Rewena / Be Like Billy

REWENA / BE LIKE BILLY?

your natural choice for unique design

Cloaked within the mana whenua of Ngāi Tūāhuriri, here at The Court Theatre, Kāi Tahu stories are embedded in the land beneath your feet, in the land that stretches from ‘the northern boundary,’ across the plains, past Aoraki, down to the southern waters, and back up the western side of Te Waipounamu. Stories that have been seeded, grown, maintained and shared across generations.

I want to briefly acknowledge our rich storytelling history beginning with Māori creation stories and oral histories to Whare Tapere, pre-European performance houses. The exploitative Māoriland era arrived with colonisation followed by more urgent Māori concert parties who raised funds for the war effort and collectively grieved, as did the whole country. Te reo Māori was heard on public radio for the first time in 1927, when Airini Grenell (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama) sang in a recorded series broadcast by all four national radio stations. While haka, concert and choral parties were an integral part of Māori storytelling and the mainstream, revered composers such as Tuini Ngāwai and Uncle Hori Brennan were retaining and reasserting our storytelling through waiata, mōteatea, ori and so on. The emergence of the Māori showbands of the 1950s and Billy T James paved the way for the Māori theatre renaissance into a present that is undeniably multidisciplinary, international, relevant and exceptional.

In Be Like Billy?, Rutene has written more than just exceptional New Zealand theatre; this work represents the power of storytelling to build relationships, to enthral us and to make us think; this story reminds us of who we are. From the team who worked hard to ensure tikaka practices were upheld, to Holly’s mana-enhancing direction and the ‘never miss a beat’ band led by Henare Kaa, we are all impacted by and drawn into the legacy of Billy himself. To really understand Billy T James, you’d have to be Billy T James, but to glean an insight into his comedic genius and talents, there is no one quite like Rutene Spooner who can take us there, to a time that is both now, and then. It is an honour and a privilege.

Karaka te pō, Karaka te ao, I raro i a Tahunui-a-Raki, I ruka i te pae-aroha

tēna koutou e te whānau whānui o te Whare Tapere.

Juanita Hepi

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KERI Ryman Resident

NAU MAI HAERE MAI

Ko Tokomaru te waka

Ko Taranaki te mounga

Ko Waitara te awa

Ko Te Atiawa te iwi

Ko Ngāti Rāhiri te hapū

Ko ahau te Tumu Whakarae

Ko Barbara George tōku ingoa.

Welcome! We are so excited to bring you Be Like Billy? and Rēwena, shows that you can enjoy on their own or as a double-billa great night out at the theatre.

We began this creative journey with writer / actor / entertainer and all-round talent Rutene Spooner some years ago when he had this idea for Be Like Billy? What you will see tonight is the world premiere season of a Court Theatre commission.

Also featuring this evening is Rēwena, set on the stage with you - the audience - in the kitchen. This unique presentation immerses you in the play, the story and the experience.

It is also my great pleasure to welcome a brand-new sponsor to The Court, Naturally Tiles, sponsor of both of tonight’s plays. Naturally Tiles is a company with a strong point of difference and a highly capable design team - the perfect fit with The Court Theatre. Welcome Heather and Greg Cayford, and Ashleigh Thompson.

Please enjoy the shows. Over the page our Artistic Director will share her views on “why” these plays, why at The Court, and why now.

Best wishes and we hope to see you again soon.

Tautimai! Ka hiamo katoa mātou ki te whakaatu i ngā whakaari nei, ko Be Like Billy? me Rēwena. Ki te mātakitaki koe i tētahi, i ngā mea e rua rānei, kātahi te pō pārekareka ki te whare tapere nei ko tēnei.

I tīmata tā mātou mahi tahi ki te kaituhi / te kiriwhakaari / te kaiwhakangahau, te iho pūmanawa anō hoki a Rutene Spooner i ngā tau kua pahure ake, i te wā i taka mai te whakaaro i a ia mō Be Like Billy? Hei te pō nei ka kite atu koe i te whakarewatanga ā-ao o tēnei whakaaturanga i tonoa e te Court Theatre.

Ka whakaatu anō hoki i tēnei pō ko Rēwena, e whakaari atu ana ki ngā kaimātakitaki mai i te kīhini, hei atamira. Mā tēnei momo whakaaturanga ahurei ka rumaki koutou i tēnei whakaari, i ōna kōrero, me ōna wheako.

Nōku hoki te rekareka kia whakatau mai i tētahi kaituku pūtea hou ki te Court, ko Naturally Tiles, te kaituku pūtea o ngā whakaari e rua o te pō nei. Nā te āhuatanga motuhake o te kamupene nei a Naturally Tiles, me ō rātou kaihoahoa auaha - e tika ana tēnei hononga ki te Court Theatre. Nei rā te reo rāhiri ki a Heather rāua ko Greg Cayford, ki a Ashleigh Thompson anō hoki.

Kia ngahau ngā whakaari. Kei te whārangi e whai ake nei ko ngā whakaaro o te Pou Kaitohu Toi e pā ana ki ēnei whakaari.

Ngā mihi mutunga kore, ā, ko te tūmanako ka kite anō mātou i a koutou ā kō ake nei.

Barbara George Chief Executive / Tumu Whakarae

NGA MIHI NUI

Ko Tangi-te-Keo te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko te Awa Kairangi te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō te Whanga-nui-ā-Tara ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa

When Rutene first talked to me about Be Like Billy?, I knew he had something special. Billy T James is such an icon of Aotearoa comedy. Anyone in the 80s or 90s would recognise that laugh instantly. Rutene pays tribute not just to Billy, but to all the Māori performers that have shaped our stages and his career, and interrogates what that legacy means today, to him.

Be Like Billy? is a funny, thoughtful, personal, provocative and always entertaining show, carried along by Rutene’s charm, comedy, and its own superb showband (under the musical direction of Henare Kaa), brought together by Rutene’s frequent and trusted collaborator, Director Holly Chappell.

In Whiti Hereaka’s Rēwena we found a perfect companion piece - a one-womanshow that also digs deep into personal and cultural history with nuance, wit and warmth, all woven into a real-time baking lesson. Maggie’s intelligence and humour are brought to life by actor Kim Garrett and Director Tania Gilchrist.

Please enjoy the sensorial feast that these two unique plays provide.

I te wā tuatahi i kōrero mai a Rutene ki a au e pā ana ki a Be Like Billy?, marake ana te kitea he kaupapa tino motuhake tōna. He tuahangata a Billy T James ki te ao pukuhohe o Aotearoa. Mōhio pū ngā tāngata nō ngā tekau 80s me ngā 90s ki tōna katakata rongonui. Kāore a Rutene e whakanui ana i a Billy anake, engari kē ia ka whakanui i ngā hautipua Māori katoa i para i te huarahi mōna, ā, ka whaiwhakaaro anō hoki a ia ki tōna tūranga ake i ēnei rā.

He whakaari pukuhohe, whaiwhakaaro, whaiaro, whakapātaritari, whakangahau anō hoki a Be Like Billy? Ka mairangatia te whakaari nei e te wairua ātahu, whakangahau hoki o Rutene me te kino kē hoki o te rōpū puoro (e whakahaeretia e te ringatohu puoro a Henare Kaa), ā, i paiheretia e te pouwhirinaki o Rutene, ko tōna ringatohu, a Holly Chappell.

Hei āpiti, ko Rēwena, he whakaari nā

Whiti Hereaka i tuhi - he whakaaturanga kiriwhakaari tōtahi e tirotiro atu ana i te tuakiri me te hītori ahurea o te tangata i runga i te wairua whakakata me te wairua atawhai, e whakaatu atu ana hei akoranga tunu kai. Ka whakatinanatia te atamai me te pukuhohe o Maggie e Kim Garrett, te kiriwhakaari, me Tania Gilchrist, te ringatohu.

Kia rongo mai koutou i te pārekareka o ēnei whakaari mīharo.

Dr Alison Walls

Artistic Director / Pou Kaitohu Toi

BE LIKE BILLY?

BY RUTENE SPOONER

World Premiere of a Court Theatre Commission

PERFORMER / KIRIWHAKAARI

Rutene Spooner

BAND / ROPU PUORO

Clayton Hiku

Jack Bubb

Henare Kaa

Heather Webb

CREATIVES / RINGATOI

Holly Chappell Director

Henare Kaa

Musical Direction

Juanita Hepi Māori Advisory / Kaiāwhina

Matt McCutcheon Set Design

Nephtalim Antoine

Matt Eller

Giles Tanner

Costume Design

Audio Engineer

Lighting Designer / Operator

Rochelle Wright Properties Co-ordinator

Scott Leighton

Stage Manager

Acknowledgements and Additional Credits

We thank the entire Court Theatre whānau for their exceptional work and dedication in producing this play. Also: Kari Moana Te Rongopatahi; Tom Eason; Scarlett Letters; Charlie Rose Creative and Bounce NZ

Proudly printed by Caxton

RUNNING TIME: 70 minutes

VIDEOTAPING AND PHOTOGRAPHY: The videotaping and photography of this production is strictly forbidden.

Be Like Billy? was produced by The Court Theatre 25 March – 22 April 2023

CREATIVES' NOTES

Taku pōhiri e rere atu rā ki te hiku o te ika, te puku o te whenua, te pane o te motu ki te whakawhititanga ki Raukawa, ki te Waipounamu!

Haere mai, haere mai!

Tangihia rā ngā tini mate o te wā.

Ka mahara ake rā ki tērā o ngā māreikura o Tuahiwi, a Whaea Aroha Rereti-Crofts. Nāna māua ko Holly i whakatenatena i wā māua mahi e hia kē tau ki muri. Moe mai e kui, hoki atu ki te torona o Ihoa o ngā Mano. Ko te māngai hei tautoko mai, āianei, ake nei, āe.

Kotahi atu ngā mihi ki te mana whenua, ki te rahi o Tahupōtiki.

Mihi mai ki tēnei ōu; ko Porou koa, ko Hamo te wahine koa! Ko Tahu koa, ko Hamo te wahine koa! Nāna i tohatoha ki Niu Tireni ka hipoki!

Tātou katoa kua rauika nei i runga i te kaupapa o te rā, karapinepine mai e hika e!

He tohu aroha tēnei whakaari ki ngā pēne ngahau Māori o nehe. Ahakoa kua tohungia tēnei whakaari ki a Billy, arā noa atu te hunga kāore i kaha kitea, kāore i kaha rangona.

Nā rātou anō i para te huarahi hei whāinga mā mātau ngā haututū e whai nei. E mihi ana.

Ka huri ngā mihi ki te whānau o Billy, ki tōna iwi hoki, ka mutu, ki tāna kōtiro a Ruby.

He nui ngā take i ahu mai i te ohorere o tana rirohanga. Arā noa ngā momo tūāhuatanga i tū mai te puehu, i te nawe, te pukuriri, te mamae hoki.

Ko te tūmanako ia ka tino rongo i te mauri, i te koa o āna mahi ki tēnei o ngā whakaari. He tino taonga te mahara. Nōku anō te whiwhi.

Ko ngā ringa raupā, ngā ringa poipoi o te tuhinga nei ka mihi. Ki a Two Productions, Vanessa Gray, Roanna Dalziel, Dan Pengelly, Ross Gumbley, Greg Cooper, Alex Whiltshire, Playmarket NZ me ngā rangatira, ngā kaimahi o te Court Theatre.

Ko ngā mihi maioha ka mutu ki taku tāringi, taku tuarā a Kate, taku pēpē a Hinemāia rātou ko taku whānau, hapū, iwi hoki.

He wero hei whakatepe. Ngāi Māori mā, kia kaha rā! Ahakoa ngā pēhitanga o te wā, Tū māia! Ki a koutou a Ngāi Pākehā. Kāti te noho ngū, kāti te noho ngoikore. Kia kaha tātou ki te hāpai i te tirohanga Māori me te mana ōrite!

Kia tū tapatahi, kia tūtira mai, Tātou, tātou e!

Rutene Spooner Creator / Kiriwhakaari

Welcome to Be Like Billy? It is an absolute privilege to be Rutene’s collaborator and director on this work. Anyone who has seen Rutene perform will know that he is one of the most talented performers you will ever see. What the audiences don’t see is the time, care, love and absolute dedication he has to his craft. Be Like Billy? has been years in the making. We have been talking and dreaming about what this show could be, how to honour Rutene’s heroes and also acknowledge the complex feelings that come along with heroes of the past. We have been dreaming about bringing it to the audiences of Ōtautahi for a long time, and we are so excited to be with you tonight.

We have an incredible team working on this show - each and every person has given their all to bring this work to life. From the details on the lapels of Rutene’s suits, to the music charts lovingly created, the whole team has built this show. We are also lucky to have our wonderful families, who keep the home fires burning. What you are seeing tonight is a love letter to Rutene’s heroes and a provocation to his audiences. How can we all work harder, be better, care more?

Holly Chappell Director / Ringatohu

Song List

Whakarongo Mai - Overture

Nā Henare Kaa

Te Tāonga O Taku Ngākau

Nā Kuia Te Manawakore (Matilda) Leach

Hoki Mai E Tama Ma

Nā Henare Waitoa

Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi

Nā Paraire Tomoana

Māori Action Song

By Daphne Walker

Poi Poi Twist

By Rim. D. Paul

Guitar Boogie

By Arthur Smith

Whakaaria Mai (How Great Thou Art)

Nā Sir Howard Morrison

E Ipo - Instrumental

Nā Ngoi Pewhairangi

Pokarekare Ana (Sailing Away)

Nā Paraire Tomoana

Te Tāonga o Taku Ngākau (REPRISE)

Nā Kuia Te Manawakore (Matilda) Leach

Haere E Tama

Nā Rutene Spooner

He Rā Ano

Nā Modern Māori Quartet

E ara, E oho!

Nā Rutene Spooner

Ko Hikurangi maunga

Ko Waiapu te awa

Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi

Ko Horouta te waka

Ko Te Whānau-a-Iritekura te hapū.

Ko Iritekura te marae.

A small role in Nikki Caro’s film Whale Rider at the age of nine kickstarted Rutene’s career in the arts.

Since graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Musical Theatre, the singer, actor and entertainer has toured nationally and internationally for various theatre and corporate entertainment companies.

He has since appeared in such musicals as Billy Elliot (New Zealand premiere); Jersey Boys (Australian Tour); Chicago and Little Shop of Horrors (The Court Theatre) and Jekyll & Hyde (Australasian premiere), to name a few.

Rutene recently featured in the Disney film Frozen - Reo Māori voicing The Duke of Weselton and also received The Grant Tilly Actor of The Year award at the 2023 Wellington Theatre Awards.

He has been described by the New Zealand Herald as “a stalwart of the Auckland cabaret scene” and has toured his award-winning shows Super Hugh-Man and Thoroughly Modern Māui both nationally and internationally to great acclaim.

Outside of his busy performance schedule, Rutene also works as a creative producer, documentary director and vocal and performance coach.

He is a proud kaihaka of Te Kapa Haka of WhāngaraMai-Tawhiti, a member of the Modern Māori Quartet and a proud union member of the New Zealand Actors Equity.

Ko Te Rea Kura te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Matuku Takotako te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Ōtautahi ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

Holly has a Master of Theatre Arts in Directing from Victoria University and Te Kura Toi Whakaari O Aotearoa: New Zealand Drama School. She is the co-artistic director and producer of Two Productions which has produced devised works since 2012. She has directed for The Court Theatre, Auckland Theatre Company, Red Leap Theatre and The Fortune Theatre. She was the Artistic Director of Little Andromeda, having programmed their 2019 - 2022 seasons. She was on the Artistic team for the Turn Up The Heat festival and the Off Centre festival. She was Head of Acting at NASDA: The National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art, has taught acting at Original Scripts Theatre School for ten years, had a successful high school teaching career and worked as a director and tutor for Toi Whakaari and Whitireia Polytechnic.

Rutene Spooner

NGĀTI POROU, NGĀRUAHINE, NGĀTI KAHUNGUNU CREATOR / KIRIWHAKAARI

Holly Chappell DIRECTOR / RINGATOHU

“I met Billy, and everything just landed.”

- BE LIKE BILLY?

REWENA BY

WHITI HEREAKA

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

I was a teenager when my mum told me to make some bread. She handed me a jar of Edmonds yeast granules, told me to follow the recipe and away I went. It started as a chore, something to keep me busy, but it quickly became something I loved to do. It became the thing I did. I made bread for my family, and for my sanity. No matter what was going on for me, the act of combining ingredients, waiting for the dough to prove, kneading and shaping, baking and sharing, always made me feel like everything would be okay. It was therapeutic, the work of making bread. The rhythm of it, the miracle of it.

I hadn’t made bread for years and then my friend Kim Garrett showed me this play and introduced me to Maggie.

Maggie makes rēwena, a taonga handed down from her mum. She makes it for her family, she

makes it with love and she is an expert. Her bread has whakapapa, it holds mātauranga; it’s about friendship, love, and respect. She makes bread for us, shares her secrets, her failures, her mamae, and her triumph. She opens her home and her heart and takes us with her through this daily miracle of love and healing. This gem of a play is magic. I could talk about how clever it is, how it engages and delights, but really it is about engaging in that most fundamental act of love - the making and sharing of bread. I hope we have been successful in pulling together all the right ingredients, added the right amount of love and care and created something that nourishes...and heals.

Tania Gilchrist Director / Ringatohu

WHITI HEREAKA WRITER

/ KAITUHI

Whiti Hereaka is an award-winning novelist and playwright of Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Tuhourangi, Ngāti Tumatawera, Tainui and Pākehā descent, based in Wellington. She holds a Masters in Creative Writing (Scriptwriting) from the International Institute of Modern Letters. Whiti is a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Massey University.

In 2012, Whiti was awarded the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award.

She is the author of The Graphologist’s Apprentice, and the award-winning YA novels Bugs, Legacy and Kurangaituku Legacy won the New Zealand Children’s and Young Adult Book Award for Young Adult fiction in 2019 and Kurangaituku won the Jann Medlicott

CAST / KAHUI KIRIWHAKAARI

Kim Garrett Maggie

CREATIVES / RINGATOI

Tania Gilchrist Director

Matt McCutcheon Set Design

Giles Tanner Lighting Designer / Operator

Juliet Robertson Rehearsal Stage Manager

Scott Leighton Season Stage Manager

Acorn Award for fiction in the Ockham New Zealand Book Awards in 2022.

She is also co-editor, with Witi Ihimaera, of an anthology of Māori myths — Pūrākau; and has worked on an animated TV series: Kiddets

She has been a writer, a mentor and a judge for Te Papa Tupu, an incubator programme for Māori writers. She also sits on the boards of the Māori Literature Trust, the Michael King Writers Centre and Playmarket.

Whiti has held residencies internationally and in Aotearoa and was awarded the NZSA Peter and Dianne Beatson Fellowship. Her play Rēwena, written during her 2012 residency at the Michael King Writers Centre was published in 2015.

Acknowledgements and Additional Credits

We thank the entire Court Theatre whānau for their exceptional work and dedication in producing this play. Also: Kari Moana Te Rongopatahi; Scarlett Letters and Charlie Rose Creative

Tiles proudly provided by Naturally Tiles

Proudly printed by Caxton

RUNNING TIME: 50 minutes

VIDEOTAPING AND PHOTOGRAPHY: The videotaping and photography of this production is strictly forbidden.

Rēwena was produced by The Court Theatre 25 March – 22 April 2023

Rēwena was written with the assistance of Creative New Zealand and the Michael King Writers’ Centre, and received development assistance from Playmarket.

TANIA GILCHRIST

DIRECTOR / RINGATOHU

Ko Hikurangi te maunga

Ko Waiapū te awa

Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi

E noho ana au ki raro i te maru o Pātangata te maunga

I te taha o Wharekahika te awa

Ko Hinemaurea te Marae

Ko Tūwhakairiora te whare tipuna

Ko Te Aotaki te tangata

Ko Houkamau McClutchie te ingoa whānau

Ko Tania Gilchrist ahau

Tēnā koutou katoa

Tania (Ngāti Porou) studied acting at The Christchurch Academy in 1987. After that she secured roles in television shows like Shark in the Park and Neighbourhood Watch, amongst others, including winning a role in The Billy T James Show in 1990.

After returning to Ōtautahi Christchurch to raise her family, Tania commenced Māori language studies at Te Puna Wānaka (Ara).

Tania had the opportunity to return to the stage for the development and touring seasons of the Taki Rua production He Kura e Huna Ana by Hoehepa Waitoa, and for a role in Waiora at The Court Theatre in 2016. At The Court Theatre’s first Māori and Pasifika Theatre festival in 2017 Tania directed a performance reading of Hone Kouka’s Homefires. In 2018 Tania participated in The Court Theatre’s Ē Toru programme for the development of her original play, Rīpeka. She is passionate about the development of Māori theatre and its role in revitalising Māori language.

KIM GARRETT

MAGGIE

Ko Mataatua te waka

Ko Tauranga te awa

Ko Maungapōhatu te maunga

Ko Tūhoe te iwi

Kim is a graduate of the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art (NASDA; Bachelor of Performing Arts, Acting).

Her previous Court Theatre credits include August: Osage County; White Rabbit, Red Rabbit; Shepherd; Le Sud; Romeo and Juliet; Exit the King; Mary Poppins; Macbeth; Waiora; Legally Blonde the Musical; He Kura E Huna Ana, The Father and Sense and Sensibility.

Kim has also been involved in many Court Theatre children’s shows and school touring productions. Her other theatre credits include The Maids; Duck; The Slapdash Assassin and The Motor Camp (Fortune Theatre); Putorino Hill (Taki Rua), for which she received a Chapman Tripp Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2014, and Hairspray (Showbiz Christchurch).

Since June 2018 Kim has been appearing as Te Rongopai Rameka in Shortland Street.

“But you should remember that what I’m giving you is precious, a taonga, so you need to treat it with respect, with aroha.”

- REWENA

MUSICAL DIRECTION / RINGATOHU PUORO

Ko Hikurangi tōku maunga

Ko Waiapu tōku awa

Ko Ngāti Porou tōku iwi

Ko Horouta tōku waka

No Ōtautahi ahau

Henare ‘H’ Kaa has been in the music game for almost 10 years, touring nationally with his band Dillastrate and past band Ahoribuzz. H has toured internationally with Ben Waters and members of The Rolling Stones, and played and recorded with, supported, and featured nationally with acts such as Katchafire, Shapeshifter, L.A.B., Sons of Zion, Tiki Taane, Anika Moa, Salmonella Dub, the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and Fat Freddy’s Drop.

Henare is an endorser of being a Māori musician with ADHD and has delivered keynotes and talks around Aotearoa New Zealand, spreading a positive outlook regarding his experience of what ADHD can do in the growth of people’s future and passions.

His musical mahi has received nationwide recognition, including performances and interviews on TVNZ Breakfast, Radio New Zealand and the opening show of Te Pae in Ōtautahi, and recorded works featuring in two of the New Zealand Official Music Charts Top 10.

Henare’s band Dillastrate is currently recording a new album featuring some of New Zealand’s favourites, including Tiki Taane, and features as part of Waiata Anthems.

Kā rere atu te kāhū, ki ruka Aoraki ki Te Waipounamu.

Nō te uri au, ko Ngāti Wai, ko Ngāpuhi kā iwi.

Nō te uri au, ko Waitaha, ko Kāti Māmoe, ko Kāi Tahu, Ko Ngāti Mutuka, ko Moriori, ko Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa kā iwi.

I hoki mai au ki tōku whenua nei.

Ko Te Poho o Tamatea Pōkai Whenua te mauka

Ko Whakaraupō te moana,

Ko Te Rāpaki o te Rakiwhakaputa te marae

Ko Wheke te whare whakairo, Ko Juanita Hepi ahau.

Juanita is a multidisciplinary storyteller from a long line of storytellers. She holds a Masters of Māori and Indigenous Leadership, a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning and a Bachelor of Arts from Toi Whakaari, the New Zealand Drama School.

Juanita has performed on stages from The Court Theatre and BATS in Aotearoa to Shakespeare’s Globe in London. She has written for Playmarket, Toi Ōtautahi, A Fine Line and regularly features as panelist and presenter for events such as WORD, Ngā Hua Toi and the Aronui Arts Festival. Juanita has produced, written, directed and collaborated with Cirko Kali, Two Productions, the CSO, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, CoCA and, most recently, CMNZ. Unlikely to sit still, Juanita recently directed A Baby Called Sovereignty and co-produced the Kick Off Parade for Off Centre Festival 2023. Juanita is thrilled to be working alongside Rutene, Holly and the team in this seminal work, Be Like Billy?

Juanita Hepi

MĀORI ADVISORY / KAIĀWHINA

Henare Kaa

Ko Ngā Toki Matawhaorua te waka

Ko Whakatere te maunga

Ko Waima te awa

Ko Tuhirangi te marae

Ko Mahurehure te hapū

Ko Ngā Puhi te iwi

Ko Clayton Hiku tōku ingoa

Since graduating with a Bachelor of Music and a Diploma in Jazz through Ara (formerly CPIT) and the University of Canterbury, Clayton has become one of the foremost bass players, performers and educators in Ōtautahi Christchurch. A regular in the local band scene, Clayton has performed at many New Zealand jazz and contemporary festivals. As a member of the band Soulsystem, Clayton has toured Aotearoa New Zealand in support of acts such as The Black Seeds, Salmonella Dub, Katchafire, and many more.

Clayton currently works as the Assistant Head of Music at Cashmere High, running the Jazz and Contemporary music programmes there. Clayton has a passion for raising Māori achievement through the inclusive use of te reo Māori and Pūoro Māori in education.

Ko Aoraki te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Ōtākaro te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Ōtautahi ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa

Jack is a graduate of Ara Music Arts, where he gained his Bachelor of Performing Arts. During this time, he specialised in contemporary keyboards but also studied jazz and tech papers.

Jack performs all over Ōtautahi Christchurch with bands such as Diamond Blue and Perry. He also performs live session work, including keyboards, for Wulfie. His previous theatre credits include We Will Rock You (Showbiz Christchurch).

This will be his first theatre show as a member of the band.

Ko Aoraki te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Waimakariri te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Ōtautahi ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa

Heather is a guitarist, composer, recording artist, band leader and session musician. She performs with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Merk, Mousey, and Terrible Sons, and at various jazz and arts festivals. She has collaborated with artists including Julia Deans, Bic Runga, and Delaney Davidson, as well as leading local musicians Tom Rainey, Darren Pickering and Reuben Derrick. Radio New Zealand named Heather as a top woman in jazz.

Heather has composed for feature length documentary and jazz ensembles, to high acclaim, including Radio New Zealand’s ‘Best of NZ Jazz,’ and been reviewed as, “a standout,” (Graham Reid) and, “an engaging blend of scientific and musical nerdery” (Erin Harrington).

Heather holds a BMus (Hons) and tutors guitar at the University of Canterbury.

Clayton Hiku BAND MEMBER / RINGAPUORO

Jack Bubb BAND MEMBER / RINGAPUORO

Heather Webb BAND MEMBER / RINGAPUORO

Ko Ingarangi Benin te whakapaparanga mai

Ko Kanata te whenua tupu

Ko New York te kāinga

Nō Brooklyn au Kei Ōtautahi au e noho ana

Ko Nephtalim Antoine tōku ingoa

Nephtalim Antoine has been in fashion and tailoring for over 15 years. He is an experienced costume designer, having worked for various productions in Aotearoa New Zealand such as World of Wearable Arts.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Nephtalim learned the art of tailoring and costume design from his great-grandparents who were heavily involved in Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations around the world.

Ko Kapiti te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Waikanae te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Kapiti ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa

Matt is a graduate of the Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School (Diploma in Entertainment Technology).

This is his first time working at The Court Theatre but he has had the pleasure of working with Rutene as his Audio Engineer / Operator on a number of occasions, including Super Hugh-Man, Thoroughly Modern Māui and with the Modern Māori Quartet.

Matt has been fortunate enough to work with a variety of Aotearoa New Zealand theatre companies and musicians that have seen him tour throughout the country and around the world.

Matt is one of the co-founders of Evoke Audio, an audio postproduction studio in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.

Ko Mt Thomas te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Waimakariri te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Ōtautahi ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa

Rochelle has been assisting The Court Theatre Props department since 2019 and this is her first production in charge of all prop creation.

Originally working in fabric construction, Rochelle worked at Macpac creating protoypes before moving to John Herber Ltd. Here she created background drops and special effects for theatres and film sets; this included work for Peter Jackson and projects such as The Southern Centre in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

Combining her design and creative skills with her love of theatre, Rochelle decided to pursue a career either in set building or prop creation. After undertaking studies in the Foundation of Design course at Ara, and additional courses in joinery, carpentry and mechanical engineering, Rochelle has been creating a new career in props ever since.

Nephtalim Antoine COSTUME DESIGNER / HOAHOA KAHU WHAKAARI

Matt Eller AUDIO ENGINEER / PŪKENGA ORO

Rochelle Wright PROPERTIES CO-ORDINATOR / KAIRURUKU RAWA

Ko Aoraki te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Makaawhio te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Ōtautahi ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au. Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa

Scott is a graduate of Hagley Theatre Company and Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School (Bachelor of Performing Arts Management).

His previous Court Theatre credits include Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Assistant Stage Manager); The Pink Hammer (Stage Manager); The Wind in the Willows (Assistant Stage Manager); Crash Bash: What’s the Rush? (Stage Manager); Jersey Boys (Assistant Stage Manager); Things I Know to be True; Once; Whā; Little Shop of Horrors, Potted Potter, Māui Me Te Rā and RENT (Stage Manager).

As a freelance Stage Manager, Scott has also worked with Victoria University of Wellington - New Zealand School of Music on their shows Eat Your Heart Out, A Feast of Opera Scenes (Stage and Production Manager) and Suor Angelica & Gianni Schicchi (Production Manager); New Zealand Opera’s touring production of 8 Songs for a Mad King (Stage Manager) and Blackboard Theatre Collective’s production of UGLY: The Untold Story of the Stepsisters (Stage Manager).

Scott Leighton STAGE MANAGER / KAIWHAKAHAERE ATAMIRA

“...Te legend, Te master, Te funny fala…”

- BE LIKE BILLY?

Ko Tapuae-o-Uenuku te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Waiau te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Te Whanganui-a-Tara ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

Matt joined The Court Theatre in January 2022 as the Construction and Premises Manager, having worked with the workshop team casually in set construction since 2017.

His recent Court Theatre credits include managing the set construction for The Girl on the Train; Flagons and Foxtrots; RENT and Sense and Sensibility.

Previously Matt worked on vehicle construction for Avatar, and with Ngāi Tahu and Waka Kotahi on the large scale art installations near Kaikōura. He also worked on various art installations around Ōtautahi Christchurch with Ngāi Tahu and the Christchurch City Council.

Matt has had a wide-ranging career in construction for film, television, advertising and theatre. The multi-use set for Be Like Billy? and Rēwena is his first set design.

Ko Aoraki te maunga e rū nei taku ngākau

Ko Ara Rira te awa e mahea nei aku māharahara

Nō Ōtautahi ahau

E mihi ana ki ngā tohu o nehe, o Waitaha e noho nei au.

Nō reira, tēnā koutou katoa.

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.

Experienced in lighting, sound and audio-visual design, Giles started working with The Court in 1995 as a casual technician. After operating his first co-production in 1996, Giles became House Technician in 1998.

Currently Head Technician at The Court Theatre, Giles has worked on more than 50 Court productions including Amadeus; Hui; When the Rain Stops Falling; Blood Brothers; Constellations; Macbeth; Educating Rita; The Little Mermaid; Waiora: Te U Kai Po - The Homeland; The Events; Ropable; Venus in Fur; Titus Andronicus; In the Next Room, or The Vibrator Play; Stephen King’s Misery; Astroman; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; The Father; Fresh Off the Boat; The Wind in the Willows; A Streetcar Named Desire; The Girl on the Train; Flagons and Foxtrots and Sense and Sensibility.

Matt McCutcheon

SET DESIGNER / HOAHOA PAE WHAKAARI

Giles Tanner

LIGHTING DESIGNER / OPERATOR

KAIHOAHOA TŪRAMA / PŪKENGA TŪRAMA

“...the beautiful thing about rēwena? It always remembers where it came from”

- RĒWENA

CREATING THEATRE IN THE HEART OF OUR CITY

• The Court Theatre is returning to the city

• A new standard in international design

• A centre stage made for everybody

• Energising the city seven days a week

• A cornerstone of the Performing Arts Precinct

• Multipurpose performance and education spaces

A FULL YEAR OF FRIENDSHIP

If your New Year’s resolution was to find a truly meaningful way to be part of your community, then you have found the right place.

Joining The Friends of The Court Theatre will offer you many options to contribute to our city’s creative heart. Simply by becoming a member, your subscription helps enable The Court to keep making and delivering excellent, compelling theatre to Ōtautahi Christchurch, and beyond. In 2023, The Friends of The Court Theatre are once again sponsoring a show – Te Kuia me te Pungawerewere.

For those who want to be more involved in a network of like-minded people, there are plenty of Friends-only events, many of which also raise funds for Court operations and equipment. Friends can also volunteer to perform essential tasks for the theatre, such as serving audience members at

the Coffee Bar, or joining the ushering team, a service which literally saves The Court hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

A full new year of membership is available at a modest fee and comes with many benefits including ticket discounts, invitations to Friendsonly events and access to behind-the-scenes information and experiences.

But it is knowing what you can give as a Friend that makes membership so valuable – Friends are part of The Court’s fabric, because their commitment ensures that exciting and enthralling theatre, created by talented craftspeople, remains available to our local community.

To find out how being a Friend of The Court Theatre can enable you to play a part in the theatre you love, visit courttheatre.org.nz/support/friends

APPROPRIATE

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

I

Pamela Webb Charitable Trust

Ball Charitable Trust

The Robert & Barbara Stewart Charitable Trust

Farina Thompson Charitable Trust