Officers for 2002

September/October 2017

In this month’s Spotlight Greetings from MTNZ President Lesley Carthew ...... 2 Spotlight on our Platinum Partners BOUNCE NZ with Sharron, Karen and Glen.... 4 NextGen Boot Camp – it’s a wrap – report and photos with James Wright ...... 5 Huge thanks to our awesome NextGen Boot Camp sponsors ...... 9 58th National Conference - weekend programme & other info ...... 10 Agenda for the Combined South Island Meeting 28 October Oamaru ...... 12 Zone Reports and a Wrap Up of What’s Happening Around Our Community in New Zealand ...... 14 - 25

Other Industry Articles and News Reflections on touring Coaltown Blues with Chris Green ...... 26 Junior Theatre Celebration 21 October – Auckland ...... 27 What’s New from the Copyright Holders Origin, Devon Williamson ...... 31 Techie Talk, Updates and Info ETNZ Qualifications have approval, offers from our corporate members ...... 32 MTNZ Calendar 2017 Date Event 16 September – The MTNZ office will be off line – you will need to contact your Zone Rep 9 October during this time if you need anything from MTNZ or email [email protected] 15 October Conference registrations open 28 October ZONYs – Whakatane 28 October Combined South Island Meeting – Oamaru 4 November Executive Meeting - Auckland 11 November Zone Two meeting – Rotorua 20 – 22 EVANZ Conference – Wellington November 16 – 18 March 58th National Conference, AGM and Volunteer Training Weekend Nelson

From the President’s View Point

Each month I try and put a different perspective on my musings, and this month I would like to talk just a little about the young people in our Societies.

Last Month MTNZ ran a very successful Next Gen Boot Camp, held at the Epworth Retreat, close to Cambridge. The camp lasted over a weekend, expertly organised by GM Kate, and Zone 2 Rep Tracy, with the able assistance of Dan, Next Gen Rep James, Emma and myself and with much appreciated local assistance from Team Holmes – Rochelle, Ngaire, Gary and Tracy cooking up a storm in the kitchen and Morrinsville Theatre who hosted the technical workshop. Funded by some amazing sponsors and contributors – the cost was only $50 FOR EVERYTHING. My sincere thanks to all the wonderful sponsors, John Herber and N Z Fire Shield, Origin Theatrical, Music Theatre International, The Amici Trust, Morrinsville Theatre, ETNZ, Creative Communities (Waipa District), ACLX and Stiles and Hooker. Special thanks also to our individual sponsors Leonard Irving, Ian Page and Emma Bishop, along with those Societies who sponsored individual participants.

50 enthusiastic young people registered for the course, demographically from Whangarei to Invercargill. Expertly tutored by Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Teesh Szabo, David Adkins, Dale Henderson, Aaron Chesham, Sam Cleaver - these young people between the ages of 18 and 35 learnt from some of the very best tutors in their chosen fields this country can offer, and I can only offer my grateful thanks to these wonderful industry people, who gave of their time so willingly for the betterment of community theatre. Before the course properly began, the MTNZ Executive Members conducted a further round of our Knowledge Café, and the responses from these young people were stunning. They have given the Executive so much food for thought, as we go down the road of encouraging and promoting our young people in all avenues of our wonderful organisation, be it on stage, behind stage, being members of their local executive committees, or standing for National Office.

I can only encourage all young people not to be afraid to stand up and be counted, and I am so pleased that you the members have put your faith in Dan as Vice President, who will fill my shoes from next year. Next Genners are the future of our organisation. And on that note, James has written a report which is published further down Spotlight which puts the experience much more eloquently than me.

We will be presenting feedback from the NextGen Camp at the Combined South Island Meeting in late October and Tracy at the Zone Two meeting in Rotorua in November, and I hope many societies that attend those meetings have takeouts from the feedback received – some great ideas and food for thought for all society members. As the NextGen initiative is a key one for MTNZ – the Executive will discuss this in depth at our November meeting – where to from here with our training schedule. Watch this space.

Following on with youth, I am off to Dannevirke (along with Zone 3 Rep Sharron) at the beginning of October to see their production of Sherlock Holmes – The Case of the Jersey Lily, directed by Elijah Graham. Elijah is a young man that I met at the Next Gen BootCamp, and I wish him well for his production. I am sure he learnt heaps from David Adkins at camp. The next day we will attend Napier’s Youth Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Best”, directed by James Wright our Next Gen rep, and I wish him well for his first directing role.

Kate, our GM, is off the radar from 17 September – 8 October and won’t be contactable. During this time, if you need assistance from MTNZ, could you please contact your Zone Rep or send an email to [email protected] – we wish Kate and her family safe travels around South America.

Kate, Ross and the Nelson team have been working hard putting conference together and there is some information on the content further down Spotlight. Registrations will open 15 October and we hope to see many of you there. I also encourage you to think about those society members who could be recognised through the annual MTNZ Awards - http://www.mtnz.org.nz/content/uploads/guides/h1dxak9t.pdf

We have set up MTNZ Zone member only groups The purpose of these groups is to improve communication between Zone societies and other members, like corporates who are in the respective zones, and also to help each other out, ask questions, share info etc at a more local level, enabling a clearer information flow around the Zones

Zone Two https://www.facebook.com/groups/1635330969870389/ Zone Five https://www.facebook.com/groups/122817841707880 Zone Three https://www.facebook.com/groups/496022667412554/ Zone Four https://www.facebook.com/groups/1811737122184633/

Well that’s it from me this month. I hope to see many of you at the Combined South Island meeting in Oamaru on 28 October. Kind regards - Lesley

Spotlight on one of our fantastic Platinum Partners for Nelson conference (sponsoring all sound and AV gear for all conferences since 2008) – BOUNCE NZ Outside of work and theatre what are your major passions? As we are both workaholics we don’t have much spare time outside of work and theatre but when we do Glen would be on the yacht, just chilling with the family on the boat or racing. Karen would be just hanging with the family, reading a book or two and that’s Christmas.

Karen, as well as Bounce you have your own business. Tell us a little about this. I own a dance studio called RPA-Ruske Performing Arts. We have a large group of students ranging from 2-40ish. We teach a wide range of genres working to develop a performer that can working in any area in the performing arts if they wish. 2017 also saw us take on a Junior musical, which we go to the stage in the October holidays. We are also attending the first ever Junior conference which the students are very excited about. I also travel the country taking workshops, adjudicating and, when I can, I head overseas to further my training.

When was your last overseas adventure and what made it special? Unfortunately, our latest and first ever family trip overseas was to Melbourne to farewell our 7-year-old nephew. It was special to be there to support our family and we got to spend a lovely day with just them the day we came home. Something we will treasure. We also manage to see Aladdin the musical. We were trying to see Book of Mormon but couldn’t get tickets. Theatre is never too far away for us.

Back to theatre. What are the biggest changes you've noticed in theatre over the last 10 years or so? I think the expectation from audiences that musicals are at a professional level. The offering of major shows like Mary Poppins, Phantom and many others that are coming to community theatre is no longer at community level. Often societies are dealing with large budget shows and audiences are expecting that standard also. But the pressure goes on the society to rise to the challenge and with pride we have been part of that with many of the societies, if we have designed and operated the show, we have supplied the gear. We also often get the emergency calls for HELP! We don’t mind ☺ always here to help.

After seeing or being involved in so many musicals, do you have a standout favourite and why? Karen – Matilda is one of my favs for a great family show and the kids are wonderful. I saw it in Sydney. But to be honest I just love a good musical where the company has made it believable and that doesn’t always mean it was a professional show. New Plymouth Phantom of the Opera would have been my favourite to have worked on. Evita for the company would be my next favourite.

Glen – Miss Saigon I think is a stand out for me. It’s one that I loved doing from the start. It’s just a great story and the music is awesome too

If you had a show "bucket list" what would be on it. Karen - OMG! Where to start Hamilton, Dear Evan Henson, Kinky Boots, Book of Mormon, ANY and ALL that are running on Broadway or the West End, just to experience that vibe.

Glen – I’ll just do as I’m told. When are we going to Broadway?!

Finally, how would you spend your ideal Sunday? Karen -mine would be PJ day chilling with the family watching movies sitting around in your PJ’s eating popcorn, or wine and cheese.

Glen – Out on the boat, tucked in a bay somewhere and having a couple of quiets.

NextGen Boot Camp – Cambridge Report from James Wright – MTNZ NextGen Executive Member Well, what a fantastic weekend. Two days of fun, singing, dancing and bonding between 60 or so musical theatre NextGenners from all over the country. Members arrived from as far down as Invercargill and as high up as Whangarei which, to me, is amazing and a great achievement. This year, we decided as an extension of last year, to add in a technical side of the camp. A different aspect where not only performers could come together to extend their knowledge, but a place for the techies and directors too. This not only brought more of us together, but added dynamicity to the atmosphere. The weekend started off great. The NextGenners arrived throughout the early hours of Friday afternoon and were bonding soon enough. Friday night started off with David Atkins’ workshop on working with conflict. This was a great start as not only was it hilarious, informative and engaging, but it allowed the attendees to develop interesting and creative conversation between one another. If you are ever in a situation where you get to attend a workshop with David, I would strongly encourage you do so! Most members walked away “buzzing”. Saturday morning saw the start of our workshops. The group two members started off with Teesh in her dance workshop and the group one members with Jennifer in her singing. I can’t even begin to explain how full of knowledge these two women are. We are so lucky to have two very experienced tutors on our side. Not only were they able to bring out the best in us but they were able to help and assist us in exploring our own creativity rather than just telling us how it’s done and moving on. Teesh’s ability to put across her vison through the members is amazing! In the more “advanced” class, she could help us in exploring different genres of dance as a tribute to the variety of show dance styles out in the world today! This class was not only more technically advanced, but advanced in a way where the dancers were encouraged to get creative, and that they did. Her group two dancers were taught a very energetic and enthusiastic dance to Mamma Mia. This explored dance at a “beginners” level, however the point was to (and successfully done) encourage “not-so-comfortable-dancers” too feel comfortable in their own dancing skin, and that they did! They looked amazing, and I couldn’t have been prouder! Jennifer’s expertise was greatly appreciated among the attendees. To say that the NextGenners walked away as big fans, would be an understatement. As usual, emotions were through the roof in both groups. From an emotional Empty Chairs in one group to a male version of On My Own in the other (Les Mis was apparently in the air). Jennifer, once again, didn’t fail to fill our baskets of knowledge and hopefully improve our auditioning, performing and interpretation skills in the future. A selection of eight performers stood on the final day to show off what they had been taught in the previous workshops. The standard was amazing and the members who watched on loved it. Some speaking of the amazing transformation from their initial performance, to the final one.

David held an all-day seminar/workshop for the budding directors. Although I didn’t attend, the reception from these workshops was nothing but positive. David focused his attention more on the directing side of things rather than the acting which was great because for those NextGenners who want to one day, get into directing. They were set up and given a wide range of knowledge and tips to hopefully assist them on their journey. If his Friday night workshop was anything to go by, I would again, strongly recommend you attend a seminar run by him if ever given the chance. Dale Henderson held lighting workshops 40 mins down the road at the Morrisville theatre and again, the members who attended were amazed at his creativity and understanding of what it takes to produce professional standard lighting. This course was opened up to the locals of Zone Two and was received very well. Part of his focus was not just to produce lighting for a show, but to produce effective lighting that represents and enhances the quality of a show. A concept standard to most, however overlooked by plenty. Overall the weekend was amazing, we had amazing food produced by team Holmes (I must extend my greatest thanks to Tracy, Ngaire and the family for this), an enthusiastic knowledge café where plenty of ideas were raised by the MTNZ NextGenners (topics included diversity, skill development and MTNZ as a national body) and an amazing camp ground which included a giant waterslide. The weather was stunning and the atmosphere among the NextGenners was great. They all walked away filled with knowledge and hopefully having made life-long friends. I strongly encourage every NextGenner out there to support this camp as it isn’t just an avenue to learn, but a way to network, share experiences, meet amazing people, and find out more about what MTNZ can do for you! I would also have to thank all of our sponsors for helping to put this weekend together. Without them, a lot of this wouldn’t have been possible. Lastly, thank you to Kate and the MTNZ Executive for all the extra hard work that goes in behind the scenes, logistically, this weekend takes a lot to put together but it’s all for the betterment of our NextGenners and their involvement in musical theatre, so on behalf of the NextGenners of NZ, WE SAY THANK YOU!! Nikā te mihi maioha ki a koutou katoa, otirā ki a tātou katoa! James Wright Our Three NextGen Representatives – James Wright (current), Gwen Lyon (second) and Daniel Pepperell (our first NextGen Rep who is now our Vice President)

The Whole Team

Resolving Conflict and Working with your Team – Friday Night Session with David Adkins

Kai Time

Musical Theatre New Zealand Strictly NextGen – The MTNZ Youth Boot Camp 2 – 18 – 20 August 2017

MTNZ wishes to gratefully acknowledge the following for their contributions towards our work. These contributions assist MTNZ to deliver on its commitment to the Strategic Plan and the key initiatives and to connect communities creatively.

Individual Sponsors: Leonard Irving, Ian Page, Emma Bishop

58th National Conference and Volunteer Training Weekend - 16-18 March 2018 - Founders Heritage Park and Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, hosted by Nelson Musical Theatre.

Weekend Programme as at 10 September Connecting communities creatively - Te huihuinga mai i ngā hapori wairua auaha

Friday 16 March 9am Trade Show pack in Energy Centre, Founders Heritage Park 11am Registration desk opens – Duncan House – Founders Heritage Park 1pm Trade Show opens in Energy Centre, Founders Heritage Park

MTNZ Training Session One commences – Workshops 2pm Going beyond standard health and safety - Health and Wellbeing - where are we at now and what can we do to look after ourselves in our professional work places and as volunteers– (Jaycee Room, Founders Heritage Park) 2pm The OneMusic Masterclass - “Flying Solo - Telling the Story in Song” with Jennifer Ward- Lealand (Nelson Musical Theatre Rooms, Founders Heritage Park) 5pm Workshops conclude

6pm The iTICKET Amigo’s Aperitifs – come and wet your whistle in the Energy Centre Saloon, Founders Heritage Park 6.45pm The iTICKET Wild, Wild West Dinner – be sure to plant your behinds firmly in the saddle by 7.00pm in your Wild Wild West gear 7pm Guest Opening Speaker – Jennifer Ward-Lealand 7.15pm Evening includes spit roast dinner, Merit, Community Technical and Patron awards 9pm Entertainment, music and networking 10pm Registration Desk closes and buses on rotation to accommodation

Saturday 17 March – AGM 9am Registration desk re-opens – Duncan House – Founders Heritage Park 9.30am 58th Annual General Meeting of Musical Theatre New Zealand – Energy Centre, Founders Heritage Park 10.30am AGM Morning Tea – available from the Energy Centre but you can wander around the park

MTNZ Training Session Two Commences - Forums 11am Hot Topic: • NextGen Wānanga • MTNZ Survey and Stats Presentation • Theatre Marketing Hui • Techie Talk • Understanding Governance, Legislation and the Charities Law for the non-lawyer

12pm Conference Registration desk re-opens for forum and seminar registration – Founders

12pm Picnic in the Park – lunch available from the Energy Centre

MTNZ Training Session Three commences – Forums – Founders Heritage Park 1.15pm Forum Session: • Copyright holder’s forum • Set design and drafting using Sketch Up • Diversity in community theatre – what is it? • Grass Roots Societies Chin Wag Forum (small/medium societies) • Risk assessment and tips for dealing with unsafe venues & building owners

1.15pm Make-up and Musical Directing Seminars all after seminars commence and finish around 4.30pm

1.30pm Trade Show closes 2.15pm Conclude forums

MTNZ Training Session Four – Second Part Saturday Afternoon 2.30pm Seminar Session commences 4pm Registration desk closes 4.30pm Seminar Session concludes

Saturday Night – the Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco 5.45pm Transport on rotation from Saxton Lodge and Rutherford Hotel 6.30pm The Origin Theatrical Mead and Merriment Hour - pre-dinner drinks – Village Green 7.30pm The John Herber A Midsummer Night’s Feast – Marquee and Village Hall – Theme - A Midsummer Night’s Dream – come as your favourite Shakespearean character and bring your finest fur for warmth 10pm Buses on rotation to accommodation until midnight.

Sunday 18 March 9.30am The iTICKET “Luck of the Irish” Slán Breakfast - find your pot of gold at the Honest Lawyer. With morning-after surprises and a hair-of-the-dog Guinness for St Patrick’s Day (it’s only just started in Ireland!)

MTNZ Training Session Five – Sunday Workshop 10.30am – 3.30pm – Nelson Musical Theatre Rooms Facilitated by Emma Bishop - This training session brought to you by Amici Trust Junior Theatre New Zealand in association with Musical Theatre NZ and Drama New Zealand – free to MTNZ conference attendees

10.30am Setting up a musical programme in your school or studio 12.30pm Lunch provided 3.30pm Workshop concludes

Registrations (early bird $257 pp) will open 15 October – keep up to date with the event page on Facebook or on line http://www.mtnz.org.nz/conference

Musical Theatre New Zealand – Combined South Island Meeting (Zones Four and Five) Hosted by Musical Theatre Oamaru at the Salvation Army Hall, 255 Thames Street, Oamaru

Saturday 28 October 2017, 10.30am

AGENDA

10.30am Morning tea; Welcome and Apologies Housekeeping and Roll Call

11am Workshop Session One The new Incorporated Societies Act and your constitution – what your Society needs to know – presented by Sue Barker from Sue Barker Charities Law, Wellington. (sponsored with thanks by Amici Trust)

Sue will discuss the new Incorporated Societies Act and how this will impact the non-profit sector going forward. Bring your current constitutions and work through them with Sue and your questions as well. This is a follow up session from Craig’s seminar on the new reporting to Charities at Rotorua conference and a repeat of Sue’s presentation at conference in New Plymouth this year. We encourage all Society members to send at least one person to this seminar with Sue. Like the Health and Safety Act and the new reporting standards, all non- profit organisations need to know the changes and the implications – so be in the “know”.

1pm Lunch (whip around)

1.45pm Meeting recommences ▪ Society Reports (brief – three most positive things of your year) ▪ Corporate Members

News from MTNZ • Conference 2018 – Nelson (Kate, Carl and Ross) • Competitions and Awards - reminder • AON - “loss of revenue from a show due to natural disaster’ ie fire, flood, earthquake • CAF Fund (Helen) • Boot Camp Report (Kate and Lesley) • Grassroots Community Project (Helen) • Surveys and survey results (Glenn TBC)

General Business Smaller society consortiums - Helen

-2-

3pm Workshop Session Two Strategic Planning Guide with Kate Ghent (General Manager) and Helen Horsnell (Zone Five Rep) from MTNZ A session for those societies wanting to get their strategic plan in place and don’t know where to begin. Using your Strategic Plan to report to Charities and how MTNZ uses the survey information for this reporting.

Health and Safety – writing your policy with Carl Sheehan (Nelson Musical Theatre), David Bosworth (The Light Site) and Graeme Philip (John Herber/NZ Fire Shield/ETNZ) - a practical guide to writing your policy

4pm Workshop Session Three

Hot Topic: Theatre Marketing with Kate – forum Kate attended the Theatre Marketers Hui in Auckland, June 2017. This Hui was attended by the top professional theatre marketers in NZ. Community or professional theatre, we all face the same challenges at the end of the day. Discussion was robust, insightful and some great ideas came out of the session to share with our community. What is marketing?? Getting everyone on board with marketing, deepening audience connection, dealing with the bad review, using social media, what do our audiences actually want, making theatre entertainment option number one, converting the fence sitters and any other topics you would like to discuss, or great ideas you have had to market your show

Techie Talk with David and Graeme A fantastic opportunity for a technical informal “chew the fat” session with David and Graeme. Health and safety updates, rigging, lighting, LED, computer apps for set designing, being the build manager on various consortium projects and tips on how to work with volunteers and the production team for smaller consortiums, SkillsActive/ETNZ Qualifications and the assessment process for technical volunteers to become qualified. You can discuss with David and Graeme any specific technical issues you might be having or just a general Q&A session.

5pm Conclusion

Contact on the day is Helen Horsnell - 027 220 6954

Everyone is welcome – you do not have to be on a committee to attend – all community theatre people are welcome at this meeting 

Please RSVP to Dianne [email protected] or Helen [email protected]

Zone One – Emma Bishop, Zone Rep September has been a quieter time in Zone One's community theatre scene after our July/Aug run that saw four youth productions: High School Musical JR (PLOC) Little Mermaid JR (PTI) Singing in the Rain JR (Centrestage Youth) & Bring It On (NSMT) and five other musicals Oliver (Kerikeri) In the Heights (MPA) Catch me if you Can (PTC) Nine (AMT) & Bonnie & Clyde (Harlequin) and one play The Opposite Sex (Whangarei). However, this is all about to change as we ramp up with many societies staging their final productions for the year in the coming months. Beginning with Sunset Boulevard (PTI) followed by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Centrestage) Sweet Charity (MPA) Jekyl and Hyde (NSMT) Sister Act(Amici Trust) & Footloose (PLOC) as well as a play: Blackadder (PTC). Our Associate members are also busy with Peaches and Pickles presenting Into the Woods, Ruske Performing Arts presenting Once on this Island JR and NYTC rehearsing for their Dec production of Prer Pan.... it's definitely a busy time for us all. I can't wait to see these amazing shows and celebrate Zone One talent with you all.

It will be interesting to see if having Matilda at the Civic effects bookings - fingers crossed we all get the support we deserve from our community.

The next gen Bootcamp was a great success in Cambridge with the Zone represented by two keen performers and two amazing techies. It also deserves to be mentioned that Bridie Dixon sponsored by AMT was chosen to perform in the final concert Performing Breathe from In the Heights. Even though most societies offered to sponsor participants and I offer transport it was disappointing to only have four attend. In November we will be hosting the second annual face to face with the National Executive in Auckland. Please let me know if there is anything you would like raised with them. All the best for September and October - Emma

In a moment of insanity Centrestage Youth Theatre undertook to produce two shows this year. The month of May saw our senior CYT members take to the stage in Little Shop of Horrors. This show was the directorial debut for George Keenan, one of our popular Centrestage members who is well known in the Auckland theatre scene having appeared in many shows including recent productions: Amici's The Phantom of the Opera, NSMT's Hair and Centrestage's Rent. His fresh approach to the show, including a colourful botanical take on the last number of the cult classic, received rave reviews. We were thrilled with the more than 70% occupancy rate over the 5 performances for the theatre, which included a sold out final night.

It was a hard act to follow but follow it we did when, in July, we brought the NZ premiere of Singin' in the Rain JR to Centrestage. Anna Mortlock returned to CYT as director after her sold out season of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2017. With an expert technical team led by the capable hands of Stage It Production's Scott Gaddes, we made it rain on stage through 7 performances to the delight of our audiences. We again exceeded expectations with occupancy at just over 80% and with another sold out final night. This Broadway JR show was an absolute delight to work with and we will definitely consider Broadway JR shows for future youth productions. Featuring 43 cast members aged between 6 and 18 and with some of our younger CYT members moving through the ranks to take on the lead roles in this show we know that CYT continues to have a bright future and that there are exciting prospects ahead for theatre in general with the level of talent that is coming through.

Looking ahead to 2018 we are looking forward to producing Grease as a senior CYT show. We have a number of people express an interest in being on the creative team for this show as well as a huge response from our youth indicating a desire to be a part of it. An expression of interest will be put out shortly. Our second show for CYT in 2018 is yet to be announced (stay tuned!) but we hope to be able to do this soon.

On the back of what has been a stellar 2017 for Centrestage Youth Theatre with Little Shop of Horrors and Singin' in the Rain JR both receiving rave reviews from our patrons, we are now inviting Expressions of Interest from potential Creatives for our 2018 Youth productions. Seussical JR is our first show for 2018, running during the first week of the April school holidays. For this popular and well constructed JR show, with click tracks, we are looking for a Director, Choreographer and a Vocal Coach. The senior Centrestage Youth Theatre production. Grease, will run during the July school holidays. This is the full version of this perennial favourite, with a large band, and we have many CYT-ers who are already indicating that they are very keen to be a part of this show both as cast and orchestra members. We are looking for a Director, Choreographer and Musical Director. Centrestage Youth Theatre has traditionally been a great place to start out on your path as a member of a creative team and we have always encouraged newbies to these roles as well as actively mentoring our CYT members in assistant creative team member positions. You will be well supported by our Production team and you will revel in working with the huge talent and all round gorgeous youth members of our theatre company. Please email Expressions of Interest, outlining your experience, vision, and other relevant details to Sarah Searle at [email protected]. Any questions may also be directed to this email address. EOIs close once desirable creative teams are secured.

RPA - Ruske Performing Arts based in East Tamaki, Auckland, is looking for talented dance teachers for 2018. If you have training in dance teaching or would like to begin teaching, we might be just what you are looking for. We require Ballet, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, Musical Theatre and Acro. Ideally you will be skilled in at least two of these genres. If interested email Director Karen Ruske at [email protected]

Pukekohe Performing Arts Following on from our successful season of High School Musical Jr we are very pleased to present our final show for 2017!! FOOTLOOSE!

The cast are hard at work to bring you this fabulous show along with the talented production team including Julie Trigger (Director), Aeyla Duncan (Choreographer) and Sharon Tuapawa (Musical Director). We have dancing! We have singing! Roller skates! Cowboys! The music is fantastic and very catchy and the cast are having a great time putting this show together so make sure you do not miss it. Guaranteed to get you dancing in your seat which you can book on iTicket with NO BOOKING FEE during September (Online sales only).

Rising Stars – Pukekohe Performing Arts Youth Theatre Our young students have had a great time during the year and most of them were involved with our youth production – High School Musical Jr. They are now working hard on their own script and will be presented it for one show only:

3.00pm Sunday 17th December 2017

Not only are they writing it but they will also be directing, producing and starring in their very own show! We are now making plans for our 2018 season so stay tuned for updates.

The Continental Quilt – May 2017

High School Musical Jr – July 2017

Zone Two with Zone Rep Tracy Holmes Well, what an exciting few months we’ve had in Zone Two – lots of shows and the NextGen Bootcamp. Thank you to all the societies that have hosted me and the Holmes Team to your shows, it has been wonderful to see such amazing talent in our Zone. The NextGen Bootcamp was held in the Waikato at Epworth Retreat from 18 – 20 August. With an awesome group of NextGenners and our awesome tutors David Adkins, Teesh Szabo, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, accompanist Sam Clever, Dale Henderson, Aaron Chesham, Team Morrinsville and the MTNZ Exec members Lesley Carthew, Dan Pepperell, Emma Bishop, James Wright and Kate Ghent, what an opportunity for our Next Genners to learn from the best. A great weekend of learning, meeting new people, networking and eating great home-cooked food, the youth were amazing to work with and were all willing to assist where they were needed, especially with the dishes! We hope to see many more Next Genners at the next Bootcamp!

Coming up in Zone Two, we have our Zony Award evening in Whakatane on 28 October, tickets for this go on sale soon through i-Ticket.

Our next zone meeting will be held in Rotorua on 11 November. This is going to be a learning and training afternoon, more information coming soon. https://www.facebook.com/events/470367013133550/

Centre Stage Taupo Inc The Playhouse theatre is all a buzz with preparations for the eagerly awaited production of ‘Nell Gwynn’ a play written in 2015 by Jessica Swale available through Play Bureau. Set in the Restoration Theatre period we follow the journey of Nell Gwynn rising from the streets out of prostitution, to orange selling at the theatre and being discovered and put on stage as one of the first female actor-esses. She is known as pretty, witty Nelly and soon adored by all. Nell catches the eye of King Charles II and soon a love affair that lasts a life time ignites right in front of our eyes. We see behind the scenes intimate moments between the King and Nell that allows us to see how genuine and loving their relationship was. Immerse yourself in our original set designed by Donovan Bixley, period costumes designed and made by a team of fabulous local seamstresses, period music collated by Alex Wiltshire, singing coached by Alex Wiltshire as well and wonderfully written comedic script brought to life by a talented cast all brought together by the direction of Mandy Thomas. Not to be missed! Exciting times ahead. Tickets will be available through Eventfinder. Keep an eye on our Facebook page for details. Performances between 27th October to 4th November.

Centre Stage Voices We are also starting a singing group. Over the last couple of years we have run a series of workshops. The singing ones are always well attended. This led to forming a regular singing group so that members can keep their voices show ready all year round! SINGING! IT'S GOOD FOR YOU! Have you ever sung in a choir? Is it something that you’ve considered but never followed through with? Belting out your favourite song can feel great! It’s a proven fact that singing can do wonders for our health and well-being.

We have a new adult singing group kicking off soon called Centre Stage Voices. Why not come along and join us singing and have some fun too! No auditions - open to anyone who appreciates the joy of singing in a group! WHEN 25th September TIME: 7.00 – 8.30 pm (Twice monthly thereafter) WHERE: Centre Stage Theatre, 2 Matai Street COST: Free to members, $5 to non-members (Koha box will be available for donations towards tea/coffee and printing, feel free to bring your change) The group will be led by Kaylene Carson and accompanist Sarah Monro

Tokoroa Little Theatre - Our children's show ,Green Ginger, will be performed from Sept. 13th to Sept. 17th with Matinees on Saturday and Sunday.A Kidult panto like show with music and dancing. Also a very scary Jub Jub bird. We have an Arts on Tour show, Bill Masseys Tourists on Sept.3rd.

TALOS News - We have the Calendar Girls season starting this Saturday. We had a few weeks during rehearsals when the heating system broke down in the theatre….not a good thing when the Show is Calendar Girls and it’s mid-winter!!! However, they pulled through and kept a few more layers on and are now ready to go. Junior TALOS are working hard on Alice in Wonderland (Broadway Jnr) Their season is late October/early November. Auditions have taken place for A Christmas Carol. Cast are a talented bunch and we’re excited about getting rehearsals underway in mid-September. This is our Christmas production.

Musical Theatre Gisborne are having a great year. We have recently finished putting on Beauty and the Beast directed by John Drummond at The War Memorial Theatre. It was a fantastic show, very successful and the feed back from the public has been brilliant. We are really pleased to have two youth, Alyssa and Mat join our committee this year. They both attended the MTNZ youth workshops and they have both worked behind the scenes and performed on stage over the last several years. We are now busy organising a weekend of various events to celebrate 125 years of musical theatre in Gisborne and the 10th Birthday of MTG. This will take place from the 6th to 8th October, all details will be on our Musical Theatre Gisborne Facebook page. Our last show this year is , Sun, Sea and Murder, a murder mystery directed by Dorothy Fletcher performed at the MTG club rooms, six performances from 30th Nov to 9th Dec. Our big show for next year to be performed at The War Memorial Theatre in July is, Footrot Flats the musical, directed by Teresa Campbell.

Zone Three – Sharron Pardoe – Zone Rep It’s September, spring apparently but in Wellington the temperature the last few days has barely risen above 10 deg. But I managed to escape it for a day or two to head up to Auckland to see Matilda. What a treat. It was the first time I had seen the show and I just loved it - humour, brilliant choreography and a stunning cast. And the kids were amazing.

A few hours after returning home to Welly I headed out to Onslow College to see Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was a dreadful night, cold and very heavy rain but it was uplifting to see another bunch of talented young people (including GM Kate’s son Nick) and I also managed to pick up a couple of costume ideas for our Midsummer event at conference.

This week the sun is finally starting to shine and I’m heading into town to see Wonderland - a new musical. This homegrown show is written by Kira Josephson and Bruno Shirley and is based on the works of Lewis Carroll. The description goes “The rules don’t make sense, nonsense is the only common language, and everyone is mad!”

Another show I can’t wait for is That Bloody Woman, by Luke Di Somma and Gregory Cooper. This punk/rock opera is based on suffragist, activist and cyclist Kate Sheppard and has received rave reviews. It’s playing in New Plymouth and Napier as well as Wellington so if you get the chance to see it, grab it.

KAURI THEATRE COMPANY Last month I had the pleasure of attending the launch of the Kauri Theatre Company. Formed by a group of passionate musical theatre supporters, the company’s first show will be Bad Girls next year. At the launch we were treated to a night of great performers and bands and I look forward to them being actively involved in Zone 3 and MTNZ. Their first production scheduled for September 2018 at the Gryphon Theatre ‘Bad Girls’ (Director - Lindsey Rusling)

GOLDIES Zone 3 is looking at staging The Goldies - a celebration of community theatre in our area. The awards would be run in a similar way to the Zonys in Zone Two and the OSTAs in Zone Five which have proved very popular. I have sent out an invitation to all our societies in the zone to see if there is support for the idea and they have until the end of September to get back to me. I’d love to see this happen. It requires a lot of work from a small dedicated team but we’re willing to do that if you decide to back the idea.

COMING UP I’m planning a small road trip up to Hawke’s Bay in October. President Lesley is planning to meet me in Dannevirke to see The Case of the Jersey Lily at the Fountain Theatre (Sept 28th 29th 30th & Oct 5th 6th & 7th). Director Elijah Graham has just attended the Nextgen Bootcamp.

After the show we will head up to Napier where I hope to catch Beauty and the Beast, a Napier Operatic Society Theatre School production directed by James Wright, also a NextGenner who attended the bootcamp and is a member of the MTNZ Executive.

Musical Stars Performance Trust is staging: Disney's Aristocats Kids (30 minute show) and Peter Pan - The British Musical 23rd of September at the Lower Hutt Little Theatre: 11am and 3pm

NAPIER OPERATIC IS LOOKING FOR A DIRECTOR FOR CHESS IN 2018. Submissions close September 30th Please forward to Sonya at [email protected]

The official launch and fund raising event for Kauri Theatre Company Inc. was held Sat 12th Aug and it proved to be a great success. With over 100 people coming along to give their support, everyone was entertained by some fabulous talent including: Matthew Pike, Jane Keller, Julie Fitzgerald, Chris Green, Val Andrew, the Retro Divas and fantastic new band Sweet Assassin. Rob Reid was emcee for the evening where a considerable amount was raised through raffles and auctions. Everyone is very excited and looking forward to the first production scheduled for 2018: 'Bad Girls'. The company encourages people who are keen to be a part of this group and the upcoming production to get in touch with us at: [email protected] You can now also follow us on FaceBook, (Kauri Theatre Company) Instagram and twitter (kauritheatre@kauritheatre) We thank everyone who came along and we will be hosting more fund-raising events in the future providing the opportunity for theatre people to get together!

Zone Four with Ross Benbow This is a busy time of the year for Musical Theatre Companies with many shows either just finished, on the boards now or about to open. I have been involved with Nelson Musical Theatre’s biggest production since Cats in 2009 and it has been very exciting opening up the big containers with the Mamma Mia set, props and costumes. More exciting was fitting the wardrobe on Saturday 26th August, packing in the set on the 27th of August so we could have the first rehearsal on the 27th and have a Gala opening on Saturday 2nd September. This was a big ask but it was done and the season opened to a hugely appreciative audience. I’m writing this not to say Nelson Musical Theatre are exceptionally good at pack in but to say musical theatre groups in general face huge challenges with nonprofessional crew who take time off work and perform the impossible to get our shows to the public. We may not be professional but we are also not amateur in the way we do things. For this reason I urge societies to consider log books for crew, particularly those who may want to work in other bigger theatres, so that they can look at getting qualified in their chosen theatre field. This could be as professionals but also as a qualified community theatre crew person. A short roundup of some other Zone Four news. Showbiz Christchurch opened Sister Act on 8th September and NASDA opened Cabaret on the same night. Halswell Players open The Wedding Singer 15th September, as reported above Nelson has Mamma Mia onstage until 23rd September. Hokitika High School and the combined community are in rehearsal for Fiddler On The Roof opening soon and Hokitika Dramatic will soon audition for a Christmas Revue. Country Players are about to audition for their Christmas show and Nelson Musical Theatre are about to cast a very funny dinner theatre called A Seamier Side Of Lamb, this is a New Zealand premier and is a musical with lots of sheep who have very human attributes. Zone Four was very well represented at the MTNZ NextGen Boot Camp held recently in Cambridge. Methven, Ashburton, North Canterbury, Nelson societies all sent NextGenners to a fantastic weekend of networking and learning, and they all came back buzzing. The MTNZ South Island Meeting is coming up on the 28th October in Oamaru, this will be a great time to meet with other Societies, learn from some of the speakers, hear what’s happening with MTNZ and maybe find solutions for problems your society is having. This is your meeting so don’t miss it.

Nelson Theatrix held a winter concert entitled Love in the Spotlight at the end of July. The concert took the audience through five stages of love and featured well-known local singers Alison Cormack, Amanda Creehan, Daniel de Clercq, Jessica D'Ath, Bex Malcolm, Saul Gibney and Michaela Sheehan. The concert was well received. An audience member remarked, “I loved the range of love songs that was explored, from heart wrenching ballads to comical upbeat numbers, there was something for everyone and the performances were top quality.” The next project for Theatrix is another instalment of Broadway Unplugged in October. Local singers can sign up for the concert that is put together with one rehearsal on the day of the concert. The theme is MisCast, so singers are performing songs they would never be cast to sing. It’s going to be a great show at a brand new venue in Nelson, Ghost Light Theatre. Nelson Theatrix started early 2016 to provide Nelsonians of all ages the opportunity to participate in professional quality, fully live musical theatre productions and concerts.

Things are as busy as ever here at the South Canterbury Drama League. We have just finished a SELL OUT!! season of "Last of the Summer Wine". We ended up having to put on an extra performance and advertised a bulk booking option that equated to selling 100 extra tickets, so just very successful all round. Congratulations to the Director Lizzie Dawson/Cast and crew for a fantastic season. We currently have "Avenue Q" due to hit the stage and in Oct we will have our Repertory Section's second show for the year, "Mum's Choir" which is a delightful Kiwi play then in Nov, we have a locally written play by Catherine May-Smith, "Variety a Kiwi Comedy" that will be our last show for the year. "Avenue Q" is our major production for the year and this year we are holding it at our home, the Playhouse auditorium on Church Street, Timaru. We have a dinner/show option or show only option available and interest is building for this quirky, laugh out loud show. We can't wait to present it to the Timaru public. It will definitely make water cooler conversation in offices all over town. :- ) Our premises have had some upgrades with new carpet in our hallways donated by a local firm Peter Herron Flooring and our old rehearsal room has now become a Playspace where instead of building sets and painting, we will be putting on shows and hiring out to touring plays. We recently had Rhian Wood-Hall bring his show "How I met my father" here and he used this new space. It was great to see it in use.

Zone Five All systems are go in Alexandra, having only just recovered from our successful staging of Grease we had a luxurious two week break and stepped straight back into it with the auditions for our upcoming jubilee show "Showtime". In September we celebrate 60 years of consecutively producing musical theatre in Alexandra. In the beginning our shows were all written locally, which in 1957 was pretty impressive when the population of the town was a mere couple of thousand, so to have individuals come together to write full musicals is quite amazing! Skip forward 60 years and we are bringing back some of the classics for 'Showtime" which runs alongside our jubilee celebrations. Showtime is being directed and choreographed by Matt van den Yssel, who directed Grease earlier in the year, and is an ex Alexandra man, with musical direction from local Bruce Potter. We do invite you to attend our jubilee celebrations and show, and all of the details are on our website www.alexmusical.co.nz

For Sale: Grease car fitted with approx. 800 LEDs lovingly and painstakingly fitted. No wheels, no chassis – body only on lightweight frame. $500 ono. Electric scissor lift: 2.2m square, 1.5m lifting height. Up to 2 tons with controller. Very stable and very smooth. 3 phase. NZ approved. As per photos. $3000 ono.

For further information and photos, please contact [email protected]

The Clyde Theatre Group Inc are putting on two One Act Plays from 3-5 November. Chook Chook and Hi Santa, Remember Me?

Priscilla: Queen of the Desert (The Musical). Regent Theatre Dunedin 3rd to 12th May, 2018.

SOME REFLECTIONS on touring in 2017 - as I move into a Coaltown Blues season in Gisborne.

Housesitting provides a financially realistic touring model: • Being able to take rent out of the equation means staying in the black is considerably less stressful. • A housesitting website which advertises house sits well in advance is essential • Generally, it is significantly more comfortable and relaxed than trying to live in motels or having to rely on friends and unknown committee members hospitality. • Needing to get out and walk dogs forces me into taking some time out and getting some exercise. For me it is also a chance to have animals around, which I enjoy. Media changes impact on some target audiences: • The most influential factor in whether Coaltown Blues attracts an audience is getting an article with a photo into the print media. For this play a key target audience is over 60, and the trend towards newspapers publishing online does not work for most of this group. Many are tech savvy, but DO NOT access their news this way. • Pressure on small local newspapers is making it less certain that they will print articles unless there is a commitment to advertising spending – which is expensive. • To counter these trends, I have just started offering one hour concerts in retirement villages as a direct link to a section of this target audience. Most set up monthly programmes of entertainment, so at least 6 week’s notice is needed. Some have access to a modest budget for entertainment, some are happy to put a nominal charge on those attending. 26

Solo touring can get artistically lonely: • I (fortunately) do not get socially lonely. I have been feeling isolated from all the enjoyment that comes with shared on-stage endeavours, and will be making sure I am part of an ensemble or cast piece this coming year. • I had the chance to have Lindsey Rusling – director of Coaltown Blues - see a performance this week. We last checked in, in 2015, so it was great to get some feedback on where developments and changes worked or needed another look. It’s good to take a ‘weekend’. This year I have had to make sure that I take one day, most weeks where I give no thought or time to theatre. And so, I look forward with great anticipation to this season in Gisborne, trusting that these learnings will contribute to a rewarding season. I want to thank Heather McIntyre and the team at Gisborne Unity Theatre for their welcome and work in preparation. I am equally excited about moving on to a new solo piece, UNDER, with Red Scare Theatre in Wellington in early November. Chris Green

What’s Happening - Junior Theatre/Schools The International Junior Theatre Celebration comes to New Zealand!

Saturday 21st October, 2017 – Aotea Centre, Auckland

AMICI Trust, in collaboration with international partner iTheatrics and sponsor Music Theatre International, Australasia, will premiere the Junior Theatre Celebration in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday 21st October, 2017.

The Junior Theatre Celebration hosts national and international musical theatre celebrities and provides an opportunity for young people ages eight to eighteen years in New Zealand to celebrate their love of musicals and experience the transformative power of theatre.

The Junior Theatre Celebration is inspired by the renowned American Junior Theater Festival (JTF), produced annually by iTheatrics’ Junior Theater Group, in partnership with iTheatrics, the leading international authority on musical theatre for young people, headquartered in New York City, USA. iTheatrics’ flagship Junior Theater Festival is held in Atlanta, GA USA in January each year with over 6,000 participants in attendance.

Modelled on this popular Junior Theatre Festival event, the inaugural New Zealand Junior Theatre Celebration day will be held in Auckland in October 2017 hosting 200plys young people and a number of practicing performing arts teachers from all over the country.

We are thrilled to announce that this event will include special guests including: Timothy Allen McDonald (musical theatre author and founding chairman of iTheatrics, New York), Steven G. Kennedy (iTheatrics Resident Choreographer, New York), Marty Johnson (iTheatrics Director of Education and Resident Director, New York), Cindy Ripley (iTheatrics Lead Educational Consultant, New York), and Stuart Hendricks (MTI Australasia).

What is the Junior Theatre Celebration? It’s a one- day event that brings teachers, students and theatre professionals together to celebrate outstanding junior musical theatre productions.

The day includes adjudications by local and international industry professionals, workshops for students, theatre celebrities, a New Works Showcase of titles soon to be available, awards ceremonies and the largest collection of musical theatre professional development under one roof.

Throughout the day, participating groups present a 10-minute excerpt from their recent Broadway Junior ™ musical in front of their peers and an adjudication panel of distinguished theatre professionals. Following each performance, students receive valuable and constructive feedback from the adjudicators. This work is done in front of other participating groups and is designed to enlighten and educate both teachers and students on and offstage. The day then flows into skill- building workshops for students and offers professional development opportunities for teachers. This closing ceremony presents awards to participating groups, and also features an All-Star performance given by students handpicked throughout the day, talk-backs with industry professionals, special guest performances and a Showcase of New Works soon to be released. Most of all the Junior Theatre Celebration offers a perfect day for teachers and students to share and network with like- minded theatre enthusiasts.

If you've not experienced the musical theatre madness and mayhem that is a Junior Theatre Festival or Celebration, all we can say is, what are you waiting for?

You don't want to miss this! There are two types of registration:

GROUP REGISTRATION for groups that have performed/are performing a Broadway Junior™ show

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT REGISTRATION for individual teachers who wish to come along, learn, share and be inspired.

For more information and to learn how you can be involved!

NEW ZEALAND Partnered by AMICI Trust, iTheatrics,

Sponsored by iTicket & Auckland Live Saturday 21st October, 2017 – Aotea Centre, Auckland www.nztheatrics.org.nz

Techie Talk, Updates and Info ETNZ: Entertainment Technology NZ

It's official - our qualifications are approved and listed with NZQA ETNZ would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has advised, assisted, provided support and feedback, read and commented on copious numbers of documents over the last few years. You can find the quals at the following links: - Level 3: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nzqf/search/viewQualification.do?selectedItemKey=3416 - Level 4: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nzqf/search/viewQualification.do?selectedItemKey=3417 - Level 6: http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nzqf/search/viewQualification.do?selectedItemKey=3430

September's special deal! ShowPro Quad 12 LED Buy the ShowPro Quad 12 LED for only $509.25+GST until 30 September 2017. Consisting of 12 QUAD-COLOUR RGBW- 8 Watt LEDs this fixture can cover a large range of the colour spectrum including quality pastels, whites warm and cool. https://www.aclx.co.nz/product/1449521 … Contact us directly for this special price - [email protected]

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NEW!!- WIRELESS COMMS SYSTEM

• Available for hire now • Basic compatibility with major wired intercom manufacturers’ systems

For more information, please contact David Bosworth

Phone: 03 372 9101 Email: [email protected]