EDUCATION PACK
SPONSORS
CONTENTS
Auckland Theatre Company receives principal and core funding from
CREDITS
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ABOUT THE PLAY
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SYNOPSIS
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GENRE - SATIRE (with heart)
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INTERVIEW WITH THE PLAYWRIGHT - Dave Armstrong
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DESIGN
Subsidised school matinees are made possible by a grant from
ATC Education also thanks the ATC Patrons and the ATC Supporting Acts for their ongoing generosity. The 2013 Education Packs are made possible by a grant from
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Set
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Costume
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Sound
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ABOUT ATC EDUCATION
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CURRICULUM LINKS
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PLEASE NOTE: • Schools’ performances are followed by a Q&A Forum lasting for 20 – 30 minutes in the theatre immediately after the performance. • During school matinees the refreshments bar at the theatre may be closed. We recommend students bring their own snacks to be consumed during the interval , but eating and drinking in the auditorium is prohibited. • Please make sure all cell phones are turned off prior to the performance and, if possible, please don’t bring school bags to the theatre.
E, Alfred Street, Auckland City and CES: 12 February at 6.30pm
VENUE: MAIDMENT THE ATR SCHOOLS’ PERFORMAN
21 February at 11am.
g a 20 minute interval
, includin RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes
is suitable for Year Levels 12 and 8 (equivalent to years and 13 ONLY. Curriculum levels 7 New Zealand drama in 12 and 13) require the inclusion of their course of work. t use of strong language and ADVISORY: Contains freq uen sex ual references.
SUITABILITY: This production
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CAST John Leigh — Laurie Connor Bronwyn Bradley — Viv Cleaver Brett O'Gorman — Pat Bassett Cian Elyse White — Annie Tupua
CREATIVE Peter Elliott — Director Rachael Walker — Set Design Sara Taylor — Costume Design Brad Gledhill — Lighting Design J. P. M'Ginty — Sound Design Philippa Campbell — Dramaturg
PRODUCTION
Paul Nicoll — Technical & Production Manager Fern Christie — Company Manager Gabrielle Rhodes — Stage Manager Rachel Marlow — Lighting Operator Natasha Pearl — Props Master 2Construct — Set Construction
EDUCATION PACK
Lynne Cardy — Writer and Editor Design images courtesy of Rachael Walker and Sara Taylor Michael Smith — Production Images Claire Flynn — Design
BY ARRANGEMENT WITH
KINGS OF THE GYM WAS WRITTEN WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF CREATIVE NEW ZEALAND
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ABOUT THE PLAY
GENRE - Satire (with heart)
KINGS OF THE GYM is a contemporary New Zealand two-act comedy by prolific playwright Dave Armstrong. Auckland Theatre Company has developed several of Dave’s plays and KINGS OF THE GYM is the seventh that the company has produced. Other plays include; A CHRISTMAS CAROL, NIU SILA (with Oscar Kightley), THE TUTOR, WHERE WE ONCE BELONGED (adapted from the novel by Sia Figel), THE MOTORCAMP and the 2010 hit comedy LE SUD.
‘Although satire is usually witty, and often very funny, the purpose of satire is not primarily humour but criticism of an event, an individual or a group in a clever manner’. So says Wikipedia. In KINGS OF THE GYM playwright Dave Armstrong is not only poking fun at recognisable contemporary New Zealand characters but also at the education system and opposing political and social views. Topical jokes about the Novopay debacle, NCEA and references to Destiny Church are all thrown in for good measure. But perhaps his greatest target is political correctness. Some of the funniest lines in the play come from Laurie’s extreme views – we can’t believe some of the offensive things he says. In an interview in Playmarket News (2005) Dave talks about writing the things we might think, but don’t say:
SYNOPSIS It’s the new school term at Hautapu High and Viv Cleaver, the principal, has big ambitions for the place. The only thing standing in the way is Laurie O’Connor – the unPC, lazy but hugely popular head of the PE department. Viv can't stand his work methods or his opinions on education; heaven forbid, he still believes kids should learn that sport is about winning! But then student-teacher Annie Tupua arrives. Could this star netballer and born-again Christian prove to be the game-changer that Viv needs? Is it the end of an era for Laurie’s cosy little empire?
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One guy in my soccer team said he loves theatre because you suddenly realise you’re not the only person thinking that. I love that. That’s why I do it. You want your audience to go, ‘ah, you too huh’. ‘Oh god, you thought that and you felt bad about thinking that’. Whilst Laurie might say things some of us can only think, he can also laugh at himself. He is kind, has a great rapport with his students and even describes himself as a ‘dinosaur’. Because of these qualities he is a likeable character who responds in truthful ways to the situation. Similarly, while Annie initially appears ‘too good to be true’ with her discipline, work ethic and fitness, halfway through the play she reveals the flaws in her character that round her out to be much more believable and sympathetic. As one reviewer said of the recent Circa (Wellington) production of the play, ‘we care about these characters’. Check this link for to see what Auckland reviewers think of Dave Armstrong’s satire with heart: http://www.atc.co.nz/whats-on/2013/kings-of-the-gym
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DAVE ARMSTRONG Q&A We talked to Dave Armstrong about the inspiration, perspiration and school boy sporting memories behind KINGS OF THE GYM.
What inspired KINGS OF THE GYM? The initial idea for KINGS OF THE GYM probably occurred in the mid 1970s in the gymnasium of my secondary school. Back then most gymnasiums in co-ed schools were little mancaves – oases of testosterone where the PE teachers, who were usually male, ruled the roost. In their striped tracksuit trousers with the ever-present whistles around their necks, these teachers would command us to go on long cross-country runs and play all sorts of ball games, which were highly competitive and very physical. Most of us enjoyed them but heaven help you if you were overweight, bookish or both. Liberal English and Drama teachers wouldn’t go near the gym, preferring the coffee plungers, literary magazines and pottery mugs of the staff room. Though as a breed, PE teachers seemed to be very different from other teachers, I enjoyed their company immensely. Bringing very different characters together is a signature for many of your plays. What opportunities does this open up for you as a playwright? Across the divides is where I think a lot of conflict occurs in our society. A lot of New Zealanders spend their time berating groups of people without really knowing them. I was a very liberal, left-wing teacher myself, but found I really enjoyed the company 8
of the slightly redneck PE teachers on staff. The same thing happened with religion. I am not religious, and I am very critical of the anti-gay attitudes, for example, of some fundamentalist churches. However, when I got to work recently with a large number of Pasifika actors, most of whom were devout church members, and I joined their prayers before a performance, I realised I also had a lot of misconceptions and prejudices about religion as well. These kids were wonderful, but just happened to be very religious (and they knew how to party!).
"I was a very liberal, left-wing teacher myself, but found I really enjoyed the company of the slightly redneck PE teachers on staff." Are there any particular people that were the starting points for the characters? I think everyone has had a teacher like Laurie and a principal like Viv at some stage of their lives. Pat is probably the most autobiographical of the characters. Annie reminds me of a lot of young Polynesians I meet today –educated, attractive, and with a sense of humour, but also intensely competitive and often highly religious. Some of the recent events in the education world as well as events
surrounding organisations like the Destiny Church also had an influence on this play, as did my interest in science and evolution. How much of the story do you know before you actually start writing the script? I know a fair bit but not every detail. Writing, rewriting, workshopping and rehearsal is a journey of discovery, which is why I enjoy the process so much. Quite often what I think is my main theme at the beginning of the process changes by the end. Characters also change. With this play I tended to write ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ in the early drafts, and then realised that my heroes should have flaws and my villains had some very likeable characteristics, so I changed everything accordingly. I think this makes a play more real. Let’s face it; flaws are often the most likeable thing about people. I like to think that all four characters in KINGS OF THE GYM are likeable. Politically, education is a minefield, and no doubt you experienced this yourself as a teacher. What makes you optimistic about the state of education in NZ? What makes you pessimistic? What makes me optimistic is the teachers and parents of our nation. Most are committed and wonderful. You always get a small minority who aren’t so good, but that’s true of any group. One of the things that I think KINGS OF THE GYM is saying is that we must be very careful how we judge teachers. Someone like Laurie may not tick all the Education Review Office
boxes, yet in many ways he is a superb teacher. What makes me pessimistic about education are the changes that are currently being introduced. National Standards and Charter Schools won’t do a thing to help education in this country. Our obsession with assessment and ranking means teachers and parents are being encouraged to take their eye off what’s really important, and that is learning and having a bit of fun while you do it. Were you sporty kid? What would Laurie’s nickname for you have been? I was a sporty kid in a very non-sporty family, although Dad did have a mate who was a PE teacher who was very like Laurie. Once I persuaded my parents to watch me play in a soccer game and a massive brawl erupted, mainly because our team cheated. Dad grinned ear to ear all the way home in the car saying sarcastic things like ‘the wonderful thing about sport is that it builds character.’ Laurie probably would have probably called me ‘Army’, ‘Legweak’, or ‘Curly’ (I used to have very curly hair when I was at secondary school).
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SET DESIGN The initial inspiration for any set design comes from the script. And Dave Armstrong provides a simple but clear description of the setting on page one:
SCENE ONE HIGH THE GYM OFFICE AT HAUTAPU ICE OFF SCHOOL . IT IS A SMALL POK Y THAT LOOKS OUT OVER AN OLD PAT’S GYMNASIUM . THIS IS LAURIE AND S IOU VAR ARE DOM AIN. ON THE WALL QUE PLA A BLOKEY SPORTS POSTERS AND Y JUST ‘OLD SPORTSMEN NEVER DIE; THE DON’T SCORE SO OFTEN’. IS A PRIDE OF PLACE IN THE OFFICE SMALL TWO THE TO T TELEVISION. NEX R FRIDGE BEE LL SMA TEACHER’S DESKS IS A
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Set designer Rachael Walker looked to her our own school experiences for further inspiration as well as mining the collective memories of director Peter Elliot and the rest of the design team before working some of those ideas into the environment:
“Thick knotty ropes that ascended vertically into the dizzy heights of the steel gym architecture, sandpaper coarse, sweaty, hairy, impossible to scale. Row after row of wooden climbing frames, slippery with use, shoulder popping racks of torture. Old apple cores, the stench of unwashed teen socks and clammy lost property, battered sporting equipment, stained mismatched furniture, dusty cluttered piles of unfiled paperwork and unfulfilled ambitions…”
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One of Rachael’s challenges was how to convey the illusion of the office overlooking the gym.
the 'walls' and sitting just above the floor level of the office, as if lighting the gym below.
Deciding to locate it in a mezzanine, she used the structure of wooden climbing frames to create the 'walls' of the office, suggesting that they arise from the gym below. Hanging climbing ropes from the grid above the climbing frame structure and ‘down’ into the gym also helped to create this illusion, as did suspending rows of strip ‘lights’ visible through
A further challenge for Rachael is that the set needs to be completely portable as the play will tour to various locations throughout New Zealand this year. Creating a touring set is no easy feat, but the climbing frame walls, ropes, ‘gym lights’ and set furniture all pack neatly into one truck for the tour.
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COSTUME DESIGN Costume designer Sara Taylor looked back to her high school years for inspiration for KINGS OF THE GYM. She wanted to create realistic costumes that enhanced the distinct personality of each character whilst evoking memories of teachers we ‘love to hate’. She hopes that audiences will relate each of the characters to teachers they remember. Sara used image boards to collect visual references for her characters and then sketched a series of costume ideas.
THE PRINCIPAL – VIV CLEAVER Sara based Viv’s costume on images of women in political power. • Simple, straight lines and a pared back colour palette (red, grey, white, black) suggest that the character is serious, even conservative. • Bright red accessories in the final revealing scene indicate the true nature of Viv’s steely personality.
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• Actor Bronwyn Bradley wears her hair long, so rather than cut it for the role she wears a short-hair wig to play Viv. The short haircut (wig) is an important component of the character’s costume as it is suggested from the first scene that Viv is perceived in a particular way by Laurie and Pat because of her haircut – and there is a comic pay-off for this misperception later in the play.
GETTING THE CHOP Extreme makeovers are not only the territory of professional models (or aspiring ones!) Cutting and colouring hair can be an important consideration for an actor cast in a role that requires specific physical qualities. Whilst many producers (and directors) choose to be flexible, sometimes radical changes (including growing or shaving facial hair for men) are required. A realistic wig is a useful compromise. Where required, Auckland Theatre Company employs the services of professional wig-makers and fitters.
THE OLD SCHOOL TEACHER LAURIE CONNOR In order to accentuate Laurie’s laziness and show that he is stuck in his ways, Sara selected the following items for him: • A whistle around his neck; this is functional (he uses it regularly to get his students attention), and symbolic of his position in the school. • An old boys rugby shirt (he is oldfashioned) • A TAB logo-ed polo shirt (he is anti fashion) • Dated trainers • Ill-fitting casual pants (not sportswear), suggest that Laurie has little intention of getting up and running around with his students!
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THE YOUNG TEACHER – PAT BASSETT
THE TRAINEE TEACHER – ANNIE TUPUA
Opting for casual wear in the early scenes, Sara’s design accentuates that Pat plays it safe with his life and with his sports gear - which he wears for practicality. As the play progresses he gets sportier to impress Annie, who has more style.
Annie’s look is very fashionable, inspired by the fluorescent colours popular in the gym today; saying “she is fresh and ready to start teaching”. The discipline and motivation that she applies to her career is accentuated by the attention to detail in her costume.
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SOUND DESIGN Sound designer J.P M’Ginty encountered several challenges when approaching KINGS OF THE GYM. 1. When director Peter Elliot first told JP about the show, he made it clear that he wanted the cast to be able to interact with the ‘class’ below, and needed the sound to reflect this interaction. In order to achieve this they had to wait until the cast were fairly comfortable with the script before they knew exactly what shape these interactions would take. This meant that JP and his team didn’t record sounds until the third week of the rehearsal period. 2. The production process was across the (summer) school holidays, making it difficult to get access to a school gym to record the sounds he required. However, his solution involved a bit of
improvising; the production team hired a gymnasium and JP enlisted the help of a group of enthusiastic young actors taking part in the ATC Summer School. Over the course of several hours they played games, responded to some of the teacher’s lines in the script and had some fun recording the sounds for the show. Once all the sounds had been recorded J P could start feeding them into rehearsals, which was vital in order to decide the timing of the interactions and maintain the convention that sound would increase or decrease when the teachers opened or closed the ‘windows’ in the office above.
ABOUT ATC EDUCATION tion in ATC Education promotes and encourages teaching and participa rs. It is a educato tertiary and ry seconda for resource a as acts theatre and nurture to d comprehensive and innovative education programme designe es. young theatre practitioners and future audienc throughout ATC Education has direct contact with secondary school students popular and exciting an g deliverin on the greater Auckland region with a focus which and students d Aucklan of n educatio Arts the s programme that support Arts. the and literacy ment, develop um curricul on focuses enjoyed by Auckland Theatre Company acknowledges that the experiences future. the in theatre of vibrancy the in reflected are today of the youth
Any issues with timing were resolved in the theatre, along with all other technical elements, during production week.
CURRICULUM LINKS of the NZ ATC Education activities relate directly to the PK, UC and CI strands of the many to e relevanc direct have also Curriculum from levels 5 to 8. They levels. three all at s standard NCEA achievement experiencing All secondary school Drama students (Years 9 to 13) should be in Context. Arts the anding Underst work, course their of part a live theatre as the require Curriculum levels 6, 7 and 8 (equivalent to years 11, 12 and 13) work. of inclusion of New Zealand drama in their course , Level 2 – The NCEA external examinations at each level (Level 1 – AS90011 they theatre live about write to AS90304, Level 3 – AS90612) require students onal professi d, produce fully ce experien to able are have seen. Students who s. theatre are generally advantaged in answering these question
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ENGAGE
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