EDUCATION PACK

Dave ARMSTRONG & oscar kightley's

Auckland Theatre Company

receives principal and core

funding from

Subsidised school matinees are made possible by a grant from

ATC Education also thanks

the ATC Patrons and the ATC

Supporting Acts for their

ongoing generosity.

The NIU SILA Education Pack is

made possible by a grant from

SPonsors

PLEASE NOTE:

•Schools’performancesarefollowed

byaQ&AForumlastingfor20–30

minutesinthetheatreimmediately

aftertheperformance.

•Eatinganddrinkingintheauditoriumis

strictlyprohibited.

•Pleasemakesureallcellphonesare

turnedoffpriortotheperformance

and,ifpossible,pleasedon’tbring

schoolbagstothetheatre.

•Photographyorrecordingofanykindis

STRICTLYPROHIBITED.

CREDITS 4

ABOUTTHEPLAY 6

SYNOPSIS 7

THEMES 8

WRITINGNIU SILA 10

PLAYINGMULTIPLECHARACTERS 14

DESIGNELEMENTS

Set&Costume 18

Lighting&Sound 20

PASIFIKAPLAYSINNEWZEALAND 22

PASIFIKAPLAYSBIBLIOGRAPHY 24

FOLLOWUPACTIVITIES 26

RESOURCESANDUSEFULLINKS 30

ABOUTATCEDUCATION&CURRICULUMLINKS 31

Contents

VENUE: Touring nationwide September and October 2013

AUCKLAND SEASON: Mangere Arts Centre, Nga Tohu o Unenuku,

cnr of Orly Ave & Bader Dr, Mangere.

SCHOOLS’ Wednesday 16, Thursday 17, Friday 18, Monday 21,

PERFORMANCES Tuesday 22, and Thursday 24 October at 11am.

(Auckland): Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 October at 6:30pm.

RUNNING TIME: 80 minutes without an interval.

SUITABILITY: This production is suitable for Year Levels 11-13

students.

ADVISORY: Contains occasional use of strong language.

2 33

Niu SILA CREDITSCastFasitua Amosa and David Van Horn

CreativeBen Crowder — Director

Dave Armstrong — Playwright

Oscar Kightley — Playwright

John Parker — Set & Costume Designer

Jane Hakaraia — Lighting Designer

Thomas Press — Sound Designer

ProductionPaul Nicoll — Technical &

Production Manager

Fern Christie — Company Manager

Jade Turrall — Stage Manager

Thomas Press — Touring Technical Operator

2Construct — Set Construction

Education PackLynne Cardy — Writer and Editor

Louise Tu’u and Tanya Muagututi’a — Contributing Writers

Michael Smith — Production Images

Claire Flynn — Graphic Design

BY ARRANGEMENT WITH

4 5

The award-winning NIU SILA premiered at Downstage Theatre,

Wellington, in 2003 and has since played all over New Zealand and

internationally. Auckland Theatre Company first staged NIU SILA

in 2005 with Damon Andrews and Dave Fane, directed by Conrad

Newport. The 2013 production stars real-life best friends, actors

Fasitua Amosa and David van Horn, and is directed by Ben Crowder.

The central device of NIU SILA is that two actors play an array of

multi-cultural characters without costume changes and with very

simple props, set and costumes. The abridged play script is a favourite

for high school productions, where the two-hander can be easily

expanded to accommodate a large cast.

Events in Niu Sila occur over a period of time from the late 1960’s to

the early 2000’s and the characters move in and out of a wide variety

of locations. Ioane and Peter attend school at a time before NCEA

(when School Certificate was the first secondary school qualification)

and when the intermediate to high school year levels started at Form

One (Year 7) and finished in 7th Form (Year 13).

NIU SILA is a unique New Zealand play and an excellent example

of Pasifika Theatre, with its mix of English and Samoan language,

contemporary slang, spoofing of stereotypes and physical theatre.

The play touches on issues of racism, cross-cultural freindships,

the importance of family, and makes allusions to the Dawn Raids

of the 1980s.

In a suburban TAB, two childhood friends

meet up again as adult strangers. Thirty

years before hand, during the peak of

Polynesian immigration to Auckland, six-

year old Ioane Tafioka, recent immigrant

from the island of Atua, knocks on the

door of local boy, Peter Burton.

Ioane has decided that Peter is his friend

and he wins him over through sharing his

aspirations of owning a TV, the merits of

an umu over a hangi and by admonishing

him to never talk back to his parents.

Spanning three decades Peter narrates

the energetic and ultimately moving tale

of their shared experiences; at school, at

church, playing cricket, fishing for eels,

going to the orchestra, and eventually

dealing with the police and the justice

system. As the boys grow into young men

events and attitudes unfold to force their

friendship to end. Supported throughout

by unforgettable characters from a cross

section of New Zealand society; Frank

Burton, Peter’s father, an extreme left-

wing, Bartok-loving social crusader, the

deceptively ill-dressed minister who is

affectionately known as ‘Criminal’ and Mrs

Tafioka, whose formidable role as a no-

nonsense matriarch is matched only by

her unconditional love for both her ‘sons’.

The play ends as it begins, back in the TAB

where Peter and Ioane are briefly reunited

and there is an abrupt twist to the story

when Peter learns the poignant truth

about the fate of his old friend, who has

recently returned to Atua.

About the Play SYNOPSIS

6 7

The dominant theme of NIU SILA is an exploration of friendship

how even the best of friendships can be torn apart by society. “This

play…” said Oscar Kightley, “is for anyone who ever wondered what

happened to that cool kid they made friends with in primary school”.

NIU SILA also raises ideas of cultural identity and changing social

perspectives in New Zealand by confounding stereotypes and

presenting an authentic relationship between a Pakeha (palagi)

character and a Pacific Islander. Much of the humour in the play arises

from cultural misunderstandings and confusions as well as from the

array of easily identifiable attitudes that the characters convey and

from the language they use.

The play inevitably raises current issues such as family violence,

racism (particularly within the police and justice system) and corrupt

use of power by the church. The end of Peter and Ioane’s friendship

is crucial to the story, not only as it highlights a loss of personal

innocence but because it also mirrors that loss in our society.

“…this play…is a requiem for a time in New Zealand that no longer exists. Today, brown & white New Zealanders, with a few exceptions, work in different jobs, live in separate suburbs and send their kids to separate schools. That is not the New Zealand of my childhood...” — Dave Armstrong

THEMES

8 9

NIU SILA is written by two well-known New Zealand playwrights, Oscar Kightley and Dave Armstrong. Oscar and Dave share their creative processes when writing alone or in collaboration.

What got you into writing, specifically the art of playwriting?Dave: I’ve always loved plays. Initially I was a musician but ended up writing bits of shows I played the trumpet in.

Oscar: I enjoyed performing and visualising a well-written scene in my head. Being the writer of plays, you get to see it as an audience member and relive the moment of creation.

How did you two meet?Dave: I think we met when I was working on TV3’s Skitz1. I went to Oscar’s play FRESH OFF THE BOAT2 and was very impressed. We had a meeting at a bad Turkish café in Hataitai in Wellington. Once Oscar started working on Skitz we saw more of each other, we even played in a soccer team together a couple to times until Oscar collapsed from exhaustion.

Have you collaborated on work before? Dave: We worked together a lot on Skitz – little sketches rather than a whole play.

Oscar: It was here (at Skitz) that Dave had an idea for NIU SILA, based on an episode in his life, of living next to a family from a different culture and becoming friends.

I mean, when you think about it, everyone’s got a mate like that. You may not necessarily keep in contact, but the experience stays with you.

What inspired you both to write a play that spanned over three decades?Dave: Most of NIU SILA was written about seven years ago. Oscar and I were in our thirties (well I was anyway, Os was late twenties) when we wrote the story. Lots of it

WRITING NIU SILA

is autobiographical so I guess if we left it till we were seventy we would have written a play spanning seven decades.

Oscar: It was the obvious form, really. Stylistically, the changes are easier to facilitate in a play (and cheaper) than say, a TV series or a film. As far as the thrust of the story is concerned, it’s easier to be a mate with someone when you’re five than when you’re twenty-five.

Considering you both live in different cities, how did you find the process of collaboration? Oscar: Well, trans-city collaboration isn’t as hard as you think.

Dave: I did some preparatory stuff and wrote a lot of notes in novel form based on my early life living next to a PI family in Wellington. I flew up to Auckland with the aid of a Creative New Zealand grant, and Oscar and I spent the weekend ‘dramatizing’ what I had written then writing scenes of our own…

Oscar: We work-shopped and wrote pretty much day and night.

Dave: We almost had a finished draft. We edited each others work then basically had a working draft. I did a bit of editing after that then it was ready to have its first workshop.

Oscar: Having the internet and cheap airfares definitely helped the collaborative process.

What was it like to work on an intimate project, such as a play? Dave: It was real fun. Working with Os (and also the Nakeds3 I’ve later discovered) is different from working with other writers. ‘The work’ as in the play, sits on the computer and you have a turn at writing it, maybe talking to your co-writer, maybe not. Then you go and eat or go for a walk and happily let the other guy write a scene. Dare I say it it’s more of a relaxed ‘Polynesian’ style of writing than two uptight palagis arguing over every syllable.

Oscar: It was cool, I mean it, the best thing in the world. What really excites me about a play is the immediacy.

How did your actors contribute in the writing process? Oscar: They didn’t. We wrote the script. In rehearsals, the actors brought their ideas but ultimately…we wrote the dialogue and pieced the scenes together to form a story.

Dave: We had two two-day workshops before rehearsals started and I spent the first week sitting in rehearsals making changes. Both actors contributed to the script in different ways. Damon was really helpful in making the last scene believable, he kept saying, ‘my character’s too much of a wimp’ and we changed quite a lot of that last scene based on improvisations he and Dave did. Dave Fane is a brilliant comic so he added lots of funny stuff that we gladly accepted.

10 111010

(He also added stuff we didn’t, for various reasons including taste!) I find actors love it if the writers are flexible and will use their ideas. However, I also think you have to put your foot down occasionally and say ‘No Fane, Mrs Tafioka would NOT say ‘hot tamale’.

Would you credit their offerings? Oscar: No. All plays get work-shopped. The actors contribute but the initial inspiration to form a play out of their ideas, experiences and memories remain the writers own. I mean, if we as writers credit the actors, where does it end? Keeping it simple is paramount.

Dave: This is a tricky area. You turn up with a complete script, as we did with NIU SILA, then an actor improvises a line or changes it slightly, then suddenly you think, should I credit them as a writer? I don’t agree with that. As well as creating a minefield with credit, it involves financial problems. It would be different if an actor turned up with a whole scene they had written, but that didn’t happen.

During work-shopping many scenes were ‘tweaked’ and one or two scenes were extensively rewritten, and improvisations were carried out in the all-important last scene in the TAB which had heaps of rewrites and some scenes hardly changed at all from pen to performance.

Having said all that, NIU SILA would not have been the play it was were it not for the incredible contribution to the script process made by the director Conrad Newport, who is an excellent actor and writer himself, and the two actors.

What inspires you to write?Oscar: I guess the joy of telling a story and the joy of hearing one told. It’s such an unbelievable feeling. Stories are great.

Dave: Real life.

1 Skitz was a TV3 comedy show that screened from the early to mid 1990s.

2 FRESH OFF THE BOAT was also a collaborative effort, written by Oscar Kightley and Simon Small in 1993.

3 The Naked Samoans, a prominent comedy group who premiered with their now legendary show Naked

Samoans talk about their knives, as part of the 1998 Laugh! Festival. Original cast members were Dave Fane, Oscar Kightley, Shimpal Lelisi and Mario Gaoa, now celebrated as the co-creators of hit animated TV show Bro’town.

See page 28 follow-up activity for writing exercises inspired by NIU SILA.

12 13

Performing NIU SILA is a terrific

challenge for two actors. A physical

and mental workout, the play demands

lightening changes of character and

a vigorous focus between the actors.

Keeping the ball in the air throughout

the show is also highly rewarding

and an enormous amount of fun.

Fasitua Amosa and David Van Horn

play around thirty different characters

between them. Characters range in

ethnicity, age and gender and come

from all sectors of society. There are no

costume changes and the actors are

onstage throughout the play. Changing

characters happens before the

audience’s eyes and is an integral part

of the theatrical magic of the piece.

Amongst other characters, Fasitua plays

IOANE, his parents MR & MRS TAFIOKA

and all four of the schoolgirls who

discuss IOANE’S ponytail in a scene

set in the classroom of the strict and

fearsome MISS HAGEN (played by Van

Horn). David also plays the central role

of the narrator, PETER, Peter’s mother

MRS BURTON and THE JUDGE

amongst others.

One of the great challenges of NIU

SILA for the actors is delineating

between each character and making

the character shifts clean and clear for

themselves and for the audience.

JUMPING FROM ONE TO ANOTHER - TWO ACTORS PLAY A MULTITUDE OF CHARACTERS

Fasitua and David shared their top tips for playing multiple characters with ATC Associate Director, Lynne Cardy:

1 Find the truth in each character. Make them authentic and real.

2 Find one gesture for each character that is extremely different to the others – these are physical hooks to hang the character on to and are especially useful in fast changes.

3 Similarly, find a different voice for each character. This doesn’t necessarily mean putting on a parade of accents as you still need to find the truth in each character. Concentrate instead on where you place your voice.

4 Look for characters clues in the text. David is taking his lead for how to play MISS HAGEN from Ioane’s description of her as ‘like the witch from Hansel and Gretel’.

5 It can be useful to base physical or vocal characteristics on those of people you know. Fasitua is basing the voice and demeanour of nosy neighbour MISS HEATHCOTE on Youtube sensation ‘$20 Karen’. David is basing the kind and soft MRS BURTON on his own mum.

6 Find a different centre of gravity within your body for each character. David - who mostly goes from playing narrator PETER to YOUNG PETER to MRS BURTON - uses different centres for each character. For PETER the narrator he is relaxed and centred within himself. For the younger version of the character he drops his centre and is floppy and loose, while for MRS BURTON he is upright and held.

7 Practise jumping from character to character. Fasitua says ‘speed is your friend’ in this play. The more you practise, the easier it becomes to jump between characters.

8 Finally, but most importantly, find the fun in each character.

Check the activities on page 26 for techniques on playing multiple characters.

14 15

161616 17

SET & COSTUMEOne of the key considerations director

Ben Crowder and set and costume

designer John Parker had in mind when

approaching the design for NIU SILA,

was the touring nature of the production.

Travelling to eight different locations from

Kaitaia to Christchurch and performing

in at least eleven different venues, the set

needs to be easily transportable, relatively

flexible and sturdy.

Ben and John were also interested in

finding a new way to present NIU SILA

– which has traditionally been staged as

a ‘two men, one chair’ production. They

wanted to open up the possibilities of

the script and to give the play what Ben

describes as a ‘kinetic’ feel.

In order to try out some of these design

ideas Ben and John (along with sound

designer Thomas Press) took part in a

two-day workshop with the actors (eight

weeks prior to rehearsals starting) where

the team explored the physical and

visual language for the play. During this

workshop the foundation for the design

became clear.

PORTABLE ISLANDS

In a happy coincidence portable risers

had just been installed in the Auckland

Theatre Company rehearsal room and the

cast enjoyed playing scenes out on the

various levels these risers created. Ben

also enjoyed watching the actors use the

risers like a playground. This was the initial

inspiration for the raised ‘islands’ that

comprise the set.

John designed angled risers in the

shape of New Zealand’s three islands.

They are angled in order to present the

actors effectively to the audience (more

effectively than if the actors were simply

standing, lying or sitting on flat risers or

the stage floor). Because the angles are

created by lowering or raising the riser

legs, it is possible to widen or flatten the

islands to suit each venue. And, as Ben

noticed in the initial workshop, the angled

risers offer the cast a variety of interesting

and dynamic levels, surfaces and playing

spaces that serve for the various

locations in the play.

Each island is covered in AstroTurf –

recalling butcher’s shop window 'grass'

or a field, or even a school playground.

Design ElementsUnusually for a rehearsal process and

crucial to the success of this production,

the set was in rehearsals from day one.

This meant Ben and the cast could

experiment with the set as much as

possible.

PROPSIn rehearsal the team experimented with

using a variety of iconic props throughout

the play. This is an unusual step for a

production of NIU SILA where traditionally

all props have been mimed. John and

Ben were interested in bringing in iconic

Pacific elements via the props, for example

MRS TAFIOKA’s white hat, as well as

surprising (and hopefully delighting) the

audience.

COSTUMELike the set, costume for NIU SILA

needs to be simple, flexible and durable

to sustain through the extensive touring

period.

Whilst still experimenting during the

rehearsal period, John’s instinct is to

go with a ‘quasi school uniform’ base

costume that can represent the characters

as they go through the childhood years

and into adulthood. Because the actors

stay in the same costume throughout the

play and use body, voice and gesture to

convey their rapid character changes, the

base costume needs to have a subtlety

and simplicity that won’t over-clutter the

actors. To help achieve this John is using

a colour palette of greys and light browns,

like ‘an uncoloured colouring-in book’ .

This subtle colour palette can be aided by

lighting and will also stand out against the

vibrant green of the Astro Turf islands.

18 19

LIGHTING AND SOUND As there are no set or costume changes.

The sound track and lighting become the

chief means by which this passage of time

is marked in the play.

SOUNDSound designer Thomas Press uses music

to establish time of day (cicadas chirping

at night) as well as different time periods;

from the traditional Pacific Island hymns

sung at the beginning of the play (in the

1970s) through to the music played at

Peter’s house in the early 2000s.

The soundtrack also marks locations; the

races running at the TAB, the school bell in

Miss Hagen’s classroom and the musicians

warming up at the visit to the orchestra.

An essential and key element in this

production, the soundtrack also enhances

the mood and atmosphere and even

injects extra humour, for example in the

Bollywood inspired backing track during

the cricket game.

LIGHTINGLighting designer Jane Hakaria had to

be conscious of designing two different

lighting rigs for this busy touring

production; a full version suitable for

professional theatre venues and a simpler

paired-back design for halls and libraries.

As a result Jane’s simple, uncluttered

lighting design supports the storytelling

and helps to establish time and location,

as well enhancing mood. Lights placed

underneath the island risers evoke the

feeling of floating islands and transport

us from Samoa to Niu Sila and back again,

whilst lighting that picks out specific areas

of the stage helps us to follow the changes

in character and location.

20 21

PASIFIKA Theatre in NEW ZEALANDFromasearlyasthe1970s,pioneerPacificpractitionersintheatre(suchasNathanielLees,JayLaga’aia,EteuatiEte,LaniTupu,OleMaiava,JustineSimei-BartonandEroliaIfopo)laidthefoundationforPacificstoriestobetoldinamediumthatexposedPacificIslandculturetotheatreaudiencesalloverNewZealand.

TheveryfirstfulllengthPacificplaycalledLEMATAUwaswrittenbyStephenSinclairandSamsonSamasoniandstagedbyWellington’sTaki Ruain1981.Thirtytwoyearslaterin2013SouthAuckland’sKila Kokonut KrewremountedthefirstPacificIslandfull-lengthmusicalTHEFACTORYbyAnapelaPolataivaoandVelaManusaute,whichhassincebeendevelopedintoanonlinewebseries.

Inthe1990sanewgenerationofPasifikatheatremakersemergedontothescene,includingNIUSILAco-writerOscarKightleyandplaywrightsVictorRodger(SONS,MYNAMEISGARYCOOPER),JohnKneubuhl(THINKOFAGARDEN),MakeritaUrale(FRANGIPANIPERFUME),ShimpalLelisiandDavidFane(AFRIGATEBIRDSINGS,The Naked Samoans)andToaFraser(NO.2,BARE).

IntheSouthIslandSimonSmallofChristchurchbasedWhakarite TheatrewroteHORIZONSin1991underthepennameFrancisSerra.TheHORIZONScast(EroliaIfopo,SimonSmall,MichaelHodgson,MishelleMuagututi’aandOscarKightley)wereinspiredtostarttheirowntheatrecompanyandtheyco-foundedPacific Underground (PU)whichremainsthelongestrunningPacificperformingartsorganisationinNewZealand.FRESHOFFTHEBOATwasOscar’sfirstplayco-writtenbySimonSmallanddirectedbyNathanielLeestocriticalacclaimanditbecamePU’sflagshipproduction.FRESHOFFTHEBOAT

wasadaptedintoanawardwinningradioplayproducedbyRadioNewZealandandhassincebeenpublished.LikeNIUSILA,FRESHOFFTHEBOATisarecommendedtextforDramainNewZealandSchools.

Whilstdiversifyingintoproducingmusicshows,schooltours,CDsandeventsPUalsoproducedfiveotherfulllengthplaysincludingEroliaIfopoandOscarKightley’shugelypopularcomedyROMEOANDTUSIandANGELSbyTanyaMuagututi’aandJoyVaelewhichwaspresentedin2009asaco-productionwithChristchurch’sCourtTheatre.

Humour(disguisingseriouscultural,socialandimmigrationissues)remainsPU’ssignatureflavour,alegacyhandeddownbyOscarKightleyandEroliaIfopothatcanalsobeseeninOscar’sworkwiththeNaked Samoans.

Inthe2000s,PasifikastoriesexpandedontothesmallscreenwithshowssuchashitanimatedcomedyBROTOWN,andReneNaufahu’sTHEMARKET,TV2sFRESHTV(producer,LisaTaouma),andthelatestTVcrimeseriesHARRYco-writtenandstarringOscarKightley.BROTOWNhaditsoriginsasaNakedSamoanstheatreshowandinfeaturefilmsNO.2byToaFraserbeganlifeasasoloshowaboutaMt.RoskillFijianfamilystarringMadeleineSami(SuperCity,Sione’sWedding).

AucklandTheatreCompanyhascommissionedseveralnewPasifikaplays,fromAlbertWendt’sTHESONGMAKER’SCHAIRin2004,throughtoVictorRodger’sMYNAMEISGARYCOOPERin2007andWHEREWEONCEBELONGEDin2008,adaptedforthestagebyNIUSILAco-writerDaveArmstrongfromtheaward-winningSamoannovelbySiaFigel.MostrecentlyAucklandTheatreCompanycommissionedthefamilyshowsPOLY

HOODINMUMULANDbyLaurenJacksonandSINARELLAbyGorettiChadwickandSeanCoyle,whichwerepresentedin2011and2012incollaborationwiththePacificInstituteofPerformingArts(PIPA).

Todaythenumberofartists/playwrightsandcompaniescurrentlycreating,presentingandproducingnewworkgivessomeindicationofthefruitfuldevelopmentofPasifikaTheatreinthelastdecade.Companieslike;Kila Kokonut Krew,NinaNawalowalo(The Conch),DiannaFuemana(BIRDS,FALEMALAMA,MAPAKI),The Laughing Samoans(EteuatiEteandTofigaFepuleai),MiriaGeorge(ANDWHATREMAINS,Tawata Productions),LouiseTu’u(LETAUVAGA:THECOMPETITION),GorettiChadwick(PaniandPani,SINARELLA,GALULOLO-TSUNAMI),FionaCollins(MYPENINA,FRANGIPANIPERFUME)andNaked SamoanIahetoAhHi(TAUTAI,PLANTATION).

ThereisalsoagrowinglistofsolidemergingPasifikatheatre-makers,suchas;performancepoetTusiataAvia(BLOODCLOT),playwrightsSuliMoa(KINGDOMOFLOTE),DavidMamea(GOODBYEMYFELENI),LeilaniUnasa(HERMOTHER’SSON)andArnetteArapai(LOVEHANDLES,TONGANMORRISDANCERS),producerJenniHeka(GOODBYEMYFELENI),AucklandcompaniesThe Blackfriars,Polynesian Laboratory (P-Lab),Tongan Creative Collectives,Phoenix NZ Young Performers,andChristchurchbasedJudah Arts Productions(THECOST)andNo Limits (SPEAKYOURTRUTH).

Today’sPasifikatheatre-makerstournationallyandinternationallysharingourstoriesaroundthecountryandtotheworld.

Circa 1994 by Evotia Tamua,. PU Fresh Off The Boat Cast. Left to Right – Michael Hodgson, Erolia Ifopo, Tanya Muagututi’a, David Fane,

Mishelle Muagututi’a, Oscar Kightley

22 23

PAsifika Plays - BIBLIOGRAPHYPacific Island theatre is going from strength to strength and a range of plays are available. Some may be suitable for use in class exercises.

This selection of contemporary Pacific Island plays includes other works by NIU SILA co-writer, the prolific Oscar Kightley, and you will find other examples via Playmarket.

PLAYMARKET www.playmarket.org.nz is an excellent resource for information about New Zealand playwrights and plays. You can also order scripts online and receive information regarding obtaining performance rights.

Fraser, ToaBare (1998)No.2 (1999)Paradise (2000)

Fuemana, Diana Mapaki (2004) (published)The Packer (2003)Jingle Bells (2001)

Rodger, VictorSons (1995)Cunning Stunts (1997)Ranterstantrum (2002)

Kightley, Oscar Fresh off The Boat (1993) with

Simon SmallA Frigate Bird Sings (1996) with

Dave FaneDawn Raids (1997)Naked Samoans Talk About Their Knives

(1997) with Dave FaneEulogy (1998)Romeo and Tusi (1999)Naked Samoans Go To Hollywood

Urale, MakeritaFrangipani Perfume (2004) (published)

Wendt, AlbertThe Songmaker’s Chair, Huia Publishers,

Wellington, NZ (2004)

24 25

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIESPlaying multiple charactersExplore the one of the challenges facing the actors in NIU SILA –

changing from one character to another in rapid succession and in

one scene of dialogue.

Working in pairs, use the ‘pony-tail scene’ excerpt (opposite) and start

from Peter’s direct address to the audience, “For weeks the whole school

discussed Ioane’s ponytail…” Decide how as two actors you will divide the

five roles on the page between you.

Think about the physical qualities of each character you are playing.

Experiment with gestures, postures and habits.

Explore a distinctive voice for each character.

Visualise the character – do you know someone like this character?

The more fully you imagine the character you are playing, the more

clearly that character will come alive for the audience.

Be aware of where the ‘invisible’ characters are in space as you move

between characters you are playing and as you continue to address

characters that are still there in the scene, although you (or your partner)

are no longer playing them.

Present your scene and listen to the feedback from your audience.

NIU SILA - script excerptPETER (Toaudience)Forweeksthewholeschooldiscussed

Ioane’spony-tail.Nooneknewthereason,though

VeronicaCrombiehadatheory.

VERONICA It’ssimple,hewantstobeagirl.

PETER (Toaudience)StephanieArlingtonagreed.

STEPHANIE Youmightberight,Veronica,becauseIslanderswear

dressesaroundthehouse.

PETER (Toaudience)AndreaTudorhadtherealanswer.

ANDREA It’sreallyhotintheislands,right,sotheygrowtheirhair

reallylong,cos,it’slikeanumbrella.

PETER (Toaudience)ButLorraineCarroll’stheorywasthemost

rapidlyaccepted.

LORRAINE Dummies.Intheislandsthey’rereallypoorandtheycan’t

affordscissors.

PETER Lorraine,youspaz,theyliveinNewZealandnow.

LORRAINE Andtheystillcan’taffordscissorscostheyspendalltheir

moneyattheTABandonbooze.Sothere.

26 27

Writing about `real life´Dave Armstrong has said that he enjoys writing about real life, and the

characters in NIU SILA represent real life characters both he and co-writer

Oscar Kightley encountered as they were growing up.

Write about a moment in your life when something happened that changed

you. You might want to write about this occasion first as a story and then

write it as a scene, or series of scenes.

You might want to explore using a narrator, like Peter in NIU SILA, to move

your story along. The narrator character needn’t be you and it might be

interesting to make the narrator another character from your story, who

might have a different point of view from yourself.

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ABOUT ATC EDUCATIONATC Education promotes and encourages teaching and participation in theatre and acts as a resource for secondary and tertiary educators. It is a comprehensive and innovative education programme designed to nurture young theatre practitioners and future audiences.

ATC Education has direct contact with secondary school students throughout the greater Auckland region with a focus on delivering an exciting and popular programme that supports the Arts education of Auckland students and which focuses on curriculum development, literacy and the Arts.

Auckland Theatre Company acknowledges that the experiences enjoyed by the youth of today are reflected in the vibrancy of theatre in the future.

Additional Reading / ResourcesThere are two published editions of NIU SILA.

1. NIU SILA by Dave Armstrong and Oscar Kightley, Nelson Cengage Learning New Zealand, 2007. The abridged School’s version, rewritten for use in secondary schools and reworked to be performed by large school casts. Includes comprehensive teaching notes - for both drama and English classes.

2. The full play script, published in 2009 in the PLAYMARKET PLAY SERIES with

THE TUTOR, available from Playmarket.

Check these links to Pasifika theatre-makers:

Kila Kokonut Krew https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kila-Kokonut-Krew/92837192322 http://thefactorystory.co.nz/

Pacific Underground https://www.facebook.com/pu.performingarts

Hekama Creative http://www.hekamacreative.co.nz/

Tawata Productions http://tawata.wordpress.com/

P.I.P.A http://www.pipa.ac.nz/

Dianna Fuemana – Niu Way Theatre http://www.playmarket.org.nz/playwrights/dianna-fuemana

The Laughing Samoans http://www.laughingsamoans.com/

CURRICULUM LINKSAll drama students are expected to study NZ Drama at every level, with an emphasis on challenging social and cultural discourses at Level 3.

ATC Education activities relate directly to the PK, UC and CI strands of the NZ Curriculum from levels 5 to 8. They also have direct relevance to many of the NCEA achievement standards at all three levels.

All secondary school Drama students (Years 9 to 13) should be experiencing live theatre as a part of their course work, Understanding the Arts in Context. Curriculum levels 6, 7 and 8 (equivalent to years 11, 12 and 13) require the inclusion of New Zealand drama in their course of work.

The NCEA external examinations at each level (Level 1 – AS90011, Level 2 – AS91219, Level 3 – AS91518) require students to write about live theatre they have seen. Students who are able to experience fully produced, professional theatre are generally advantaged in answering these questions.

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JOIN THE CONVERSATIONPost your own reviews and comments, check out photos of all our productions, watch exclusive interviews with actors and directors, read about what inspires the playwrights we work with and download the programme and education packs.

Places to find out more about ATC and engage with us:

ENGAGE

www.atc.co.nz

@akldtheatreco

facebook.com/TheATC

AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY487 Dominion Road, Mt Eden PO Box 96002, Balmoral, Auckland 1342

Ph: 09 309 0390 Fax: 09 309 0391 Email: atc@atc.co.nz