THE PIONEERS
THE PIONEERS - 8:00pm Thu 13 Aug 2009
From the old world to the new – Ex-pat Kiwis bring their celebrated show home
Ex-pat Kiwis The Pioneers have wowed audiences in Britain with their multi media portrayal of their ancestors’ journeys to New Zealand. Now, they’re about to repeat that journey themselves, bringing their acclaimed show to this country.Using original acoustic music, texts by leading New Zealand poets, story telling and character portrayal, The Pioneers tell the stories of three of their ancestors who travelled from England and Ireland to a very different New Zealand from the one they had imagined.
Set against a backdrop of stunning New Zealand scenery and rarely viewed archival images, this powerful poignant show features the combined talents of vocalist Angeline Conaghan, Ben Brewer on guitar and David Leahy on double bass. Interweaving the stories they heard growing up in New Zealand with poetry and song, the trio brings to life the experiences of early European settlers attempting to create a place they could call home.
Tickets $25, or $20 for Friends of the Gallery and groups of five plus. Available from the Gallery
Reviewers’ quotes
“I was blown away...this was way beyond my expectations. You deserve world wide success.”
David Jones, Director, Bournemouth Literary Festival
“Powerful, will have a long lasting impact on the audience for many years to come”
“Completely captivating.”
“What a pity history wasn’t taught like this.”
Origins of the show
The show was dreamed up at a dinner party four years ago in response to the question: Why are we living so far from home when our ancestors struggled to make a new life for themselves in New Zealand? For the past two years we have performed in village halls and theatres throughout parts of England and performed two one-week seasons in London. Audiences, while knowing little of New Zealand’s colonial history, have been very responsive, leading to several live interviews with the BBC.Featured New Zealand poets and writers:
James K Baxter, Bill Manhire, Len Lye, Hirini Melbourne, Jeanne Bernhardt, Andrew Laking and Grada, among others.
Images:
The show uses archival images taken from magic lantern slides donated by the Centre of NZ Studies at Birbeck College, University of London, contemporary images taken by the award winning photographer Barry Lewis (www.barrylewisphotography.com), and family photographs.
The Pioneers – first of a triptych
The show is the first of three works. The second work, Tea in Te Kuiti, currently under development, examines the period beyond European settlement to the end of World War 1, and will be co-produced by the Theatre Royal in Margate in early 2010. The final in the trilogy, Three Winters in a Row, will explore their own generation and the choices made in creating a new life away from New Zealand.
Biographies
David Leahy
After gaining a Bachelor of Musical Performance from Victoria University in 1992, David Leahy set up a music promotions business in Wellington and was responsible for creating and directing the first Wellington International Jazz Festival. Since leaving New Zealand in 1998 he has worked as a musician, music therapist, animateur, dancer and dance accompanist (with ex Pina Bauch dancer, Geraldo Si), as well as composer, musical director and performer, both in the United Kingdom and Europe. Together with Angeline Conaghan, he has worked as an artistic practitioner and consultant to Creative Partnerships, the UK government’s flagship creative learning programme for young people and school communities throughout England.
Angeline Conaghan
Angeline Conaghan was born in Te Puia Springs and brought up in the Hutt Valley. After studying at the Christchurch Jazz School (1992, 1993) she returned to the Wellington region to develop her musical career. She moved to the United Kingdom in 2000 and has worked there as an artist and musician as well as an artistic practitioner and consultant to Creative Partnerships. Bark, her collaboration with Norwegian keyboard, drums and electronic expert, Terje Evensen, has produced the critically acclaimed LP, Home, featuring a fusion of pop, electronica, jazz and hip hop styles.
Ben Brewer (Jnandhara)
Ben Brewer grew up in Whangarei, playing the violin from the age of six and taking up the guitar as a teenager. He gained an advanced diploma from the Wellington Jazz School in 1996, and moved to the United Kingdom in 1999, motivated primarily by an interest in Buddhism. He now lives in Ireland and has a particular fascination with folk music.
© 2009