The Naked Samoans Do Magic – Show Programme, Auckland Arts Festival 2018

22–25 March The Civic

THE NAKED SAMOANS DO MAGIC

THE CONCH & THE NAKED SAMOANS

PERFORMERS Mario Gaoa Shimpal Lelesi Robbie Magasiva Oscar Kightley Dave Fane Ia Heto Ah Hi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Merlin Connell-Nawalowalo Kasaya Manulevu Fay Tofilau Vaiari Vaeau-Ivirangi Ren Slatter Patrick Nawalowalo McCrory

CREATIVE TEAM / CREW Producer Sasha Gibb

Stage Management Morag Carter

Set Design Penny Fitt

Assistant Stage Manager Jordan Keyzer

Magic Design Nina Nawalowalo Anton Van Helden

Production Management Lisa Maule

Lighting Design Lisa Maule Sound Design Chris Winter Music Selection Tom McCrory

Season Production Manager Nick Tauiliili Technical Operators Haami Hawkins Eleanor Taylor

Costume Design Sandra Tupu

Construction & Finish Alan Curreri Taylor Joynes Rob Edwards Bruce Stokell

Multimedia Design Ed Hawkins

Producers Assistant Zandra Ah-Jay Maeepu

Magic Consultant Ross Skiffington

Rehearsal Technician Haami Hawkins

Choreography Ross McCormack

Chaperone Salote Nawalowalo McCrory

Thank you to all our supporters without whom this show would not exist: Vanessa Byrnes and Unitec; Peter Cleveland and Auckland University; Propellor Studios; Avalon Studios; Charlie Unwin and Family; Anton Parsons; Sophie Elworthy and Corbans Estate Arts Centre; Andy Zhu and Northern Scaffolding; Lisa Taouma and Tiki Productions; Vanessa Kelly; Taki Rua Productions and Hau Kainga Wellington; the Tupu family; Genevieve Nauder and Denise Wiremu; Bridget Nawalowalo and Milika Nawalowalo McCrory; Anapela Polataivao Goretti Wickman Bronwyn Bradley and PIPA; Elspeth Tilley and Massey University; Jim Moriarty and Te Rakau Theatre; Mark Michaels and Les Mills; David Steele and Jade Putt.

Thank you also to the family and friends of our full cast and crew; for your generosity and care of the team throughout this enormous process.

We dedicate this show to you all, and also to the memory of Wayne Rogers.

At the beginning of this journey, Magician Wayne Rogers gave us our first illusion– the Jarret Box. He was so excited about the show that he joined us in our first two workshops, teaching and sharing his magic with the team.

Sadly, life imitated art and late last year Wayne passed away. A beautiful, spritely and generous man, who gave us the spark which became the magical inferno we incinerate your senses with tonight.

Thank you to Wayne for being with us on this journey. We hope we do you proud. Vinaka vakalevu.

with support from

1hr 15mins no interval photography: john mcdermott

commissioned by auckland arts festival and co-produced with the conch

DIRECTORS’ NOTES The Conch – Nina Nawalowalo & Tom McCrory Ni sa Bula Vinaka Thank you for coming to this performance of The Naked Samoans Do Magic.

The Naked Samoans are a rare beautiful global treasure. A comedy troupe, who like their heroes from Abbot and Costello to the Marx brothers, combine to create chemistry – a joyful, skilled playfulness where the sum is greater than the parts. We love them for the way they have held up a mirror for us to see ourselves, warts and all, and for the gift of laughter which is equal parts joy and liberation.

So, after a successful collaboration between The Conch and Oscar Kightly on The White Guitar, there was a strong pull to go further.

The desire to bring back the Nakeds to the New Zealand stage was irresistible and the idea of them doing a magic show, while scary, made us giggle whenever we thought of it.

Magic is about the rediscovery of a childlike wonder at the world and laughter the liberation from fear. And at a time of fear when the wonder at the world has drained from so many eyes, laughter and magic are more important than ever. From wonder comes hope, from laughter in the face of fear comes the courage to act.

Vinaka vakalevu to the Auckland Arts Festival for this very real opportunity; allowing us to bring this large scale work to the stage.

To Jonathan Bielski – From the first visit to The Conch offices in Wellington, Jonathan’s visionary way of supporting artists and inspiring creativity has held us. Thank you. To David Inns – For your faith in and commitment to our collective vision. To the full Festival team – the machine that works tirelessly in the background to get us from concept to stage.

And to all of you here today, we look forward to spending this time with you and going on this magical journey together.

Vinaka vakalevu Nina Nawalowalo, Artistic Director and Tom McCrory, Executive Producer of The Conch theconch.co.nz

THE NAKED SAMOANS MARIO GAOA

Mario has been an arts practitioner for the past 20 years. His humility stops us from printing all the works he has been involved with during that time. His focus over the last 10 has been been in film and television.

Mario says his return to the stage is so he can play with his buddies.

“I grew up around cinema and to me it was the magic place I escaped to when it was school holiday time (my Mum was an usher at the old St James and Cinerama). And now years later I find myself in that space again. It’s not the cinema, but the magic I knew as a kid is here.”

IA HETO AH HI

Of Samoan and Tokelauan descent, Heto is the creative director of Kinetic Wayfinding; a theatre company focused on wellbeing and social change through performing arts. As a performer he has also performed in critically acclaimed theatre productions such as Frigate Bird Sings, Dawn Raids, My Penina, Music and Me and the award-winning Black Faggot.

Heto has also been a loved face on the big screen and for his role as Tyrone in the film Matariki he won the award for Best Actor at the 2010 Brussels International Independent Film Festival.

“I’m in awe of Nina’s dreamlike presence when we work and am honored to work with The Conch.

And with The Nakeds – you gotta be on your toes because a prank could happen any time. Love it!”

ROBBIE MAGASIVA

DAVE FANE

Kiwi actor Robbie Magasiva has been a familiar face to New Zealand, boasting a lengthy body of work from the stage to the screen spanning over two decades. After making his big-screen debut in the hit movie Stickmen, Robbie joined Polynesian theatre troupe The Naked Samoans. In 2015, Robbie was nominated for an award for Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for his role in Wentworth, which Robbie has worked on since 2012.

David Fane a multi award-winning actor/ writer for both television and theatre. In a career that has spanned 25 years he is a familiar face to New Zealand and Australia. His film credits include Sione’s Wedding; Sione’s Wedding 2: Unfinished Business; Love Birds; The Tatooist, for which he was nominated for best supporting actor; and most recently Gary of the Pacific. On the small screen the award winning bro’Town, Outrageous Fortune, 800 Words, Westside, Diplomatic Immunity and many more. Last year he was dual recipient of the Pacific Senior Artist award with Oscar Kightley.

“We’ve been talking about coming back together for a long time now, but the timing hasn’t worked and the right process hadn’t come forward. At first I was sceptical that this was going to be it – but after our first workshop together, and the seed of the idea began to grow, I was convinced.”

“This show will knock your teeth out and put them back again. A masterpiece of magical proportions”

SHIMPAL LELISI

Shimpal Lelisi got his break with Pacific Theatre in the late 80s.

He was a co-creator, writer and voice actor in the hit show bro’Town and was a reporter/ journalist on Tagata Pasifika.

He starred in Sione’s Wedding where he was nominated Best Actor at the Film Awards, and was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Topless Women Talk About Their Lives. Shimpal currenty works as a director, writer and presenter with Fresh and The Coconet.

“We are putting everything into making this show because that’s what it will take to pull something this grand off; the magic, the comedy, the stagecraft, the set design, the costuming – it’s bigger than anything we’ve ever done.”

OSCAR KIGHTLEY

Oscar Kightley is a Samoan born writer/ actor and director who grew up in New Zealand and who has helped create critically acclaimed award-winning work for the stage, small and big screens.

The movie he co-wrote and starred in, Sione’s Wedding, broke domestic box office records on its release in 2006. In 2009, Oscar was made a New Zealand Arts Foundation Arts Laureate, and in the same year was given a medal from the Queen in recognition of services to New Zealand theatre and television.

His first short film, Tom’s Dairy, got love from film festivals including the top prize in Belize. That year he co-wrote and played the lead in the gritty drama Harry, which received rave reviews in New Zealand and in the United States.

Most recently we enjoyed Oscar on the silver screen in the award-winning Hunt for the Wilderpeople and heard Oscar’s distinctive voice in the Disney hit Moana.

Oscar has been part of The Naked Samoans troupe 20 years now.

“This has been 20 years in the making and it could be our last ever show, so please come and see it”

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1–25 March DAILY UNTIL LATE

FESTIVAL CLUB All roads at the Auckland Arts Festival lead back to the iHeartRadio FESTIVAL CLUB at the Aotea Centre, a hangout space and music stage for audiences, artists and the creative community to meet, mix and celebrate.

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FESTIVAL CLUB designed by Angus Muir

In the centre of the Aotea Arts Precinct, this comfortable and upbeat pop-up club is your place to gather before and after a show, grab a delicious meal from a bespoke menu, enjoy live music from instrumentalists and DJs, or unwind over the long summer nights with a special Festival cocktail.