Theatre Arts Handbook 2023

EXPLORING A PASSION FOR PERFORMANCE

Kia ora and welcome to Theatre Arts at Rangi Ruru.

We offer the opportunity for your daughter to explore her passion, whether it’s in dance, drama or a technical and production aspect of performance. Our staff offer support and guidance to those at any stage of their theatre arts journey; from those who may be looking for a little more social confidence, to those aiming to complete Scholarship at Year 13.

Our strong curricular platform is the foundation of our highly-regarded programme, which is bolstered by our in-house expertise, extensive co-curriculum and incredible facilities including the custom-built Merivale Lane Theatre.

Theatre Arts at Rangi Ruru an outstanding opportunity for the growth and development of your daughter.

PETER RUTHERFORD Director of Theatre Arts

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RECENT THEATRE ARTS ACHIEVEMENTS

• Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Festival 2022: Individual acting award

• DanceNZ Made 2022:

- Top Year 10 student in New Zealand and Canterbury

- 3rd Year 9 student in New Zealand

- Top Year 11 student in Canterbury

- Four regional individual and two group top 3 placings

- Seven students selected to perform solos at the national event and nine golden ticket recipients

• TheatreFest 2022: Regional finalists

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

• Joint senior production with Christ’s College, Light at the End of the Tunnel

• Junior production, The Big Blue Planet Earth Show

• ShowQuest Canterbury

• Evening of Dance Christchurch

• Court Theatre Theatre Sports

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THEATRE ARTS AT RANGI RURU

Dance and drama courses at Rangi Ruru are focused on building our students’ knowledge and practical skills, as well as developing an understanding of the historical context of dance styles and theatre forms.

We focus on the student as a leader of their own learning by offering standards that cater to individual needs. Working alongside ākonga to build their confidence and guide their

progress, our focus on contemporary dance styles and theatre from New Zealand and around the world provides a solid skill base and opportunities for creative expression.

With industry experience in the performing arts, our staff focus on realworld skills and have an understanding of tertiary training prospects and how the industry works.

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ARTS HANDBOOK

OUR ALUMNAE

GEORGINA SCOTT

MINISTRY OF DANCE, MELBOURNE

Georgina (2016-2020) started her time at Rangi Ruru with dreams of being a CSI-style forensic scientist who did a little bit of performance on the side. In the intervening years Georgina flourished in all aspects of the performing arts, was Head of Arts in 2020 and excelled as Eva Peron in our senior production musical Evita the same year.

Being able to choose a wide range of activities is what Georgina sees as a strength of the programmes at Rangi Ruru. The way staff work collaboratively to ensure that students are able to participate in activities that have clashing practices and events has also been a huge plus. Georgina also cites the teamwork aspect in the dance companies and production cast and crew, which promotes not only the collaborative onstage aspect of performance, but the opportunities to direct, choreograph, stagemanage, design and operate sound and light for performances.

The thrill of performance balanced with the enjoyment of the process have inspired Georgina to focus on a career in performing arts, with a move to Melbourne in 2021 to study Musical Theatre at Ministry of Dance with a full-ride scholarship, based on her impressive work in her first year. She has just completed her final year.

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THEATRE ARTS AT RANGI RURU

CURRICULUM

Drama is a timetabled subject in Year 7 and Years 9 to 13, with a focus at the senior levels on performance standards which assist students in preparing for external assessments. Our Dance programme is a timetabled subject from Years 8 to 10.

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CO-CURRICULUM

Several dance companies and clubs offer students opportunities in dance, drama and production outside of the timetabled classes from Years 7 to 13.

Students can audition for Elite Dance Company, Senior Dance Company and Junior Dance Company. We also offer two dance clubs, one for Years 7 and 8, and the other for Years 9 to 13.

Other theatre arts clubs include the theatre sports team and Tech Angels, who learn about and actively contribute to backstage and production elements of performance.

PRODUCTIONS

Each year we do a senior production and a junior production. These are often run as a co-production with Christ’s College. Cast, crew and orchestra are made up of students guided from the performing arts departments from both schools. For the senior production we rehearse and cast in early February and perform mid-year for five nights to sell-out crowds. The senior production for 2023 is Translations. The junior production takes place in November each year.

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DANCE AND DRAMA EVENTS

We strongly encourage our groups to get involved with local, regional and national events. Together with our curriculum and school-based activities, these events combine to provide a robust array of opportunities and experiences for our students.

These events all have excellent adjudicators who provide specific feedback to performers.

Some examples of events include:

• Our four dance companies performing in the DanceNZ Made festival held in Christchurch. Dancers can choose to do solos or duo pieces, and much of the choreography is done by students themselves, with support from Hannah Clarkson.

• The Year 8 students performing a piece devised by the students and Kirsty Bell in the Stage Art category of DanceNZ Made festival, which they work on as a part of the Year 8 dance course.

• A group of senior drama students headed to the National Shakespeare festival in Wellington with a five-minute performance from Romeo and Juliet directed by 2021 Head of Arts, Georgia Moynihan

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OUR ALUMNAE

EDEN COTTER-LONGWORTH STAGE MANAGER AND CREW MEMBER

Eden completed her final year at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in Melbourne in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts in Production. She chose this pathway based on her experience stage-managing productions at Rangi Ruru. Eden highlights Our House, the 2016 co-production with Christ’s College as inspiring her to continue production work as a career.

In her final year at Rangi Ruru, the Theatre Arts team were able to tailor a production course for her within the Drama class to allow her to pursue her passion alongside the students doing performance. She also stage managed our senior production Revenge of the Amazons, assessing her work on that against the NCEA standards in Performing Arts Technology.

Eden regularly returns to Christchurch to work as a crew member on events such as the buskers festival Bread and Circus, and stage-managed a production of Our House again in her final year at VCA.

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IMPORTANT DATES

FEBRUARY

Auditions for Senior Production, dance companies/dance and drama clubs and companies

APRIL

Otago University Sheilah Winn Regional Shakespeare Festival

MAY

Senior Production performed with Christ’s College

JUNE

Otago University Sheilah Winn National Shakespeare Festival

JULY

DanceNZMade regional festival. Local TheatreFest

Regional TheatreFest.

AUGUST

Auditions for Junior Production

SEPTEMBER

DanceNZMade National Festival, National TheatreFest

OCTOBER

Junior Production performed

*May be subject to change

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OUR EXPERTISE

Peter Rutherford

Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film from Victoria University, Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) from Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School. Director of Theatre Arts