Banana Boat proudly supports Michael Rewiri-Thorsen‘s play Strong Hands which opens next week on Wednesday 15 June at the Concert Chamber, Auckland Town Hall. Strong Hands is produced by Jenni Heka, and shares a double bill with Albert Belz‘s Te Awarua, courtesy of the Tuakana Teina Project.
To book tickets, click here or call 0800 BUY TICKETS.
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.
Taloha ni
Talofa lava
Fakaalofa lahi atu
Malo e lelei
Kia orana
Tena koutou
Ni sa bula
Welcome to the after-match report.
PRESENT were JASON GREENWOOD, MICHELLE JOHANSSON, CHETAN PATEL, REV. MUA PUA, MICHAEL REWIRI-THORSEN, ERIC SMITH, AARON TAOUMA, LEILANI UNASA, STAN WOLFGRAMM, JENNI HEKA and DAVID MAMEA.
APOLOGIES were gratefully received from JAMES NOKISE and LOUISE TU’U. (If you emailed your apologies and I haven’t namechecked you, my sincere apologies: my mailbox is a little chocker with funding queries, attachments, etc.)
CREATIVE CLINICS
JENNI was rather chuffed to report that eleven submissions were received for the creative clinics, with fifteen registrations received for the Newbies Workshop.
UPDATE: four pieces have been selected for workshops with Massive Theatre’s JAMES WILSON and the inimitable ALBERT BELZ:
– CHETAN PATEL’s Closing Time;
– MICHAEL REWIRI-THORSEN’s Strong Hands;
– JONATHAN RILEY’s Makigi; and
– LEILANI UNASA’s Ape Shit.
All submissions had strong ideas or concepts but what made the difference was how much development they had had to date. The selected scripts had this in common: they were sufficiently developed to take full advantage of the creative clinics.
Congratulations to the successful playwrights.
COMING UP
APRIL 2010
– PRODUCERS WORKSHOP, the shout-out to interested parties will happen once the Creative Clinics are safely out of the way (second week of March).
JUNE 2010
– More CREATIVE CLINICS, this time in Manukau, the shout out to interested parties will likely happen after the Producers Workshop have been put to bed (late April).
JULY 2010
– Maybe, just maybe, a JUKEBOX SEASON of short plays as part of a mainstream theatre programme. More details to follow in the coming months, universe allowing.
IN OTHER NEWS
– Many congratulations to JENNI HEKA who is directing Briar Grace-Smith’s Purapurawhetu with Cathy Downes.
– Congratulations also to OLE MAIAVA whose short radio play Skin Deep was broadcast on National Radio in mid-February, and is available to be heard online at Radio New Zealand.
– MICHELLE JOHANSSON’s Uso opens on WEDNEDAY 10 MARCH at the Musgrove Theatre. Banana Boat members get in free (email Michelle beforehand)! People wearing our bootiful Banana Boat t-shirts get in free (email Michelle beforehand), too!
(T-shirts are $25.00 plus postage via either David Mamea or 7K.)
– JONATHAN RILEY’s Pink Lighter is part of the Fringe 2010 season in Wellington. (I suspect JAMES NOKISE has something going on down there, too but… at least I namechecked ya, bud!)
– And DAVID MAMEA’s short film To’ona’i is part of Craig Fasi’s Pollywood 8 2010 short film festival of brown and proud, screening at MIC in the city (7 March), Mangere (16 March), and Henderson (18 March).
SCRIPT READING —
— was generously provided by ERIC SMITH with Soundtrack of My Life, a slice of public service nostalgia with layers of love and friendship and melancholy.
NEXT MEETING —
— is THURSDAY 25 MARCH, at the usual time and place.
Ni sa bula
Taloha ni
Talofa lava
Fakaalofa lahi atu
Malo e lelei
Kia orana
Tena koutou
Welcome to the after-match report.
Present were JODY HOANI, MICHELLE JOHANSSON, MATENE KARENA, CHETAN PATEL, MICHAEL REWIRI-THORSEN, ERIC SMITH, LOUISE TU’U, JENNI HEKA and DAVID MAMEA.
Apologies were received from the reverend MUA PUA.
INAUGURAL 2009 JUKEBOX
Good vibes were reported from various quarters about the Jukebox in December 2009. The evening was judged to be a success, and the group looks forward to making it a regular event on the theatre landscape.
2010 CREATIVE CLINICS
By the time these minutes have been posted, the deadline for Banana Boat’s Inaugural Creative Clinics will have come and gone – but if you’re on the right email-lists, that would be old news; and if you’re not, 2011 is another year.
These clinics give playwrights and their scripts the opportunity to have:
— a half-day workshop with Massive Theatre’s JAMES WILSON; and/or
— a half-day one-on-one script lab with ALBERT BELZ (“Where’s New Net”).
The clinics take place on MONDAY and TUESDAY, 8-9 MARCH, 10:00am to 4:30pm, at the COUNCIL CHAMBERS in the Auckland Town Hall. The clinics are open to the public for a look-behind-the-scenes kind of thing so don’t be shy.
The 2010 Banana Boat Creative Clinics are made possible with the support of AUCKLAND CITY CREATIVE COMMUNITIES and PLAYMARKET.
2010 PRODUCERS WORKSHOPS
The Banana Boat is ALSO proud to announce the upcoming 2010 Producers Workshops that will take place over two SATURDAYS, 10 and 17 APRIL 2010, at The Edge.
A call for applications will go out soon (once the flurry over the Creative Clinics dies down a little) but fear not: there will be a deadline, there will be application criteria, there are limited places – the whole kit and caboodle that you love so much.
EVEN MORE UPCOMING STUFF
Banana Boat is responding to the call for a LIGHTING & SET DESIGN WORKSHOP and is working on it for – hopefully – later this year.
There is a WRITERS’ RETREAT in planning stages for the last quarter of 2010. This replaces the Pasifika Forum that usually happens around now (or soon).
IN OTHER NEWS
– ERIC SMITH and CHETAN PATEL’s “I Don’t Do Coconut” will open the Banana Boat’s 2010 Reading Series in late March – watch this space (or email Eric).
– MICHELLE JOHANSSON’s “Uso” (previously titled “Impact”) premieres on 10 March 2010 at the Musgrove Theatre – for more details, go to http://blackfriarscompany.blogspot.com.
SCRIPT READINGS —
… were not possible due to an uncooperative printer.
So David got up, set up a whiteboard and said, “I’ve got this idea for a story…” Sixty minutes went rather quickly as —
— David outlined the bones of his concept: he had three – no, four – no, three – characters and specific production constraints —
— the group spitballed and discussed and took numerous detours about the concept —
— characters were modified and pummelled —
— themes were tossed into the ring and kicked about —
— and the narrative structure was hassled and harried.
People seemed to enjoy it. David’s just happy the group did the heavy lifiting for him on his project.
NEXT MEETING —
— is on THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2010 at the usual time and place.
SCRIPTS TO BE READ —
— at future meetings are welcome on a first-in, first-served and time-permitting basis. To avoid disappointment, getting in touch with David or Jenni at least a week beforehand will increase the chances of your script being read.
Only complete act/s for full-length plays, or complete one-act or short plays are read by the group. First-time attendees’ scripts will not be read. Scripts will need to be printed and copied at the writer’s expense.
If you have any questions, suggestions or requests, please don’t hesitate to email me, or call Jenni on 09 365 2648 (Mondays, Thursday-Fridays, business hours).