, learning, personal and professional development, and the forging of friendships, many of which will develop into the formation of project groups and ever-lasting support networks. The importance of these is increasingly vital with the pressing social demands and entrepreneurship which young people will need more than ever to create their future careers.
For further information, please contact: Dawn Sanders ONZM, QSM, SGCNZ CEO, M: 027 283 6016
E: sgcnz.dawn@gmail.com
Performances:
Saturday 7 October 2017 7.30pm: Te Aro Room, Mac’s Function Centre, Taranaki Street Wharf, Wellington
Sunday 8 October 2017 2.00pm: Wild Theatre, Wellington Zoo,
Bookings: For Mac’s: via www.iTICKET.org.nz , door sales available (cash only)
For the Zoo: via the SGCNZ office, E: Shakespeare.et.al@gmail.com, P: 04 384 1300
Find the online booking form under www.sgcnz.org.nz, pre-booking is essential, NO door sales
Tickets: For Mac’s: $25-$12
For the Zoo: $10-$2.50 + $15 p.p. for Zoo entry