Pre-show Pack 2024 Creative Learning
On behalf of the artists and everyone behind the scenes, Auckland Theatre Company and Silo Theatre welcomes kaiako and ākonga to Scenes from the Climate Era by David Finnigan.
PRE-SHOW PACK
This pre-show pack helps you prepare to see live performances as part of the NCEA Drama Curriculum. This resource will help you to get the most out of your visit to the theatre, priming you to see beyond the performance and consider the connections to your drama curriculum.
Once you’ve seen the production, download the full Education Pack for further insights to the production.
PRE-SHOW PACK ACTIVITIES WRITTEN BY ANNA RICHARDSON
Preparing to view live theatre
Your kaiako have organised for you to see a production at Q Theatre as part of your drama programme this year. In Drama there are important reasons why viewing live theatre is essential to your learning:
• The opportunity to see actors in a professional, semi-professional or amateur theatrical context.
• The ihi, wehi and wana that you, the actors, and the audience that surrounds you in the theatre, feel as you watch the performance.
• The opportunity to have an emotional, physical and theoretical response to a performance.
• To respond to the director, designer and actor’s intentions that are put forth during the performance.
• To be inspired by the work you see and use the dramatic components in your own work back in the classroom.
Before you head to the theatre you might want to do all or a selection of the following activities to ensure that you are getting the most out of the performance, both personally and as a part of your NCEA assessment programme.
Before you begin preparing to visit the theatre you will want to set up a space to collate your work; to store your notes from your teacher, reflections, sketches, brainstorms, audio recordings, practice exam answers and digital education packs. This could be:
• A digital space such as a Onenote, Google Site or Google Folder.
• A written journal or portfolio
• A designated space in a binder or clearfile
• A combination of all of above
Activity One: A personal understanding of the learning
With the refresh of NCEA, all teaching and learning in Drama across all three levels of NCEA will draw from these Big Ideas:
Titiro whakamuri, kōkiri whakamua – Drama is influenced by whakapapa and is a way to respond to and share identity, culture, and perspectives
Mā whero, mā pango, ka oti ai te mahi – Drama is a collaborative, creative process
Poipoia te kākano kia puawai – Drama communicates through storytelling and creative expression to nurture and nourish people
Te whāriki kia mōhio ai tātou ki a tātou – Meaning in performance is created through whanaungatanga
Activity:
In small groups or as a class, discuss how these Big Ideas relate to viewing live theatre as a member of the audience?
• What learning are we doing in this context?
• Why is it important?
• How does what we experience at the theatre link to other work we might be doing in class?
THEN
Continuing to brainstorm in smaller groups or as a whole class using the Big Ideas, the bullet points on why viewing theatre is essential and the following ideas to guide your conversation. -
“Why is it important to see live theatre?”
“What skills do I need to develop to ensure I am going to get the most out of this theatre viewing experience?”
“Using the information provided - what is the play about? What do you know about the play already? Are there personal connections you can make with the topic/story?”
“What are you excited about?”
• Make sure someone is a scribe for this activity. They could collate everyone’s ideas on the white board or on big pieces of paper in groups.
• Ensure everyone gets a copy of the outcome of the brainstorm.
• Store this in your digital or written portfolio to return to.
Activity Physical,Two:emotional and theoretical response
We view theatre for entertainment, for enjoyment but also to be challenged and to think deeply. You will need to remember your response and unpack your thinking later in the year when you:
Level One: develop your report in class to submit for external assessment.
Level Two and Three: Sit your mock exams and your external exams.
Brainstorm what you might need to do when you visit the theatre to record your physical, emotional and theoretical response to the performance. How will you set yourself up for success? What can your kaiako do to support you prior to the trip?
Note: Remember that enjoyment of the show is important and that you are going to be provided with a full education pack from Auckland Theatre Company. Some examples of what you could do are;
• If the set is visible when you enter the theatre, you might choose to sketch the set in a notebook prior to the show and then tuck that notebook away until the post show forum.
• Noting down an immediate response at the end of the show in a few words or sketches might capture what you are feeling in that moment.
• Voice recording the post show forum on your phone.
Activity Three: Pre-reading/ listening
Scenes From A Climate Era was written by Australian playwright David Finnigan and in bringing the show to Aotearoa, he has worked closely with Director Jason Te Kare to adapt the script for that context. So that you can get the most out of your audience experience, thinking about the context of the script and the playwright's intention can enrich your experience.
Pre-listening: Listen to the following interview from Radio New Zealand with David Finnigan, either for homework or as a class.
David Finnigan: Scenes from the Climate Era | RNZ
Activity:
As a class or in small groups discuss highlights from the interview and the information you think will be relevant to you as both an audience member and as a student. You can use the following headings or starters to organise your thoughts:
• Playwright’s intention for writing the play
• Discussions around mātauranga Māori and bringing the Australian text to an Aotearoa context
• Quotes that could be useful or a thought provoking
• Comments that surprised or intrigued you
• Challenging comments
Pre-reading:
Dr Daniel Hikuroa is a Senior Lecturer in Māori Studies, Te Wānanga o Waipapa, in the Faculty of Arts, University of Auckland, and is part of the executive team at Te Ao Mārama – Centre for Fundamental Inquiry. He has been consulting with the creative and education team throughout the process of bringing Scenes From A Climate Era to the stage. His research will help you explore the wider context of the play, thinking about the wairua of the performance and why Silo Theatre and Auckland Theatre Company might have chosen this play for today’s audiences.
Activity:
In small groups:
• Choose one of the newspaper/research articles linked below
• Read the article through circling ideas that link to the performance and highlighting ideas that you think are interesting
• After you have read the article, answer the following questions:
• What is the article about?
• What do the headings tell you?
• How could you use quotes or aspects of this article as wider context to enrich your exam answer or report?
Let the Rivers Speak: thinking about waterways in Aotearoa New Zealand | Policy Quarterly
Dirty rivers destroying mauri of our oceans - Newsroom
Mātauranga Māori—the ūkaipō of knowledge in New Zealand
Who speaks for the Gulf?
Activity Four: Level One ākonga only
Kaiako and ākonga will need to note that the mode of assessment for the new NCEA Level One Live Performance Standard has changed.
Keep your External Assessment Specifications in mind as you view live theatre.
Level 1 Drama 2024 Assessment Specifications
As a drama student you will need to notice, think about and unpack the following:
• Taking note of the themes, ideas, symbols
• Noticing when the performance is linked to a wider context - historical, geographical, social and political
• Whether the performance uses a specific theatre form
• Actors use of techniques; body, voice, movement and space
• The choices that the design team has made and the impact they have on the performance and on you as a member of the audience
• The intention the Director(s) intended to communicate to the audience through their choices
• The wairua of performance and your personal response to the performance.
You will have approximately six hours (over a number of periods) during the year to compile a report drawn from the learning that you do after seeing Scenes from the Climate Era. The report will be based around the following task:
TASK
Respond to a drama performance by addressing the following questions.
(a) How and why did the key message(s) of the drama performance have an effect on the audience? Why was this important?
(b) How and why were a range of drama components used to create effect in the performance? Note: Drama components include techniques, elements, conventions, and technologies.
(c) How and why did the wairua of the performance have an impact on you? You should consider:
• the relationship between performers and audience
• the intended effect of the performance on the audience
• your personal response to the performance.
In small groups discuss the task and what aspects of the performance you will need to look out.
Using the information provided by Auckland Theatre Company, about the play, discuss what you think you might personally connect to and what you might be challenged by.
Activity Four: Level Two and Three ākonga only
Keep your Exam Specifications in mind as you view live theatre.
As a drama student you will need to notice, think about and unpack the following:
• Taking note of the themes, ideas, symbols
• Noticing when the performance is linked to a wider context - historical, geographical, social and political
• Whether the performance uses a specific theatre form
• Actors use of techniques; body, voice, movement and space
• The choices that the design team has made and the impact they have on the performance and on you as a member of the audience
• The intention the Director(s) intended to communicate to the audience through their choices.
YEAR LEVEL FOCUS:
Below are specific aspects that you will need to keep in mind as you view theatre and then prepare for the external assessment in November. These pointers have been drawn from the NZQA website. (Questions that help you unpack these in detail will be provided in the Education Pack following the show.)
Year 12/Level Two NCEA:
• Drama elements, techniques, conventions, and technologies.
• For full specifications, reference this document: 91215-spc-2024.pdf (nzqa.govt.nz)
Year 13/Level Three NCEA:
• Connections between director/designer’s concept(s) and the performance
• Elements, Techniques, Technologies, Conventions
• Wider context
• For full specifications, reference this document: 91514-spc-2024.pdf (nzqa.govt.nz)
In small groups discuss what aspects of the performance you will need to look out for using the focus points for your year level.
Using the information provided by Auckland Theatre Company, about the play, discuss what you think the “wider context” of the performance might be.
Activity PreparingFive:for a post-show forum
After the performance you will get the opportunity to listen to and ask questions of the cast, crew and creative team. This is an amazing opportunity to enrich your understanding of the performance BUT it is usually only fifteen to twenty minutes long, so it is important to think about the type of questions which will help you, students from your school and students from other schools attending.
If the performers and creative team are ok with it, recording the forum on your phone or device via voice notes is really helpful. Your kaiako might choose to do this for you and share it with you back in class.
As a class or in small groups discuss the following:
What type of questions help deepen my understanding?
How should I word my questions, so that I am not using exam jargon or language?
Who am I directing my questions to? Actor, designer, director?
What questions would be fun to ask but might not be helpful during a short forum?
What questions do I save for my kaiako/teacher?
REFERENCES:
NCEA: Drama | NCEA (education.govt.nz)
NCEA Drama Matrix: DR Learning Matrix.pdf (ncea-live-3-storagestack-53qassetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com)
NZQA: Drama :: NZQA