Theatre Arts Toi Whakaari
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Theatre Arts 2022 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 the 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 incredible facilities include the Merivale Lane Theatre, extensive cocurricular programme and strong curricular platform and make 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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Dance and drama courses at Rangi Ruru are focused on building our students’ knowledge and practical skills, as well
Curriculum
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 students 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 are able to focus on real world skills, and have an understanding of tertiary training prospects and how the industry works.
7 and Years 9 to 13, with a focus at the senior levels on performance standards which assist students in preparing for external assessments.
Drama is a timetabled subject in Year
Our Dance programme is a timetabled subject from Years 8 to 10. Several dance companies and clubs offer students opportunities 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.
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Georgina Scott
Head of Performing Arts 2020
When Georgina started as a Year 9 student at Rangi Ruru she had dreams of being a CSI-style forensic scientist, while doing a little bit of performance on the side. In the intervening four years Georgina flourished in all aspects of the performing arts and excelled as Eva Peron in our 2020 senior production musical Evita. 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
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dance companies and production cast and crew, which promotes not only the collaborative onstage aspect of performance, but the opportunities to direct, choreograph, stage-manage, 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. Georgina is in her second and final year at Ministry of Dance and has received a full ride scholarship, based on her impressive work in her first year.
Eden Cotter-Longworth Rangi Ruru Alumna 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. Eden 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 with 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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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 2022 is Starlight Express. 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 and 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.
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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.
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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 Team Peter Rutherford Director of Theatre Arts Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Film from Victoria University, Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting) from Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School.
Kirsty Bell Head of Dance Trained in dance in New Zealand and internationally, Bachelor of Arts in History from Canterbury University with a minor in Theatre and Film
Chelsea Cope Dance and Drama Teacher Bachelor of Performing Arts majoring in Musical Theatre from the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Arts (NASDA), New Zealand Graduate School of Education
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Important Dates* February
August
Auditions for Senior Production, dance companies/dance and drama clubs and companies.
Auditions for Junior Production
April Otago University Sheilah Winn Regional Shakespeare Festival.
June Otago University Sheilah Winn National Shakespeare Festival.
July Senior Production performed with Christ’s College. DanceNZMade regional festival. Local TheatreFest. Regional TheatreFest.
September DanceNZMade National Festival, National TheatreFest
October Junior Production Performed *Subject to change, especially in light of Covid-19 restrictions