Maraea Rakuraku

3 October 201719 November 2017

SWANZ and BSS 2018

The weekend was kicked off by the New Zealand Writers Guild SWANZ Awards. The ever effervescent Nick Ward MCed the event while I did my best Vanna White impression handing him the awards as required. It was a great turn out — my evening ensemble was admired (21st century Miami Vice, courtesy of various op shops), the food was good and plentiful, and it’s always nice to see so many writerly faces in one place.

The symposium was a more formal affair — collegial rather than fraternal — and was rampant with speakers and attendees, some of them I knew from one thing or another, and some I met for the first time.

Over the three days, I caught up with:

Alice, Mel, Alan, Allan, Kathryn and Rachel from the guild represented;
three from the class of 2016 — the unstoppable Maraea Rakuraku, the inquisitive William Duignan, and the observant Myfanwy Fanning-Randall;
former guild ED Steve Gannaway and his partner Alex Cole-Baker; One Thousand Ropes‘ Tusi Tamasese and Catherine Fitzgerald; PIFT stalwarts Aaron Taouma, Arnette Arapai and Sandra Kailahi; South Pacific Pictures’ Tim Balme and James Griffin; and Waru‘s Chelsea Cohen, Ainsley Gardiner, Paula Jones, Casey Kaa, Renae Maihi, Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu and Katie Wolfe;
Chantelle Burgoyne; South Seas’ Gerben Cath; the indefatigable Tony Forster; Paula Jones (no, the other one); Roseanne Liang; Christina Milligan; producing titan Robin Scholes; Riverside Kings‘ Sarita So; and the redoubtable Louise Tu’u.

Speaker highlights of the symposium were:

an small-group Q-and-A with David Michôd;
a refreshing and irreverent talk by Neil Cross;
filmmaker So Yong Kim‘s oeuvre is a fascinating thing I need to look into;
agent Bec Smith‘s talk was a confirmation of how talent always finds a way;
and Oz drama commissioners Kyle Du Fresne and Penny Win, was an interesting session on how things happen across the ditch.

A bit of a blur but I’m glad I attended.

(I’ve done it again: even though I name-checked the Screenwriting Research Network Conference in August, I’ve neglected to write about this year’s Arts Market in Auckland. Next year. Promise.)

17 June 20173 July 2017

Home Again

Civic Square with The Lovely Wife, Wellington.

The Lovely Wife and I have just returned from a few days south where we —

saw a couple of great shows (one of which must, must, tour),
I — cue name-dropping! —
- schemed with Benedict Reid (yes, that Mr Reid) and Simon Boyes, soon after which we three mouseketeers pitched a show to the Circa Theatre Council;
- paid my respects to Kia Mau Festival principals Hone Kouka & Mīria George;
- applauded Riverside Kings creators Natano Keni and Sarita So, and their actors Semu Filipo and Lale Ausage,
- rubbed shoulders with theatre movers and shakers Nancy Brunning, Nathaniel Lees, Jamie McCaskill, Rob Mokaraka, Mish Muagututi’a & Tony De Goldie, Victor Rodger and the incomparable Maraea Rakuraku;
- and schmoozed with the Film Commish’s Karin Williams, Dance Aotearoa New Zealand’s Faye Jansen and her husband Murray, Creative New Zealand’s Makerita Urale, and Playmarket’s Salesi Leota and Murray Lynch;
we visited my parents in the oul’ neighbourhood,
broke bread with friends at the Southern Cross restaurant,
and dined at our Wellington usual.

It was exhausting but fun. Until next time, Wellington.

1 April 20171 April 2017

STILL LIFE WITH CHICKENS: 2017 Adam Award winner

A play inspired by my mother’s adventures with poultry, and described at a workshop as surrealist and existentialist, has won the 2017 Adam New Zealand Play Award. I’m rather chuffed, thank you very much.

I’m in Melbourne at the moment so 2016 Adam winner Maraea Rakuraku very kindly accepted the award on my behalf, with something I prepared earlier:

Still Life With Chickens was going to be a co-writing venture with my Lovely Wife. She came up with the title and the concept, and I suspect she envisioned a situation where she would roam the study reeling off dialogue and scenes while I sat dutifully at the keyboard and typed everything in.

Because I love my wife dearly and I value our marriage, I worked on the play in secret for two years, and presented the script to her — crediting her appropriately, of course — as a fait accompli.

I acknowledge my fellow longlistees, in particular Maraea Rakuraku for kindly accepting this award on my behalf.

Thanks to Creative New Zealand for its support in getting the first draft to the finish line.

Thanks to Playmarket: Murray, Salesi, Kirsty, Allison — and before Allison, Stuart Hoar — for their tireless work in developing, supporting and hustling for New Zealand playwrights.

Thank you to the Adam aiga for these awards.

And thank you to my Lovely Wife who believes in me more than I do.

9 October 20169 October 2016

BSS

Late last month I attended the 2016 Big Screen Symposium in Auckland. It was the second network-y thing I’ve done this year (ah yes, I neglected to mention I attended the 2016 PANNZ Arts Market in Wellington in March).

Cue shameless name-dropping as I saw:

Alice, Fritha and Pippa from the guild;
Leanne, Selina, Christina, Karin, Jasmin and Chris from the commish;
the gentlemen behind the smash hit Three Wise Cousins;
multiple Adam Award-winning playwright Maraea Rakuraku;
Aaron, Ali and Arnette from PIFT and IIML;
Louise and Katie from the Kingswood reading;
and dined with Mr Reid, Mr Barr, and several other gentlemen whose names I neglected to write down (sorry, I had a beer in one hand and a naan in the other).

As for the speakers, highlights were:

creative couple Cate Shortland (Somersault, The Slap) and Tony Krawitz (Devil’s Playground, The Kettering Incident) on writing and directing Australian television drama;
Jonathon Raymond on screenwriting for Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff) and Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven, Mildred Pierce); and
producer and BSS keynote speaker Heather Rae (Frozen River) on decolonising the screen.

Nice work, all around.