Welcome to Arts Online

Te Kete Ipurangi Navigation:

Te Kete Ipurangi
Communities
Schools

Te Kete Ipurangi user options:


Back to the 'Jump link' navigation, at the top of the page

Creative ID: 343

Art form(s): Dance, Multi-disciplinary, Theatre
Language(s): English
Based in: Auckland
Where I'm available:
Auckland
Auckland-based and have the capacity to travel to schools within the wider Auckland city limits.
When I'm available: We have availability and can negotiate the best time frames to suit the school.

My arts or creative practice (including details about my specific focus within that art form/practice and my strengths)

We are performing artists specialising in physical theatre, devising and education. As a team, one of our primary practices is devising and touring original theatre shows. Our work takes a multidisciplinary approach, bringing together traditions of clowning, comedy, improvisation, acrobatics and audience participation. We have collaborated on multiple touring productions over the past seven years, including a children's theatre show, which premiered and then toured extensively to schools in the North Island and Sydney, NSW. We also create and present theatre workshops for schools that equip students to bring stories to life using physical theatre techniques. Utilising our skills in education and direction, we empower young people to engage with diverse theatre practices and create original work that is fresh, personal, and impactful. We are passionate about the creation of theatre in Aotearoa that is accessible, entertaining and unafraid to engage with environmental, political and social issues.

My track record of experience and success - or the track record of experience and success of the creative or artist that I will partner with

In terms 1 and 2 of 2021, both artists were creatives in schools at an Auckland school where they worked with 80 students in years 4 to 6, teaching skills and facilitating the students to devise moments, scenes, and stories. The provocation for the work was the book Who Am I? by Philip Bunting. The students performed what they had created to parents and whānau. One artist trained in New Zealand and the United Kingdom. She is a director of theatre and has conceived and produced numerous shows for diverse audiences. She has worked with companies in New Zealand and Australia. She is a qualified, registered secondary school teacher with an M.A.(Hons) in Drama. She also participated in the Creatives in Schools programme at Pukekohe High School in 2008 where her focus was clowning, devising solos with year 13 students, and leading professional development for the drama teachers. The second artist has a Bachelor of Performing and Screen Arts (Unitec 2009), 12 years of classical and modern dance training (BAL, JDNZ) and further study in clowning and mask work. She has worked with a number of theatres and in 2019 toured throughout Australia and New Zealand. In 2019, she completed a 10-month arts residency, culminating in a month-long exhibition and the presentation of a significant production.

The second artist has worked with a number of theatres and recently toured throughout Australia and New Zealand. In 2019, she completed a 10-month arts residency, culminating in a month-long exhibition and the presentation of a significant production.

Describe the experience you have had working with children or young people, teaching or facilitating creative processes

The first artist is highly experienced with developing educational resources and facilitating arts and recreational programmes for children, youth and young adults. She has tutored theatre for a number of institutions and theatre.  She spent 7 years working as a Programme Coordinator and youth worker with a youth organisation that provides recreational and work-skills programmes for young people living with disabilities. She is currently developing a youth arts theatre project exploring mental health issues within youth communities in Aotearoa.

The second artist has extensive experience working with young people in the role of teacher, director, mentor. She has taught drama to year 9 - 13 students at a Auckland college for 7 years, directing scores of productions and teaching across the drama curriculum. Prior to that, she worked in various freelance roles; acting, making theatre, producing and directing. In 2012 and 2017, she facilitated the creative process for large scale community productions at a theatre. She has also conceived and led the creative processes for numerous professional productions here and in Australia.

Why I want to be part of the Creatives in Schools programme and how my involvement will link to my creative practice

We are passionate about nurturing the next generation of young theatre-makers and see value in sharing industry knowledge and specialised skills. Providing students with the opportunity and tools to create original works of theatre empowers them to use their voice and tell their own stories. As artists that regularly make work for young people, we are focused on staying relevant to the issues and subjects that concern them. In this way, this programme is a great opportunity for us to learn as well as share. We are currently working towards the creation of a new theatre show for young audiences that explores environmental and sustainability issues unique to Aotearoa. We would love the opportunity to workshop ideas around conservation and creative activism with students, using current NZ issues as a starting point. We want to engage with the students' perspectives, ideas, and hopes for the future, opening up a conversation about the power of theatre to incite change. These workshops and conversations would then build into the creation of the students’ own devised work which could be performed to the school and community.

Request complete profile of this creative

Back to the 'Jump link' navigation, at the top of the page

Footer: