SEARCH
"I'm most proud of the things that took me the most courage"
Jean Betts
Jean Betts
Kali Kopae and Jamie McCaskill in He Reo Aroha by McCaskill and Miria George.
Tihei Mauri ora!
Kia ora ano tatou, Mr Chair - cher bro. Kia ora ano tatou! I just wanted to add a few things - I wanted to acknowledge our matua, Rore Hapipi and thank you for all the support over the years.
I wanted to just mention a few things about Maori theatre in Tamaki, seeing as we've been acknowledging Wellington - and I don't want to take anything away from Wellington - but Maori Theatre does have a place in Tamaki.
I want to acknowledge our first speaker this morning - Hone Kaa. We used to call him, "Big John" and we used to call the Holy Sepulchre - the "High Chaperal" because that's where "Big John" lived.
Now back in 1977, Hone, he acknowledged Hone Tuwhare - I don't know why there's all these Hones associated with theatre - but he acknowledged Hone Tuwhare and mentioned if someone could make a play, but Hone was a playwright and we forgot that! I can't remember much about his plays but I remember in 1977 - the only line I remember was about (when) Jesus came back, and he got involved with these trade unionists and he's trying to convince him that they needed to be closer to God and the trade unionist said, "Nearness to god is distance from the people!" This was a very seventies thing, but that's the only line I remember from that play.
The first Maori Theatre thing I saw - and it was exactly like what Rowley described - was (by) a Pakeha Lindsay Rowle wrote it and it was at His Majesty's Theatre and it got pulled down and the star was Kiri Te Kanawa. It was her first stage piece. It was a play called Uwane, it was terrible but thankfully it didn't affect the rest of her career. But that was 1966, later on there was another group called Tangata Maori Theatre. Kingi Ihaka named it. Brian King, Janet Potiki with a little help from Rowley - the first piece opened in Wellington and for reasons that other people have referred to (about) doing theatre in Auckland, meant it was easier to open it in Wellington. You got an audience in Wellington.
There was another play which we worked on - I wrote it actually - it was about a young man who beat a kaumatua to death with his tokotoko and it was the first time I'd met Don Selwyn. He turned up - this famous person turned up - to help and when I explained my play to him he sort of went-"Yeah, yeah ok." Well, we never actually produced that play and I still have anger management issues!
But I just wanted to mention a couple of these things.
When we look at Hone Kaa we can look at someone who we can call the father of Maori theatre in Auckland. Now, I know Don is a big contender for that title but, Maranga mai - let's go Bastion Point - the next piece of Maori theatre I saw was at Bastion Point, it was actually devised by Tim Shadbolt, the Hawke's and all the other kids were in it - and it was the longest period I'd ever seen him with his mouth shut and that play got toured nationally. It was about land rip-off. It was hosted up at the High Chaperal by Hone. Maranga mai came out of the protest thing as well. Maranga mai started here with He Taua another piece of theatre that used to happen here with the engineering students. (They) would dress up, write, paint red penises in lipstick over their bodies and they would do a mock version of the haka the ka mate. Well, a group of Maori people opposed this event and promptly got arrested and charged with riots. They were condemned by the Maori people for this act. To explain themselves they used theatre. Maranga mai was devised up on Ponsonby Rd in the building that's been torn down, hosted by Hone up in the Holy Sepulcher, found a home in the Hokianga and toured nationally to explain where this action came from and it worked as a piece of theatre socially, politically. It was fantastic, it was never supported... maybe could be redone...
Keskidy aroha was a group that Martin Sanders brought over from England, a black theatre group and again Hone hosted them up at the High Chaperal - the Holy Sepulchre, that was back pre-80's. I wanted to acknowledge the person who acknowledged all of those other people because he has a role in some way in this story and there was a reference as to where theatre is in Auckland - it's in Wellington! Obviously.
Even if we devise it in Auckland, we get a better shot at it in Wellington and performing it in Wellington and in some ways, Kirk, the secret to that is with the issues that you raised.
Some of it is because we're a long way from the feeding trough. All the people who give out money are down in Wellington so maybe that's got something to do with it and whatever it is, we should never forget Te Hua Kai Waka o Tamaki Makaurau who united Tamaki from Maungawhau. Te tuahu o te hua kaiwaka, his niece tokarairai who married in the Kaipara - her only daughter, Rangimarie is the most famous dancer here. Her great performance over on Maungakiekie saved her people from a blood bath. We have a history of theatre here - let's not forget it. Kia ora ano tatou katoa.
Kia ora Pita, my name's Chris. It's really awesome to see somebody from Playmarket here because it gives us the opportunity to korero in front of you and it's really important. It's really interesting because what I'm hearing is, the question is - where is Maori theatre? By defining where it is - Wellington - we also define what it is.
It's this thing that happens in houses like the Maidment - apparently and I'm not sure if that's entirely true. I actually know some of the guys around here - they've actually done theatre in cul de sacs and on marae, and I think it's really important for you to hear that. I really appreciate the work that these writers and actors do in battling funding bodies so that they can get their work up in those places that they call theatre. I just want to tautoko Pita- what our matua was talking about y'know and that's key- legitimate theatre. What is legitimate theatre? Y'know, is it the stuff that's in those houses? Most of the stuff that gets put on in Auckland wasn't written here, in New Zealand, even by the white people!
Can somebody tell me where Harold Pinter lives? So, y'know, it's really good. I think what's happened with Maori Theatre is that it's begun to evolve itself, by itself and it's good that you come along and I know that you were probably integral in setting this up, but it's really good that you come along because if you can keep an ear to the ground, you can hear where its coming from.
Some of us wanna do this y'know for a real job and legitimize itself. We struggle with it all the time and we're so full of stories you can't shut half these people up and it's good to hear these stories about these amazing dancers and my gawsh, we just saw a piece of theatre here right in front of me because I've never seen the man talk in a room this size. Far out! Some of these stories are just right in front of us to behold and wherever we take our theatre, that's where it is. Um, yeah, good to see everyone - kia ora!
I just want to ask how many people here actually direct in those places? Y'know, that's just one aspect - when I started my little theatre group - we directed our own plays and with my play, Death of the Maori Land and Te Ika a Maui players we didn't have one particular director - the whole lot of us - I don't know if that was a good idea - but I was determined that Maori not only write, write our plays, we should direct them, we should act in them. We bought Pakeha actors in because we needed them but we headed the damn things! We headed it. That's where I feel that Maori Theatre should be.
Kia ora koutou. Nga mihi ki nga tuakana e noho ana i runga i te paepae.
I'm just gonna say something quickly because I just feel like I have to. I was fortunate to study - I went to drama school for three years at Te Wananga o Aotearoa - in the end they ripped all the funding and they shut down but at that place, there, I believe that's where a lot of Maori Theatre occurred because we were able to devise our work together with that whakaaro Maori in that naturalistic setting.
I just wanna address - tautoko your korero. I wanted to write something for years and I put it out there but there's only one person, Waimihi who incidentally wound up - the universe brought us back together - but she's the only person who said, "I'll help you" y'know? Nobody else did. I actually rang up to ask to be part of Whero's New Net and I was told, "Sorry, you have to be invited." So that was a little - you know I can understand but I was kind of like - I tried. I tried and it was quite ironic that it was a Niuean woman, Jenni Heka who said to me, "Write it and get it in for this Matariki Playwrights' festival."
So, what it is that I think we need to do is open up our arms and help young people who are trying to make it happen, because it's a really nerve racking thing when you want to get something up and running and do it, and it's intimidating when nobody's there going- "come on we'll help you."
Can I just answer back to you and also to you Chris, bro.
I feel like I should defend Playmarket because I feel that they do have their ear to the ground and they create things for people to come to and if you want to - a number of times I've been lost and I've thought, "how am I gonna do this? What am I gonna say?" And approaching Playmarket has been an invaluable step for me as well because they have many contacts for you to get involved in with your play. With a new play and workshops and that you can apply for and stuff like that. (But) it's really hard to get it out there, really hard to do it but you can't not do it because that's not you. So you gotta stay in it and do it.
I think theatres can become castles and we stand outside them, trying to get over moats and field arrows that come through. I think for Playmarket we kind of recognize that's not the place to grow our theatre and we kind of become complacent and established and walls come up, and this year in January we opened our Auckland office which Jenni is a part of. For me, I grew up in Auckland. I grew up doing theatre here and we did it in churches, we did it in carparks, we did it in warehouse spaces and we did it in small spaces as well but you know a lot of those issues you talked about before Kirk, about funding and things are issues for our theatre in general and we have to admit that as well. Y'know, that the amount, the incredible energy at the moment in this city in theatre - and sadly it's not in Maori Theatre - the incredible energy in this city at the moment is amazing but it's not happening exclusively in theatres. I went to something up at the old folks hall up on K Rd on Sunday night. One of the best things I've seen this year. Just to say that I think we need to recognize that sometimes we need to operate in different ways when castles become established.
It wasn't an attack, I was just saying that I appreciate what you're doing because I think that even the process with the first play - y'know you mentioned that you didn't have a proper dramaturg but I think that what you did was nice and innovative in the sense that it looked like a new process. It didn't look like you brought this guy, and this guy, and that woman in and all of a sudden the whole thing changed - like the writer still looked like he had a voice.
Actually at one stage in the process I told him to stop talking about it with his mates. I said, "Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah. You have to write it."
I feel like I live in Whangarei so I'm a long way from Wellington and not so far from Auckland.
Where's Maori Theatre in Whangarei bro?
It's happening on my street - the gangs. I realized that my perspective and reason why I write my stories isn't just to get it out there and for people to see it overseas, I realized that the reason that I write my stories is to record a history for my mokopuna to be able to reach back because of the waiata that we've lost - not all of them - but the waiata, the moteatea, the tauparapara - all those kind of korero that belong to our tupuna. For me, I kind of feel like... bro, I live in a different world eh!?
I'm way up there in the bush. I don't write to produce. I write to have my work there for my mokopuna to have a clear idea what life was like for their great-grandfather, their grandfather or whatever. That's my driving force for me.
Another thing is tikanga because I'm big on tikanga eh, really gigantic on tikanga. Tikanga dictates that if we come to something like this and we see that there is a need or that there is a lack of funding - say in the old days and I challenge you... tikanga dictates, "homai te putea ki te tautoko ki te wahi, ki te manaaki a Jenni and the Playmarket ki runga i te huihui o te Matariki eh? So tikanga dictates, "here's your challenge...you want funding"
Some interesting points to draw on and you mentioned it again- it's a sporadic or sporasmic or one of those "ic" answers that is clearly coming out. That it's a difficult question to answer because it's in various physical places, it's in various historical places, and it's in various spiritual places- is the answer to this question.
One of the physical places that's been brought up is- it exists in educational institutions and you (Renae) talked about Te Wananga (o Aotearoa) and that's probably one of the reasons it lost it's funding - because it was working. You talked about your course and we will all have... and these presentations will often which are devised by students, they're attended by general public and some of them... just about all of them that I've gone to are bloody fantastic.
Lots of that goes on, not just in the big centres but in all of the things and there are Maori performing arts in lots of centres and there are people that are performing some fantastic theatre.
What's happening with some of the people who go through those courses - some of you who are involved?
Ah big changes in their life because they've realized that they actually have a talent, they actually have a voice - that because they know how to crump, that there's a place for them to do that and not just on the street. Also to identify themselves in some cases, how they can identify kapahaka to crumping because we're not from Africa but we can develop crumping around kapahaka - which they are doing. Major changes in their lives - even if it's just building their confidence, their ability to communicate on a one-to-one basis in front of a group.
Are they continuing in terms of continuing the performing arts as exponents yet?
Some have...
That's great!
Yeah they the new fire really.
That's great! One of the answers of where theatre is now - and I'm just sort of recapping and interrupt me at your will If you've got something- is clearly, it's within our youth, within our young and I think that's constantly an answer. You do theatre in different places not in those castles with moats - your group talk a little bit about that e hoa...
Charles Unwin and I- he's here somewhere, doesn't matter- we have a theatre group called Smackbang Theatre Company and we started the idea in Christmas. I think and we decided to produce a new play every week to try and create enough work for all our acting friends and if there were new writers or new directors who were interested in doing it but didn't have a place to explore to those means, then we were there for them as well.
So, since March up until now we've been putting on a new play every week. If it's a brand new piece of writing then we try and give the writers two weeks perform their piece so they can look at it and fix stuff up and try it again the week after. It's been quite exciting. The past month and a half we've had brand new pieces and it's been quite nice to be part of that.
Renee Liang is doing her play - not next week, the week after for two weeks as well and I'm really proud of that idea, of the work - and it's a lot of hard work but it sounds like stuff that you guys have been doing for years and that's exciting that it works. So, it's quite reaffirming that those ideas work and they've been around for a while.
On that, if anyone is doing anything that they wanted to try and do writing or directing and they haven't and don't know where to go, feel free to get in touch - I don't know how, I don't have a card or anything - call Jenni Heka!
He mihi mahana ki a koutou katoa. Ko Katie ahau, no Taranaki ahau. I just wanna tautoko your sentiments and I think Renae's as well. I've been looking forward to today for so long because - the most potent theatre experiences I have these days are play readings. I'm patently bored by a lot of theatre I see in Auckland these days and I know that today was gonna be first and foremost it was a hui - fantastic can't wait to get there and that I know I'm gonna be incredibly inspired by what I'm gonna hear. And its right across the last three years my best experiences have been in play readings. And they really they haven't got the production values that you expect from theatre but that doesn't matter because the ideas and the rawness is what excites me. There's a huge amount of money being given to major companies that is a waste of time and we need to start thinking about how we can reform that money into getting more theatre out there and it doesn't have to be end product based.
I was made to think about Te Ao Hou which to me as a tauira of te reo Maori is a tino taonga ki au. It's a magazine that was put out in the 1970's that is just... it was put out every week and its filled with the Maori voice and it's a massive taonga to us all today and we need to start doing that with our theatre. I am quite happy to come and sit in a room like this once a week and listen to Maori plays whether it's taken three years to write or three weeks. I don't know I feel like its... what's my other wero?... there was one more... I am a huge supporter of writers, I am a director and I consider myself someone merely someone who is a little bit bossy who can come on and put the thing in a bit of a package at the end of the day and so I think everything begins ko te timatanga ko te mutunga kei te kaituhi and tino tautoko ki nga kaituhi i huihui mai nei i tenei ra. A tino mihi ki a Renae we were at rumaki reo last year together and she said I wanna write a play and I said just do it, just do it. It's a female voice talking about um... well I won't, I won't steal your thunder actually, so I'm really um... on the basis of tikanga I think its important that we keep coming together because that's when we get to practice our tikanga and that's what I learnt last year in rumaki reo where you live in a Maori environment day in day out you get quite good at it and it becomes second nature and we can only do that when we hui. When we hui together so mihi nui ki a koutou katoa its awesome to be here today and lets just...
Y'know Pita you mentioned he taua now they marched down to parliament and they put down a petition to make te reo Maori an official language of this country which was in 1976 and I have a real strong wero now which is I think every child in this country should be able to learn Maori from the age of five in every school n this country so we can't stop being political in our theatre as well. There's still a lot of challenges out there for us and I know we sort of feel we have to go and we have to lighten up but we can't we have to carry on. It's the stuff that theatre is made of kia ora.
Um I know that this discussion was never going to be able to be completed and will go on beyond this day and will continue certainly throughout the day.
An observation from me is the growing depth, in terms of people. We could replace this entire panel, we could move them off and bring people who are in this room here or other people who aren't and replace them on that panel would have the same in depth and similar calibre to it so where Maori theatre is is not daunted at the moment by a rotation system. If this question and discussion were put when I was starting out in theatre we wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near this room full of people. It would've been a very small panel so it's really great to have been a part of a long and beautiful growth process and we got a lot of mahi you're right e hoa. We got a lot of mahi ahead of us yeah we do we're gonna tell great stories.
Theatre does belong in the Herald on September the 12th - in spite of the moats in spite of that Maori theatre does belong in those places. Yeah, it does belong in the cul de sacs, it does belong in the institution it needs to be funded, the funding basis needs to be addressed properly. Yeah, we need to reach into our own pockets and look for alternatives forms of funding when my first play - when we decided to put that on.
There was no Playmarket, there was no question of me going to the arts council and so I just rang around and got some funding from the Maori trust board because I had the same feeling - I didn't wanna ask people to come and work for nothing the same feeling existed back then I got some funding from Maori trust board ... the set needed to be concrete blocks and so I got the set - I got about 5 grands worth from Winstone's and got enough money for us to do it. I'd submitted it to Downstage it couldn't go on at Downstage. We put it on in the Newtown community centre which was often the place to do it and it got invited into Downstage later that year, so yeah there are ways of crossing those moats. If you're interested in crossing those moats.
And yeah the existence of bad boy theatre and finding your stories - Jim Moriarty could chair this and the ongoing work of Jim and people like him who look at Maori theatre as a means to an end and the things that you were talking about, about young kids who use theatre as a means to getting them off a road that's going to be a very, very difficult road - that's where Maori theatre is and has been and will continue to have to be.
Maori theatre absolutely deserves to go to Hawaii and it's important that the indigenous voice is shared and I stand up here and acknowledge the people from Canada and the people from Australia that have come that have shared, that's exactly the exchange that needs to happen and the thing is that when we do take our stories over there and many of us can identify with this they come up to you afterwards and they say you told our story and you know that's why Maori theatre needs to exist in all of these places that we refer to. It exists in there, it struggles to exist, that's the rules of engagement and it cannot be stopped.
It's a great pleasure to be part of a community which is represented here today - older members of the community and some beautiful young members. My nephew - I gotta shock - my nephew walked in here today and he come into he's one of the rare people in my family and I said what the hell are you doing here? You know I thought he'd um, yeah, so welcome my nephew. And lastly I'd like to acknowledge you e hoa for your mihi and yeah our Maori theatre in Auckland, it's the basis of saving a people, thank you for that and lastly e hoa kei a koe e te matua- thank you for bringing some real guts into our thing and like pita said it was amazing to have you share those things and to come up here and its just good to see you again e hoa...
No reira te whanau, kua tae mai te wa ...
ENDS.
Please note we are welcoming your written responses to be published on-line. Send to jenni@playmarket.org.nz
Transcript completed by Waimihi Hotere with support from Playmarket and Arts Waikato.