KA TITO AU 2018 TEACHER RESOURCE KIT EVENT PARTNER SCHOOLFEST PARTNER

Transcription

1 KA TITO AU EVENT PARTNER 2018 TEACHER RESOURCE KIT SCHOOLFEST PARTNER

2 CONTENTS 1. CURRICULUM & LEARNING AREAS 2. CAST & CREATIVES 3. ABOUT THE SHOW 4. BIOGRAPHIES & STATEMENTS 5. YOUR SHOW EXPERIENCE 6. BACK IN YOUR CLASSROOM TEACHERS SCHOOLFEST 101 PACK DOWNLOAD HERE This is your guide to getting the most out of your SchoolFest experience. The pack includes top tips for attending performances, dress code, schools ticket collection, Festival venues, accessibility and more.

3 2018 SCHOOLFEST KA TITO AU CURRICULUM LINKS Drama, Dance, English, History, Te Reo ACHIEVEMENT OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES Level 4 8 Drama Developing practical knowledge / Developing ideas / Understanding the arts in context/ Communicating and interpreting AS Demonstrate understanding of features of a drama/theatre form AS Examine the work of a playwright AS Demonstrate understanding of the work of a drama or theatre theorist or practitioner AS Demonstrate understanding of the use of drama aspects with live performance AS Discuss drama elements, techniques, conventions and technologies within live performance AS Demonstrate understanding of live drama performance Dance Understanding dance in context / Developing practical knowledge / Developing ideas/ Communicating and interpreting AS Demonstrate understanding of the elements of dance English Listening, reading and viewing AS Show understanding of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and/or listening, using supporting evidence AS Analyse aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close viewing and/or listening, using supporting evidence AS Develop an informed understanding of literature and/or language using critical texts AS Respond critically to aspects of visual and/or oral text(s) through close reading and/or listening, using supporting evidence History Understanding: Identity, culture, and organisation / Place and environment / Continuity and change/ The economic world AS Demonstrate understanding of different perspectives of people in an historical event of significance to New Zealanders AS Describe the causes and consequences of an historical event AS Describe how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society AS Interpret different perspectives of people in an historical event that is of significance to New Zealanders AS Examine causes and consequences of a significant historical event AS Examine how a significant historical event affected New Zealand society AS Analyse different perspectives of a contested event of significance to New Zealanders AS Analyse the causes and consequences of a significant historical event AS Analyse a significant historical trend and the force(s) that influenced it

4 CAST & CREATIVES Writer Director Performer Apirana Taylor Murray Lynch Tola Newbery

5 Many are the stories of Kupe, that is my story, to understand the people understand the stories KA TITO AU

6 ABOUT THE SHOW Kupe, the great Pacific explorer and navigator, is the hero of this lively, lyrical solo show by treasured local poet and storyteller Apirana Taylor. Legend has it that Kupe discovered Aotearoa after pursuing Te Wheke-a-Muturangi, a giant octopus that was endangering his people s fishing grounds in the Pacific. An enchanting tale of Kupe s many exploits. A masterful piece of storytelling, Ka Tito Au is part of A Waka Odyssey, the Festival s celebration of our shared voyaging past and Pacific future.

7 BIOGRAPHIES Apirana Taylor, Writer Described by Fiona Farrell as a seer and shapeshifter, poet and warrior, Apirana Taylor is of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui, Ngāti Porou and Taranaki descent. He is the author of six volumes of poetry, four short story collections, two novels, three plays and three CDs of music and poetry. In 1994 he won the I. B. M. Young Writers award and the Te Hā Award for poetry. In the late 1970s Apirana was one of the original founders of groundbreaking Māori theatre group, Te Ohu Whakaari. Taylor s first collection of poetry, Eyes of the Ruru, established his powerful voice among Māori writers and his prose, written predominantly in realist modes, firmly established his literary presence. In 1999 he published the plays Kohanga and Whaea Kairau: Mother Hundred Eater with Pohutukawa Press, now available from Playmarket. Kohanga, which vibrantly discusses the advantages and disadvantages of learning Te Reo, was voted best debut play of the year by the Dominion Post. Whaea Kairau tells the tale of a dispossessed Irish woman during 1840s war-time New Zealand. A third play for young people, Ngā Manu Rōreka, was translated into te reo by Materoa Haenga. In his own acting career, Taylor was nominated best debut actor by the Dominion and Evening Post, and was also nominated as best supporting actor in the New Zealand Television Awards for playing the part of Billy in Tiger Country (1998). Not only renowned in New Zealand, Taylor travels both nationally and internationally as a poet and storyteller. He has twice been invited to tour India as a poet, and has travelled throughout Europe participating in a three-month poetry tour of Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Germany. His poetry has been translated into German and Italian. His highly regarded novel Five Strings was published this year by Anahera Press. Murray Lynch, Director Since 2010 Murray Lynch has been director of Playmarket. He is a theatre director, manager and teacher. His professional career began in 1973 and his work has been seen at every major professional theatre in New Zealand. At twenty-two he was appointed Associate Director of Centrepoint Theatre, and Artistic Director three years later. From Murray was Associate Director at Auckland s Theatre Corporate, ran Maidment Theatre and founded Spare Parts and Tantrum theatre companies. In 1993 he became a tutor at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and later headed the Acting and Directing Programmes there until He was Artistic Director of Downstage Theatre He graduated with distinction from Victoria University of Wellington with a Master of Arts in Theatre.

8 Tola Newbery, Actor Tola is of Tuhoe descent and is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School (Bachelor of Performing Arts, Acting). His credits at The Court Theatre include: The Motor Camp; Hui; Macbeth; and, most recently, Waiora. His other theatre credits include: Awhi Tapu (Taki Rua Productions); Tū (Tawata Productions); Hīkoi (Hāpai Productions/Circa Theatre); He Reo Aroha (Tawata Productions) and Hui (Silo Theatre). His television credits include: The Prophet by Hone Kouka, and film credits include The Pā Boys. Ko Hiwi-o-te-Wera rāua ko Kīha ngā pae maunga. Ko Haurepo, ko Wainui ngā kōawa. Ko Te Umuroa te marae. Ko Te-Poho-o-Parahaki te tīpuna whare. Ko Ngāti Manunui te hapū. Ngāi Tūhoe te Iwi. Ko Tola Newbery tōku ingoa.

9 DIRECTORS STATEMENT I am the director of Playmarket, New Zealand s playwrights agency and script development organisation and it is in this capacity that Shelagh [Magdaza, NZ Festival Artistic Director] and I met to discuss potential projects for this year s festival. She mentioned the Waka Odyssey project and her desire to present a companion piece that evoked Homer s Greek Odyssey and told of the exploits of Kupe. We discussed her vision and the potential commission of a solo show. Apirana Taylor had mentioned to me a few weeks prior his desire to write again for the theatre. I approached and subsequently met with Api who was as excited by the prospect as myself. Creating the Script Api is an internationally known storyteller with a wealth of tools in his storytelling box and is also a Te Reo speaker. I researched everything I could find about Kupe school publications from the 60s, recorded stories from different iwi, children s story books as well as accounts from historians like Michael King and Keith Sinclair. I was fascinated by the tales recounting the exploits of a living explorer mixed with the myths, such as where Kupe realigned the islands, for instance. Every iwi has stories and hold some ownership of Kupe s exploits. I presented these findings to Api and combined with his personal experience we had long discussions establishing what would become our combined vision of the piece. Without trying to be prescriptive I offered some potential parameters non-theatre spaces, lotech, no set and no recorded sound. We thought it would be performed by a young actor as if in his warrior prime. Within a very short time Api had the first draft. Api read the script aloud to Shelagh, myself and other members of the NZ Festival team. I had read as a young man about playwrights reading their plays aloud to patrons or to regulators and here I was wondrously experiencing this. Since then Api and I have refined sections. There is a main thread which is the preparation, the journey to conquer the giant wheke and the subsequent battle. But there are sidebars/ exploits included which add up to much more than one individual story. Process I have broken the play into beats or episode sections and discussed my understanding of the action within each of these with Api to ensure we are on the same page and that my perception marries with his. When I get onto the rehearsal floor with Tola we will examine each of these in detail before moving forward to ensure we too are on the same page and have explored the best options to convey to the audience our understanding of the content of each section the objectives within each beat. We will be aided in this by working with our choreographer to define a movement vocabulary for the characters sometimes Tola will be inhabiting other characters to relate the story including the wheke-octopus. We will have a costume designer and the plan is for Tola to be dressed in contemporary casual clothing so that he is clearly a storyteller taking on Kupe s persona but not attempting a mimetic representation of Kupe.

10 Ka tito au ki a Kupe I sing to Kupe te tangata nana i hoehoea te moana the man who crossed the sea te tangata i tope tope te whenua the man who settled this land KA TITO AU EXCERPT

11 YOUR SHOW EXPERIENCE Before seeing a theatre production Research the story and content upon which the performance is based. What do you already know of the story of Kupe? The differing versions of his exploits? Based upon the information that your class has access to (personal knowledge, tv and other media, advertising from the NZ Festival, etc.) what are you expecting in the show? View and analyse videos/photos of the creative teams past works if available. What other performers do similar work? Why do they come to your mind Ethnicity? Genre? Things to think about during the show On entering: - How is the feeling of entering the performance space different than usual? - What strikes me about the design of the physical space? Does anything catch my eye? - What do I notice about the performance space? What might I understand about the production before it even starts? - What kind of experience are the creators of the show setting me up for? Observations about the production: - What captures my attention during the play? Is it the acting? The story? Why? - Does the plot engage me? Do I care about the characters? Why? - How do the characters seem to interact with one another in a solo performance? With the set and the world of the play? - How does the director (costume and set) stage the action to focus the drama for me? - How is the space defined? - What questions do I have about this production? What is the meaning of the play? - How does it feel when the play ended? - Were any of my preconceptions about the event changed? Challenged? Why? How?

12 BACK IN YOUR CLASSROOM ACTIVITY 1 Positive, negative & interesting Following the attendance of Ka Tito Au, ask your students to reflect on the questions below. You might choose to have them answer each individually, in groups for roundtable discussions or all together as a class. 1. What was your overall reaction to Ka Tito Au? Did you find the production compelling? Stimulating? Intriguing? Challenging? Memorable? Confusing? Evocative? Unique? Delightful? Meaningful? Explain your reactions. 2. What was the most compelling feature of the character or themes in the play and why did you find them interesting? 3. Do you think that the pace and tempo of the storytelling were effective and appropriate? Explain your opinion. 4. If you were asked to describe Ka Tito Au to a friend who didn t see the play using only one sentence, what would that sentence be? 5. What qualities of character were revealed by their action and speech? 6. Were there any character traits or ideas you could relate to personally? 7. What is the purpose of myth? What was the purpose of this myth? Why should we remember these stories?

13 ACTIVITY 2 Favourites & the five ws What were your favourite three key moments in the production? Answer the five Ws (What, Who, Why, When, Where) for each of these three key moments. Moment 1 Moment 2 Moment 3 What happened? Who was there? Why did it happen? When did it happen? Where did it happen?

14 ACTIVITY 3 Production technologies used in Ka Tito Au In the boxes below, describe one example of each production technology you saw in the show. 1. Definition of Space How did it help to communicate the ideas of the show. Why was it effective? 2. Costume How did it help to communicate the ideas of the show. Why was it effective? 3. Sound How did it help to communicate the ideas of the show. Why was it effective?

15 ACTIVITY 4 Write a review Have your students take on the role of theatre critic by writing a review of the production of Ka Tito Au. A theatre critic or reviewer is essentially a professional audience member, whose job is to provide reportage of a play s production and performance through active and descriptive language for a target audience of readers (for example, their peers, their community, or those interested in the arts). Critics/reviewers analyse the theatrical event to provide a clearer understanding of the artistic ambitions and intentions of a play and its production; reviewers often ask themselves, What is the playwright and this production attempting to do? Finally, the critic offers personal judgment as to whether the artistic intentions of a production were achieved and effective. A performance review should include: Introduction Include the name of the production, production company and key creatives (writer, director, designer). Body paragraphs Tell the reader something about the major themes/ideas of the production. Make judgements about the production but make sure you justify your opinions. Conclusions Make an overall recommendation about why people should see this performance. Don t forget to include a snappy headline that encapsulates the show. Note: Encourage your students to their reviews to the New Zealand Festival SchoolFest team on schoolfest@festival.co.nz for publication. ACTIVITY 5 Recreate it! Take a moment or experience from your life where you felt you were brave, resourceful, a leader, etc. Write out a plot summary of what occurred (routine; inciting incident; denouement; resolution), now use that material to write a monologue that includes all the characters of the story. Once done, the class is randomly assigned another student s monologue. Prepare a short 1-2 minute performance using minimal props, costume (say a chair and a jersey). You can also take another myth of Aotearoa and recreate/ perform it.