Monday 24, November at 7:30pm:
Indigenous Theatre from Aotearoa (New Zealand): Opening Panel Discussion
Opening Panel Discussion with playwrights Makerita Urale (Samoa), and Victor Rodger (Samoa) and Actress Nancy Brunning (Ngati Raukawa, Ngäi Tühoe). Excerpted Staged Readings of Frangipani Perfume, by M. Urale and My Name is Gary Cooper, by V. Rodger.

Reception at Club.

Tuesday 25, November at 7:30pm:
Staged Reading of Frangipani Perfume by Makerita Urale, directed by Jennifer Rice (Tuscarora) followed by Post-Show Discussion with the playwright and featured actors Nancy Brunning and Dianna Fuemana (Niue/Amerika Samoa).
Frangipani Perfume is a powerful and sensual black comedy about three Samoan sisters who have left their childhood home in the Pacific to work as cleaners in New Zealand.

Wednesday 26, November at 7:30pm:
Staged Reading of My Name is Gary Cooper by Victor Rodger, directed by Victor Rodger followed by Post-Show Discussion with the playwright and featured actors Robbie Magasiva (Samoa) and Dianna Fuemana.
My Name is Gary Cooper is a roller-coaster ride through cultural appropriation and the impact of the American film industry on the South Pacific (and vice-versa).

Location: La MaMa E.T.C., East 4th Street between 2nd Ave. and the Bowery

All events are FREE with a $10 suggested donation.

Reservations: Email: koughtred@aol.com

NAIDOC Week in NY, July 7-14, 2008
Wednesday, July 9
6:00PM - 8:00 PM
Australian Consulate General, Monash Room
Karen Oughtred, Artistic Director participates in panel discussion on "The diversity and reality of Indigenous culture." 
See NAIDOC Flyer

Biographies

Victor Rodger is a New Zealand-born playwright, journalist and actor of Samoan and Scottish descent. My Name is Gary Cooper was originally commissioned by Taki Rua Theatre Productions and premiered by Auckland Theatre Company. Paul Simei-Barton in the NZ Herald called it an “elegant revenge drama” hailing the play as greatly extending the range of Pacific Island writing.  His first foray into professional writing was writing stories for EARS, National Radio's children’s program. His semi-autobiographical first play, Sons, was accepted into the 1994 Australasian Playwrights Workshop and subsequently premiered in Christchurch. In 1995, Mr. Rodger attended Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, graduating in 1997, the same year as his second play, Cunning Stunts was performed at BATS as part of Young and Hungry 1997. In 1998, Victor re-wrote Sons and it was performed at Downstage Theatre winning four Chapman Tripp Awards including Most Outstanding New Writer and Most Outstanding New New Zealand Play.  Mr. Rodger has worked as a writer and storyliner for NZTV Shortland Street, as well as having acted in various films, plays and TV series including Stickmen and Mercy Peak. He was commissioned by the New Zealand Festival to complete Ranterstantrum which featured in the Festival's 2002 program. He also won the 2001 Sunday Star Times Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. Mr. Rodger was the Fulbright Creative New Zealand Pacific Island Writer-in-Residence at the University of Hawaii.

Makerita Urale was born in Samoa and grew up in her father's village on the island of Savaii before moving to New Zealand in the 1970s. A published playwright, documentary director and arts Producer, she has worked in theatre and television in New Zealand for more than 15 years developing a strong Pacific voice in the arts. Frangipani Perfume was the first play written by a Pacific woman for an all-female cast and was nominated Most Original Production at Chapmann Tripp Theatre Awards, and voted Top 10 Plays of the Decade by literary magazine The Listener in 2000. Frangipani Perfume is studied at Victoria and Otago Universities and has toured nationally and internationally. Ms. Urale writes for the NZ Ministry of Education's Learning Media unit and has published numerous stories and journals for schools as well as plays for children. Her short film Hibiscus, produced by He Taonga Films was screened on TVNZ. A former journalist for Radio New Zealand, she has also freelanced as a writer for various publications focusing on Arts and the Pacific, including New Internationalist magazine. Ms. Urale speaks internationally about her work in theatre and film and is fluent in Samoan with conversational Maori. Currently, she is working on numerous arts projects in theatre, film and television; including Film Producer of Journey to Ihipa (funded by the NZ Film Commission) directed by Nancy Brunning, completing a new script for theatre The Dream Sleeper and Creative Mentor for New Zealand's premier contemporary dance company Legacy Dance Crew (finalist 2006 World Hip Hop Champs in L.A.).

Nancy Brunning is a descendant of Ngati Raukawa and Ngäi Tühoe and was raised in the rohe of Ngati Tuwharetoa; Taupo.  Since her college years, she has been inspired by Maori stories/story telling and Kaupapa Maori Theatre through kapa haka and Mäori culture informing the theatre arts and performance development. Ms. Brunning trained at Te Kura Toi Whakaari o Aotearoa in 1990-1991, where she was introduced to professional Mäori Theatre at Taki Rua Depot and has worked consistently for the organisation promoting Mäori culture and language as an actor; dramaturge; director; artistic director and board member.  Since 1994, she has worked as an actor in the Wellington International Festival of the Arts (WIFOTA); NZ’s biggest arts festival in Hide ‘n’ Seek, Waiora, Beauty and the Beast and Blue Smoke.  As Assistant Director: The Songmaker’s Chair, invited to the 2004 WIFOTA, and Awhi Tapu, both as part of AK 03 Festival of the Arts. As Director: Woman Far Walking which toured NZ Manchester, Cardiff and participated in the Pacific Arts Festival in Palau. TV: Shortland Street, Whanau and Nga Tohu/Signatures, Best Actress, 2000. Her film credits: what’s become of the broken hearted? Best Actress, Film, 1999; Crooked Earth, Best Actress nomination and Strength of Water.  She has worked as a dramaturge for Mäori writers both in English and te reo Mäori and has been a chaperone and acting coach for short films Kerosene Creek and Two Cars One Night nominated for an Oscar. Currently Ms. Brunning is working on two projects as a director for TV and Film: He Kuaka Marangaranga and Journey to Ihipa.

Dianna Fuemana was born in Auckland. The youngest of her family, she has seven siblings who were born in Amerika Samoa and Niue. In 1999, she was nominated in the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Outstanding New Writer of the Year. That same year, her acclaimed play Mapaki was performed around New Zealand and then toured internationally across the United States and Athens, Greece. This was followed by her next play Jingle Bells in 2001. Fuemana completed a Master of Creative and Performing Arts with honours in 2005 at the University of Auckland, writing her third play The Packer during her study. The Packer was performed to sold out audiences in New Zealand, Australia as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her fourth play My Mother Dreaming premiered in Auckland in 2005. Her most recent play Falemalama was produced during a residency in 2006 at the Pangea World Theater in Minneapolis, USA. This work was selected to represent New Zealand Pacific theatre at the 10th Pacific Arts Festival in Pago Pago, Amerika Samoa in July, 2008. She has had writer residencies in Niue and with New World Theater in Amherst, USA. She was a selected guest writer at the Tahiti writers festival 2005 and has sat on the Auckland Readers and Writers festival panels. Also a director, actor and producer, Fuemana was the project manager for New Zealand's Pasifika Playwrights Festival and has played a leading role in the development of Pacific Island theatre in New Zealand. Her contribution to these fields was recognised recently when she won the Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award at this years Creative New Zealands, Pasifika Arts Award.

Robbie Magasiva's acting career began in Wellington with recurring roles in the television series Cover Story and Skitz. 2001 was an important year as Robbie starred in his first major film Stickmen and joined the highly successful theatre comedy team Naked Samoans, which continues to tour extensively. Robbie’s other theatre experience includes the International Festival of the Arts 2002 season of RanterStantrum and in 1998 he was awarded the Best Male Newcomer Theatre Award for his role in Victor Rodger's Sons. He returned to television in two series of The Strip and in 2006 starred in the hit film Sione's Wedding. He is currently co-presenter of TVNZ’s Pacific Affairs magazine show Tagata Pasifika. Robbie also appeared on the big screen in The Tattooist (2007). Metro Magazine named Robbie as Best Actor of 2007 for his performance in the Auckland Theatre Company production of My Name is Gary Cooper.

This program is made possible in part with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, LMCC and generously supported by Creative New Zealand, the New Zealand Consulate-General, the American Australian Association and the Nancy Quinn Fund, a project of A.R.T./New York.