What's Happening
How Toi Whakaari is creating the future of theatre and film in New Zealand...
pick of the fringe picks toi whakaari students
Last night at the Wellington Fringe awards, Toi Whakaari students and grads swept the floor with a bouquet of prizes including Best One Man Band (Guy Langford, acting grad 2009), Best Production Design and Where Did You Come From? (Best Newcomer) for A Love Tail with design from Thomas Press (ET grad 2005), Richard Larsen and Ian Hammond (design grads 2009) directed by Kate McGill, starring Aroha White and Matariki Whatarau (acting grads 20090, teched by Marie Deere (current BPAM student).
The prestigious and highly competitive Pick of the Fringe prize that sees a return season from 18 March at Downstage Theatre, went to Wannabe a one-man show by 2009 acting grad Guy Langford, directed by MTA student Erina Daniels, produced by BPAM student Ricky Beirai Burjac, and Back/Words which was created by current second year actor Victoria Abbot, Jackie Shaw and Catherine Wright with production and stage management from current BPAM student Sophie Dowson. Well done guys!
For more info on Pick of the Fringe visit www.downstage.co.nz
STILL TIME TO GET IN TO DESIGN
The Bachelor or Design for stage and screen at Toi Whakaari is the only course of its kind in New Zealand. It is one of the School’s newest courses and graduates of the Design course have already gone on to be Chapman Trip Theatre Award winners for set and costume design, worked on major movies and created opening ceremonies for Bloomberg and Deutche Bank.
There are still a couple of places left for entry in 2010. Click here for more details.
The most recent course on offer at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is the Bachelor of Design (Stage & Screen), a three year programme that develops designers with creativity, originality and critical thinking, empowering them as future members of NZ’s performing arts culture. The course equips students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to create and sustain a career; it celebrates diversity and ambition.
Graduates from the design course this year have already managed to score some of the most sought after jobs in Wellington. Ian Hammond and Emma Ransley will be working on Peter Jackson’s new film The Hobbit, Ian is also designing the children’s section of the World of Wearable Arts Awards in 2010. Jessica Sanderson (granddaughter of the late legendary Martyn Sanderson) is working with Taki Rua and the New Zealand International Arts Festival on Mark Twain & Me in Maoriland and also a documentary film. Local boy Richard Larsen, along with fellow designers Hammond, Sanderson and Rowan Pierce recently premiered their 4 part filmQuarters, a project that they designed, wrote, filmed and produced.
Interested? Check this out.
Louis Sutherland picks up another award for short film,
The Six Dollar Fifty Man
New Zealand short film The Six Dollar Fifty Man has won the Jury Prize for International Short Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
Written and directed by Toi acting grad Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston and produced by Wendy Cuthbert, The Six Dollar Fifty Man tells the story of a gutsy eight-year-old boy who retreats into a make believe world to deal with playground bullying.
“We are fortunate enough in New Zealand to have a crew that pretty much walk off Peter Jackson’s sets and then jump on ours and work for two or three weeks for a day rate. That’s the kiwi kind of attitude, and we’re proud of that,” said Sutherland.
The Six Dollar Fifty Man has gone from strength to strength after having its world premiere and gaining ‘Special Distinction’ at Cannes last year. Last week, it won the ‘Cooper Award’ for ‘Best Short Film’ Australasia’s only Academy-qualifying film festival, Flickerfest.
The 15 minute short won a slate of awards at the 2009 Qantas Film and Television Awards, which included: Best Short Film, Best Performance in a Short Film and Best Screenplay for a Short Film. It also won the ‘Black Pearl Award 09’ for ‘Best Narrative Short’ at the Middle East International Film Festival in the United Arab Emirates and Best Short Fiction Film in the official competition of Expresion En Corto International Film Festival in Mexico.
The 26th Sundance Film Festival is held in and around Park City in Utah each January. This year the festival's short film program comprised 70 short films from US and international filmmakers selected from a record 6092 submissions.
The next stop after Sundance for The Six Dollar Fifty Man is the short film festival in Clermont-Ferrand, France, next week. It will then be screening in the Generation Kplus competition of the 60th Berlinale Internationale Film Festival from 11- 21 February 2010.
Watch a clip on Youtube.
WATCH CLASSIC GRADUATE FILMS ONLINE
NZ on Screen are featuring some classic Toi Whakaari graduation films on their website. Click on the film names below to have a watch, all free and not too long.
BAD DATES Graduation Film 2005 WATCH
Written and directed by Grant LaHood.
Bad Dates peeks into a fictional evening of speed dating; those evenings where singles meet prospective partners on fast-rotation. This quick-paced short turns the idea into tragi-comedy, where, in the vital opening bouts of small-talk, a series of prospective relationships go down in flames before they've even begun. Writer/director Grant LaHood democratically gives equal screen time amongst the ensemble cast of graduating Toi Whakaari students and to a range of idiosyncrasies ranging from the infantile to the sex-obsessed.
Duration: 15 mins.
DEAD END Graduation Film 2003 WATCH
Written and directed by Mark Albiston. Script by Louis Sutherland.
Before their award-winning short films Run and Six Dollar Fifty Man (both invited to Cannes, in 2007 and 2009 respectively), Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland (Toi Acting grad) gave early notice of their talents with this short. Dead End chronicles the tensions and preparations as various people converge for a funeral. Director Albiston utilises imaginative angles, music, humour and surprise to inject energy into a familiar scenario. Invited to film festivals in NZ, Sydney and Ourense (Spain).
Duration: 16 mins.
NEW DESIGN STUDIOS OPENED BY JOHN KEY
In a dramatic theatrical event on Tuesday 6 October, Prime Minister John Key officially opened the new Design Wing at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, the learning place of the theatre and screen designers of the future. The Bachelor of Design for stage and screen at Toi Whakaari is the only course of its kind in New Zealand.
The new design wing contains three purpose built design studios, providing a separate studio for each year of students. The gorgeous new studios were designed by Aonui Architects in conjunction with the Design department of Toi Whakaari and Te Whaea Services and take advantage of the fantastic views northeast towards the city and harbour. Each studio has opening windows, plenty of natural light, running water, and the large box window which runs down the front of the building creating a lot of interest. In addition, a new Props Workshop has been created giving the design, costume and technical students a “dirty” area so they do not need to use their studios for messy work.
Not only have the architectural features of the original building been incorporated into the new design wing, but also in an exhibition space that has been created on the upper level of the studios. This allows design work to be creatively displayed, an important part of the design process and gives the students an opportunity to show examples of the wide range of work covered in the degree.
TOI WHAKAARI IN SHANGHAI
Director Annie Ruth and Jonathon Hendry, Head of Acting, took four students to the UNESCO ITI Asia-Pacific Festival of Theatre Schools in Shanghai in early June.
The International Theatre Institute (ITI), an international non-governmental organization (NGO) was founded in Prague in 1948 by UNESCO and the international theatre community. A worldwide network, the ITI aims to promote international exchange of knowledge and practice in theatre arts (drama, dance, music theatre, any of the performing arts) in order to consolidate peace and solidarity between peoples, to deepen mutual understanding and increase creative co-operation between all people in the performing arts.
Toi Whakaari was formally ratified (unanimously) as a full member of the Asia Pacific Bureau. Both the Shanghai Academy of Dramatic Arts and the National Drama School of India have signed bilateral exchange agreements with Toi Whakaari.
