| YOUNG and HUNGRY... |
| Written by Olive Ann Walden |
| Monday, 13 July 2009 11:25 |
 [ from left to right: Tiraroa Isherwood as Blue & Jordan Selwyn as Isaiah in 'Urban Hyms' ] Through the big grey door next to Federation on Customs Street and up some winding stairs; live a group of talented, young... WILD things. Coup De Main was invited along to their rehearsal space to chat with them. Them; being the cast and director of 'Urban Hymns': one tale in the trilogy of plays set to debut in the upcoming 'Young and Hungry Festival of New Theatre'. Sitting upon a circle of couches, stories were divulged in a campfire confessionary. Amidst sparks of laughter and witty banter, we discovered the origins of Young and Hungry, life lessons learnt (however small)... and the simple pleasures of turning 18... being able to pull out your I.D. at the bottle shop. Young and Hungry was established in Wellington 15 years ago to encourage youth (15-25 year olds), to craft great NZ theatre. ( For more information click HERE ) Upon forming a partnership with the Auckland Theatre Company (ATC), Young and Hungry has been bought to Auckland for the first time. Three plays ('Oyster', 'Sit On It' & 'Urban Hymns'), will be performed simultaneously in both Wellington and Auckland with different casts, crews and directors. Consequently, there is a constructive rivalry; not only between the different plays, but also between the two cities. Proud emphasis is placed on the fact that the Auckland version of 'Urban Hymns' has a very culturally diverse cast, whereas the Wellington cast is solely Pakeha.  [ from left to right: Harriet Urlich as Carla, Nicole Thomson as Francis & Christina Cortesi as Mill in 'Sit On It' ] The theme of the festival this year is “daily bread”; each story being unique and original, with its own distinctive flavour. “That’s the idea of Young and Hungry – to have them all different in their own way... We are the cultural part of the play ('Urban Hymns'), 'Sit On It' is the comedy and 'Oyster' is ...[pause]... different.” This intrigues me... “It is the Eagle VS. Shark of the Festival ... everything is on wheels in 'Oyster', maybe including the cast. 'Sit On It' have flushing toilets and we’ve ('Urban Hymns') got heaps of light boxes.” 'Oyster' (written by Vivienne Plumb) is a quirky, comedic tale of six very different souls trying to establish who they are... and where they belong in this big, wide world. 'Sit On It' (written by Georgina Titheridge), is set entirely in the ladies room of a trashy nightclub. It sheds light on why girls spend so much time in the bathroom, giving the audience a hilarious peek into a very private world. Written by emerging playwright Miria George; 'Urban Hymns' “is quite deep in its [highlighting of] the bleakness of the economic recession and how it effects youth. It’s very current, very, very contemporary... and very kinda stark.” It is a story of survival and greed, art and music, drugs and crime, of “innocence clashing with reality”. When Joseph loses it all in his money-orientated world, he turns to Tobias and together they make the first worst decision of their lives.  “Shapeshifter shapeshifting. Whats your favourite chocolate? Noodle Canteen. Chop suey. How many shoes do you have?”... Welcome to the befuddled world of Urban Hymns’s impromptu rehearsing. The cast are as diverse as the characters they play, each bringing different qualities to the table. After talking to them for an hour, I can see that Urban Hymns has been made with unity and lots and lots of laughter. It is going to be a well-rounded play, bursting at the seams with personality. The lead character Joseph; who is facing rough times and trying to survive any way possible, is played by the enigmatic Nathan Wharerau. Nathan is of Maori/Samoan/French/Chinese decent and is “a fingertip” Hawaiian... I am beginning to see what they mean about being a culturally diverse bunch! At five he appeared in the mini series ‘Violent Earth’ as a little-kid-version of the main character. He has poetically found music and acting to be his “calling”. Tobias is Joseph’s best friend who tries to find the solutions to all of their problems. It is from here that calamity ensues. Charley Samau (of Samoan/Irish decent) and the ever-sweet Mosese Uhila (of Tongan decent) share this role. Charley was absent when we visited, but Mosese enthusiastically listed the productions he’s been involved in. To name but a few, he has played the Lion in Oz, the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, Pluto in the Lord of the Underworld... and has dabbled with Shakespeare. What hasn’t this boy done?! Isaiah; the “cool guy about town”, who runs the black market, is played by the inquisitive Jordan Selwyn (Maori/Pakeha). He started acting when he was five, but was ceremoniously kicked out of drama school for talking too much. At only nineteen, he has already starred in feature film 'The Map Reader' (check it out; it looks great). Blue; Isaiah’s artistic little sister, is the prophet character with an urgent message to tell. She is bought to life by the sly wit of Tiraroa Isherwood (Maori/Native American!). At eleven, Tiraroa’s first role was, fittingly, the strong and independent Cleopatra. She has since appeared on TV for dance and as a reporter.  [ from left to right: Diako Amin as Das in 'Urban Hyms' ] Das used to be Isaiah’s best friend, helping him run the black market, until... he fell into the world of music, leaving money, friends and popularity behind. He is played by the craftily humorous Diako Amin, who is “one hundred percent Kurdish” from Kurdistan, and looks to Sasha Baron Cohen as a role model... Yes. Lela is a bit of a stud ... “oooooo”. She is played by the lovely Ally Xue (Chinese). Ally is currently studying to be an optometrist, but has a strong passion for acting after studying it at High School. Lucius is played by John Kang (Korean) who was absent when we visited. Not only does Urban Hymns have a talented and diverse cast, but a dedicated crew. Michelle Johansson is the enthusiastic director of Urban Hymns. She is incredibly supportive of the entire cast, and seems to take on a motherly/big sister role. The big brother then; must be Ashton Henty, the Stage Manager/ Publicist, who wears a perpetual smile, and having been involved in Young and Hungry in Wellington, is someone to look up to for advice. Ashlee Ackland is the witty Stage Manager/ Assistant Director who was in a ‘Better work stories’ ad – colour coding “to make this really cool rainbow effect”. Upon being asked what the single lesson Young and Hungry has taught them, it was unanimous: “Show up on time and be ready – that’s ATC’s Motto” ... “Or at least show up." Michelle then looked puzzled, and enquired - “Can we jump Moses after, cause he hasn’t been here for like two weeks?” This is supported by an uproar of laughter, punctuated by a sheepish “Sorry”. Also, they say, “Stay on the right side of the right people.” Take note.  The Young and Hungry Festival of New Theatre is going to taste like s’mores cooked over the glowing embers of passion, talent and enthusiasm. Three plays, three ingredients: one part chocolate, one part marshmallow, one part biscuit. They taste good separately, extra-ordinary together. Available for tasting: 10 – 25 July at The Basement, Lower Greys Ave
(No shows Sundays and Mondays). The Festival is a triple-bill of 50 minute plays: Oyster- 6:30pm Sit On It - 8:00pm Urban Hymns- 9:30pm Adult: 1 play - $20 / 3 plays - $45 (booking fees may apply) Concession: 1 play - $15 / 3 plays - $36 (booking fees may apply) [ Shows are not suitable for children; contain drug references and offensive language ]  |
