WHY I WROTE THE PLAY I WROTE62

KA MUA, KA MURI

ISSUE No – 55

Ka mua, ka muri is a whakataukī meaning ‘walking backwards into the future’ – a conception of looking to the past to inform the future. This whakataukī comes to mind reading the rich collection of articles in this New Zealand theatre annual. Articles that record personal responses to living in a Covid-19 enforced lockdown and consider future prospects; that reflect on writing in a country other than our own; record our queer theatre writing; provide lessons learnt shifting between performing comedy and theatre writing, and creating in new ways during a lockdown. It discusses new regionally driven festival programming; reflects on the genesis of past writing; and provides thoughts on the legacy of a playwriting elder who has recently passed, Dean Parker. All this with round-ups in images and words of what’s been on our stages in the twelve months since June 2019.

At the time of writing we are facing the challenges of community transmission of Covid-19 after coming out of an initial lockdown that had seen theatres black since late March. This period has given us all impetus to assess what theatre might look like in the future. The challenges to sustain a theatre career have escalated (the livelihoods of independent practitioners, in particular, have all but vanished). The way of the world is in the dock, facing important questioning. Age-old festering is exploding in the streets. There were so many challenges that were with us long before the year began – pictured is a scene from The Court Theatre production of Tavita Nielsen-Mamea’s Au Ko Tuvalu, which takes us into the future, to the Pacific homeland of the world’s first climate change refugees. Making change is much discussed in this Annual; some has already taken place. Exploration of digital works has informed hybrid presentation modes. Structures are being challenged. It will be fascinating to contemplate all of this in a year’s time.

Mark Amery has once again edited the Annual in his inimitable fashion and I am especially grateful for his guidance in the commissioning of exactly what we need to read right now.

Murray Lynch

Director, Playmarket

PLAYMARKET ANNUAL THE MAGAZINE OF THE NEW ZEALAND PLAY AND PLAYWRIGHT

Playmarket Annual Editor: Mark Amery Design: Cansino & Co Advertising: Annesley Kingston Editorial Assistants: Salesi Le’ota and Murray Lynch

Published by Playmarket PO Box 9767, Wellington Aotearoa New Zealand

Ph. 64-4-382 8462 www.playmarket.org.nz email: info@playmarket.org.nz

ISSN 1179-9676 (Print) ISSN 2463-7343 (Online)

The Playmarket Annual is published once a year. The next issue will be September 2021. The views expressed in this magazine are not, unless stated, those of Playmarket staff or its board.

Advertising enquiries: Annesley Kingston, ph. 04 476 7449.

Playmarket Board: Catherine Fitzgerald (Chair), Manukaroa Anderson, Pip Hall, Alister McDonald, Mishelle Muagututi’a, Nick Ravaji, Peter Rutherford, Jason Te Kare and Brent Thawley.

Playmarket Staff: Director Murray Lynch; Script Advisor Stuart Hoar; Licensing and Bookshop Administrator Ivana Palezevic; Publication and Event Coordinator Salesi Le’ota; Script Coordinator Holly Gooch (until January 2020), Nathan Mudge (from January 2020); Accounts Alan Collins; Financial Advisor David Jenkins.

Playmarket receives major funding from:

COVER IMAGE: Kura Forrester and Chris Parker. Image: Matt Grace. PREVIOUS PAGE: Au Ko Tuvalu by Tavita Nielsen-Mamea, The Court Theatre. Image: The Court Theatre.

CONTENTS

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8 WHY I WROTE THE PLAY I WROTE #1 Riwia Brown on Roimata

AUCKLAND ROUND UP

14 LEANING INTO LIVENESS Kate Powell on new approaches to playwriting during Covid-19

20 CONVERSATION: A THEATRE COMEDY LOCKDOWN Kura Forrester, Chris Parker, Tom Sainsbury and Hayley Sproull

26 FUTURE THEATRE SHOCK

Members of the theatre industry look ahead to a time post-Covid

42 UNDER AN EAST COAST MOON Dolina Wehipeihana talks to Tama Waipara about Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival

50

WHY I WROTE THE PLAY I WROTE #2 Courtney Rose Brown on The First Time

52 FIRING THE CANON

Shane Bosher begins a history of queer playwriting and considers its future

60 DUNEDIN ROUND UP

62 WHY I WROTE THE PLAY I WROTE #3 John Broughton on Ngā Puke

64 CHRISTCHURCH ROUND UP

66 SCOTLAND CALLING Morna Young and Uther Dean on the complications of a NZ-Scotland Exchange during Covid-19

70 REALISE THE HOPE Paul Maunder on why Dean Parker’s significant legacy of plays should be standard fare 73

THEATRE CALENDAR Professional productions of NZ Plays August 2019 – July 2020

80 PLAYMARKET INFORMATION Notices, information and services

83 THE LAST WORD Kathryn Burnett on being a writer in lockdown

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Upu curated by Grace Taylor, Silo Theatre and Auckland Arts Festival, Q Theatre. Image: Raymond Sagapolutele; Mr Red Light by Carl Bland, Nightsong, Auckland Live. Image: Andi Crown Photography; Story Studio Live, Capital E National Theatre for Children. Image: Neil Price; Te Manawa Takeover, Centrepoint Theatre 2020 Basement Company. Image: Sam Millen; Be Longing by Lauren Gibson, Vault Festival, London UK. Image: Danny Kaan.