For more details click here or on the image above.
Tag Archives: Chris Molloy
October Fono
Ni sa bula
Talofa lava
Taloha ni
Fakaalofa lahi atu
Malo e lelei
Kia orana
Tena koutou
Welcome to the after-match report from Banana Boat’s October fono in Grey Lynn.
Present were Arnette Arapai, Aroha Awarau, Bobby Romia, Chris Molloy, Grant Bayley, Jonathan Riley, Joy Vaele, Leilani Salesa, Leilani Unasa, and David Mamea.
Apologies were received from a Nippon-travelling Louise Tu’u, an otherwise-engaged Geraldine Warren, and a dreadfully sick Jenni Heka.
BANANA BOAT BUSINESS
David was going to spring an annual general meeting on this fono… until he saw that the trust deed does not require an AGM. Still, we like to be transparent: Banana Boat’s maiden financial accounts are with the Charities Commission.
COMING UP
Ahi Karunaharan‘s one-man play, The Mourning After, is still playing at the Circa in Wellington.
SCRIPT READINGS
Bobby read his intriguing and absorbing monologue, Frozen Smile, which he’s planning to expand into a full-length play. We’re hooked.
Leilani‘s play-in-progress, Church Street, was read by the group, and she openly discussed her development process to date; its first appearance was at our August fono. We’re enchanted.
Aroha shared the first draft of his play, Luncheon, fulfilling the promise of his April fono teaser-reading. We’re riveted.
We here at Banana Boat count ourselves damnably honoured to be at the bleeding edge of Pasifika and Maori writing with our monthly fono. Luck has nothing to do with it.
NEXT FONO
– will be on Thursday 22 November at the Toi Ora Live Art Studio, 6 Putiki Street, Grey Lynn. This will be the last fono for 2012.
There is a high probability of a Festive Season Fa’afiafiaga sometime early in December – details will follow sometime in November.
“The Last Taniwha” – 23-25 June 2011, Mangere Arts Centre
Banana Boat proudly supports Chris Molloy‘s play The Last Taniwha which opens next week on Thursday 23 June at the Mangere Arts Centre, Mangere. The Last Taniwha is produced by Leilani Unasa and is part of the 2011 Matariki Festival.
To book tickets, click here to email or call 09 262 5789.
August 2010 Fono
Ni sa bula
Taloha ni
Talofa lava
Fakaalofa lahi atu
Malo e lelei
Kia orana
Tena koutou
Welcome to an egregiously late after-match report.
Although ‘upcoming events’ in the minutes below are long past, ‘recording for posterity’ is a great stick to wave about when memory, inevitably, fails.
Present
– were DANNY AUMUA, GRANT BAYLEY, STUART HOARE, MICHELLE JOHANSSON, AHI KARUNAHARAN, NATANO KENI, MURRAY LYNCH, MARIA, CHRIS MOLLOY, CHETAN PATEL, MICHAEL REWIRI-THORSEN, SARITA SO, VENUS STEPHENS, SHONA TARAI, LEILANI UNASA, GERALDINE WARREN, JENNI HEKA and DAVID MAMEA.
Apologies
– were received from WILL ILOLAHIA, OLE MAIAVA, ERIC SMITH and JAY WILLIAMS.
Banana Boat Business
Banana Boat has been running for two years now. It has reached a point where it must decide what to do:
– to continue as a writers support group;
– to expand or somehow split off into active development and production;
– to find some middle ground; or
– to fold.
The decision is always in the hands of its members.
To this end, an AGM-style meeting is called for October for the group to discuss its future.
News to Use
JENNI plugged the Playmarket Aotearoa/Pasifika Playwrights Competition.
She also gave a gentle reminder about the final in the Playmarket Metro Reading series, Massive Theatre’s in-development Lenny James’ Havoc in the Garden.
LEILANI has been scheming about fundraising along the lines of a charity auction called Hot Chocolate Specials. Exactly what is on the auction block is still to be discussed but the possibilities are intriguing. Get those imaginations working.
It was agreed that the next meeting be held somewhere in South Auckland in recognition of a sizable proportion of the group hailing from down yonder. Details to follow.
Coming Up
JONATHAN RILEY is one of the writers involved with the Stir Fry series.
CHETAN PATEL and ERIC SMITH’s Retro Club Night fundraiser for their I Don’t Do Coconut play is on Friday 5 November at the Pull Bar on Karangahape Road.
Script Reading
LEILANI very generously shared her current script, “Apeshit”, which has been through a Banana Boat workshop earlier in the year. Its concepts and characterisations challenged and drove the group discussion that followed.
Next Meeting
– will be on THURSDAY 23 SEPTEMBER at a South Auckland venue to be arranged.
– will be on THURSDAY 28 OCTOBER at the usual time and place.
April 2010 Fono
Fakaalofa lahi atu
Malo e lelei
Kia orana
Tena koutou
Ni sa bula
Taloha ni
Talofa lava
Welcome to the after-match report.
Present
— were JASON GREENWOOD, CHRIS MOLLOY, CHETAN PATEL, RASHMI PILAPITIYA, MICHAEL REWIRI-THORSEN, JONATHAN RILEY, JOHNNY SAGALA, ERIC SMITH, VENUS STEPHENS, SHONA TARAI, LEILANI UNASA, JAY WILLIAMS and DAVID MAMEA.
Apologies
– were received from REVEREND MUA PUA, JAMES NOKISE, STAN WOLFGRAMM and JENNI HEKA.
News to Use
The Producers Workshop was judged a success, equipping attendees with the knowledge to take their scripts to stage. Feedback included “a good, fantastic workshop”, “maybe it could be a bit more practical”, and “[that there was] so much information it could easily have been three days”. A workshop-crashing JONATHAN was grateful for the good feed put on my the multi-talented Matene Karena. Something to be made available to Banana Boat’s target communities in 2011.
Coming Up
The Jukebox 2010 Season call-out has come and gone.
Anyone who takes their writing seriously are urged to attend the Wellington Matariki Hui which will take place sometime in June – details to follow, probably from JENNI.
To help defray travel costs for the abovementioned Hui, there will be some Fundraising in the throes of organisation by MICHAEL. Beware your Inboxes. Book some wallet- and purse-space.
Banana Boat is taking its Creative Clinics to Manukau on 1-2 July 2010. Watch your email Inboxes and ready your Forward-ing fingers.
Script Reading
— was replaced by dissection and discussion of a couple of two-minute scenes. Questions and answers flowed, including: How much information can you fit into dialogue without boring your audience to tears? More than you think. How much character can you show through action and with no dialogue? You’d be surprised.
DAVID then facilitated a session of spitballing ideas and methods of execution with the opening words, “I’ve got this idea for a project…” Possibly not as satisfying as his January foray because the project under discussion was at a very early conceptual stage. He should stop doing this as there are all sorts of intellectual property issues waiting to ambush him down the track. Unless of course he made the project up on the night and the whole thing was just, like, an exercise.
Next Meeting
— is THURSDAY 27 MAY 2010 at the usual time and place.
March 2010 Fono
Talofa lava
Fakaalofa lahi atu
Malo e lelei
Kia orana
Tena koutou
Ni sa bula
Taloha ni
Welcome to the after-match report.
Present
— were ELENA BOLLINO, MESEPA EDWARDS, RICHARD FOULKES, WILL ILOLAHIA, OLE MAIAVA, CHRIS MOLLOY, CHETAN PATEL, MICHAEL REWIRI-THORSEN, JOHNNY SAGALA, ERIC SMITH, JASON TE KARE, LOUISE TU’U, LEILANI UNASA, JENNI HEKA and DAVID MAMEA.
Apologies
– were received from JASON GREENWOOD, MICHELLE JOHANSSON, JONATHAN RILEY and STAN WOLFGRAMM.
Stuff
JASON brought greetings from the legendary Writers Block writers group in Wellington, established by Hone Kouka in 1999.
The March Creative Clinics were judged a success – participants gained a lot from all three workshops provided, whether it was the one-on-one with Albert Belz, the workshop with James Wilson and some tame actors, or writing-for-newbies by DAVID.
A gentle reminder was given regarding the Producers Workshop in early April.
UPDATE: The workshop was fully booked and is half-way through as this is being typed.
Coming Up
Banana Boat is working to mount a Jukebox 2010 Season in late July with help from Creative New Zealand. Watch your email Inboxes.
Anyone who takes their writing seriously are urged to attend the Wellington Matariki Hui which will take place sometime in June – details to follow, probably from JENNI.
Banana Boat is taking its Creative Clinics to Manukau on 1-2 July 2010. Watch your email Inboxes.
Script Reading
— was courtesy of Playmarket: Jo Randerson‘s Banging Cymbal, Clanging Gong. MICHAEL was very game in reading all seven pages of this one-hander despite being the wrong gender.
Next Meeting
— is THURSDAY 22 APRIL at the usual time and place.