A play by Victor Rodger
CAST
Jake Tupu Actor
Gideon T. Smith Actor
PRODUCTION
Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM Director
Giles Tanner Lighting Designer
Chris Reddington Production Design
Louise Topping Stage Manager
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Vela Manusaute Assistant Director
Ted Eason (Photography), Charlie Rose of Charlie Rose Creative (Photography), Sarah Rowan (Video Editing), Sandra Roberts of Skip Ink (Publicity), Annabelle McClure of My Glam Booth, Lana Shields of Moana Vā and Richard van den Berg. Proudly printed by Caxton.
Running Time: 60 minutes with no interval
Black Faggot staged at The Court Theatre 17 May - 14 June 2025.
Black Faggot was developed with Roy Ward.
ALISON WALLS
Artistic Director
Nau mai, haere mai, afio mai.
It is very special to welcome you to Victor Rodger’s Black Faggot; the first play staged in the Wakefield Family Front Room. Victor Rodger ONZM is one of Aotearoa’s most vital, important playwrights and it feels absolutely right to bring his work and the voices of these—mostly queer, mostly Pasifika— characters to life in our new theatre. Among the many wonderful boons of the new Court Theatre, the more intimate space of the Wakefield Family Front Room was the most exciting to me. It is in a space like this, where you can catch every nuance of expression, where the connection of actor to audience is so strong, and where you acutely feel the liveness of theatre, that we can really do justice to a piece such as Black Faggot. With just two performers—Jake Tupu and Gideon T. Smith—embodying nineteen characters, Black Faggot calls for an intimate theatre like the Wakefield Family Front Room, and it is gratifying to have this play open our City Series and this space.
It is also an honour and a pleasure to have Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM directing (her Court Theatre debut)! Supported by creative collaborator Vela Manusaute, Anapela not only brings prestige and skill to this project, but heart; the kind of heart that lies just beneath the play’s provocative wit. As well as its humour and political punch, the production design by Chris Reddington and lighting design by Giles Tanner, recognises the poetry of the text, creating a fluidly transformative
playing space for our talented actors. It has been a joy to have this phenomenal cast and creative team working with such dedication in our Foundation Room rehearsal space, workshop, and throughout the building.
Black Faggot premiered in 2013, inspired by the Destiny Church march against the Civil Union Bill and spurred on by further protests to the Marriage Equality Bill in 2012. In its overarching humanity and the essential question of acceptance (a deceptively simple word) Black Faggot will be perennially resonant, but its specific resonance has been sharply felt this year, as LGBTQ+ & MVPFAFF+ people are once again under attack by Destiny Church and others. Black Faggot is warm and funny—very funny—but this is not a distraction or excuse for what it has to say. Victor can’t help but see the comedy in everything, nor can he help but speak truth to power. This is why this play is at once sensitive, hilarious, courageous and powerful.
We are grateful to our loyal season sponsor Ryman Healthcare, to our core funder, Creative New Zealand, and to all our valued supporters, funders and donors. Art and culture depends on supporters such as these, especially the kind of superb, professional performing art that we are so proud to bring to the heart of Ōtautahi. Nor could we do it without our audiences. Our theatre is your theatre.
Ngā mihi. Fa’afetai tele lava.
Black Faggot is a series of (mostly) humorous monologues from a vast array of (mostly) gay Samoan characters.
From a camp, closeted member of Destiny Church who finds himself on the Enough is Enough march against the Civil Union Bill, to a butch homo who is loudly and unapologetically gay; from an anal Samoan clean freak who’s annoyed that his partner’s just orgasmed on their brand new bedspread, to an award-winning fa’afafine artist who relishes explaining the true meaning behind her new work ‘Cracker Wanna Poly.’
Set against the rise of Destiny Church and incorporating controversy surrounding the same sex marriage bill, Black Faggot is often hilarious but always provocative.
“This little light of mine...”
Photo Credit: Deborah Marshall
VICTOR RODGER Playwright
But then, while I was in the UK at the start of this year, I saw the headlines:
“...comfort to those who need it and discomfort to those who need it.”
What a time to be alive. And what a time for Black Faggot to be resurrected.
I’ll be honest: when I found out The Court Theatre had programmed Black Faggot, my initial reaction (other than “Yus, royalties!”) was: “Why now?”.
I’d actually considered resurrecting it myself in 2023 for Black Faggot’s tenth anniversary. Ultimately, I decided against it - partly because I wasn’t sure if the play, written in response to Destiny Church shenanigans in opposition to the Civil Union and Marriage Equality Bills, was still relevant.
“Brian Tamaki’s Destiny Church pride protests: Te Atatū witness describes terror inside library”
“Destiny Church library protest ‘intimidating and unacceptable - police”
“‘Woke churches’: Destiny Church bites back as church leaders condemn pride protests”
We are living through a period in history right now which is as startling as it is unstable. And here in Aotearoa we can’t kid ourselves that we’re in a position to look overseas and simply say “well, at least it’s not that bad here” because there’s some seriously appalling things going down in our own backyard.
With all of that as a backdrop to this production of Black Faggot, I strongly believe that in a time such as this, the role of the artist as a disrupter, as a sayer of the unsayable, is more crucial than ever.
I often trot out one of my favourite maxims – art should comfort the disturb and disturb the comfortable.It is my fervent hope that this brand-new production of Black Faggot in the brandnew Court Theatre brings comfort to those who need it and discomfort to those who need it.
FROM THE DIRECTOR
Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM
I’ve known Victor for almost 30 years.
We have worked together professionally since 2007 when he told me he had specifically written a part for me in his play My Name is Gary Cooper. And then I found out she was a past her prime prostitute. It was here I fell in love with Victor’s writing. It was so liberating to play a character that was almost as inconceivable as it was unexpected for a Pasifika actress to step into. One of the things that appeals to me about Victor’s work is that it has the courage to say the unsayable with an astute no-holds barred honesty.
Aside from acting in Gary Cooper, I have also directed Victor’s play Girl on a Corner, alongside my partner, Vela Manusaute and acted in two others: Club Paradiso and Uma Lava. In true Victor fashion, the latter included a scene where I was required to take a dump in the middle of the stage. Yes it did and yes I did.
I initially turned down the opportunity to direct Black Faggot because of several other creative commitments. It seemed too much to juggle at once. But what changed my mind were two conversations I had: one with my daughter Katalaina about priorities, and one with actorproducer Kasi Valu about perspectives.
Now, as Black Faggot is about to begin its
season in Ōtautahi, I’m proud to present this work as an ally to the MVPFAFF+ community, a community which finds itself under renewed attacks in these increasingly cruel and uncertain times. Black Faggot is bold, rude and sometimes uncomfortable – much like my dear friend Victor himself. But underneath all the sexual shenanigans there is a simple yet profound message at the beating heart of the play: Just let me be me.
‘Re-cog-nize! Yea-yah!’
On behalf of Vela and myself, a heartfelt fa’amālō to the cast, Jake and Gideon for your hard work, willingness and courage to honour Victor’s words. To the crew: Louise, Chris, Giles and Daniella, thank you for your solid contribution to this beautiful work.
Fa’afetai Tele Lava to The Court Theatre for the honour of helming my friend’s play at this historical moment in time. It’s been wonderful and truly enjoyable here in Ōtautahi.
Fa’amanuiaga ma alofa’aga mo outou, Anapela Polata’ivao ONZM
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GILES TANNER
Lighting Designer
Giles is a graduate of Hagley Theatre Company (Diploma in Performing Arts), where he concentrated on technical production, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Canterbury.
Currently Head Technician at The Court Theatre, Giles has worked on countless Court Theatre productions including Amadeus, When the Rain Stops Falling, Constellations, Educating Rita, Waiora: Te U Kai Po - The Homeland, The Events, Venus in Fur, Titus Andronicus, In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, Stephen King’s Misery, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Once, The Wind in the Willows, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Girl on the Train, Sense and Sensibility, Dance Nation, and Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express.
Giles was one of 2023’s The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Out of the Limelight Awards, recognising dedicated theatre practitioners in Aotearoa.
LOUISE TOPPING Stage Manager
Louise studied Stage Management at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London.
Her UK theatre credits include There Came a Gypsy Riding (Almeida Theatre), The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre), The BFG (National Tour), Sh*t-M*x (Piccadilly Studios), and Resident Stage Manager at The Bush Theatre (Wrecks, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover… at Christmas, I Caught Crabs in Walberswick, Stovepipe).
Her Australian theatre credits include Tales from the Vienna Woods, Waikiki Hip, and The Vertical Hour (Sydney Theatre Company).
Louise has also worked extensively in television production, including Planet Earth Live, Animal Planet, Live ‘n’ Deadly, Deadly 360, Food and Drink, The One Show, Sport Relief (BBC), Dickinson’s Real Deal (RDF Television), Pobol-y-Cwm (BBC Wales), Live Well, Better Homes and Gardens (Seven Network, Australia), Style the Nation with Gok (Ensemble Australia), and most recently as Production Manager for Flashworks Media (NZ).
T H E V I C T O R I A
Nestled in the heart of Christchurch, The Victoria Free House is a warm and inviting pub where great drinks, delicious food, and good times come together. We pride ourselves on our welcoming atmosphere, friendly service, and a lively lineup of events. From live music to comedy, there is always something happening at The Vic
All Day Menu
B E S T A P P E T I Z E R S
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We have a selection of snacks, and generous sharing platters, and a fast, pre-theatre dinner service If you're after a quick bite with your drink with friends, or a hearty meal before the show, we serve up quality, flavour, and fast service.
779 Colombo Street, (on the corner of Armagh) 3 minute walk from The Court Theatre
Show your ticket for 10% off food & drinks at the Victoria
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