NZ SCRIPT CROSSES FINISH LINE

Hi All

The Nelson script is finished. I'd like to say a big thanks to Jamie for sticking with us through the difficult NZ exam period (exams unfortunately are more important than scripts!) and for coming out the other end with a complete script from what began as a patchwork of ideas back in July.

If you've had a chance to read our script you may have noticed that it is a touch long. Somehow it has become epic in scale but we are proud of our words and the world of the play we've developed is a wordy one. However you are more than welcome to cut what doesn't work for you and replace scenes with the action contained within the dialogue.

If you get a chance have a watch of Jamie's interview where he describes the process that has led to our story. It has been a fascinating and experimental one. A huge amount of learning has occurred for us during it from young people learning about developing narrative to me learning about letting go!

I'm not sure how we came to tell a story about an orphan, a new girl, European settlers, suitcases, time travel, Maori heritage and the impact defining moments can have on our future but this is where the theme 'Strangers' has taken us.

I've enjoyed reading your scripts and am brimming with ideas for pulling them together from sending the characters from our play into the scrapyard looking for each other to Gwen stomping into the middle of our opening waiata(song) looking for her flip flop!

It would be great to hear your ideas so start posting them up here and get commenting on others!

We are reading and casting all the scripts next week so watch this space to find out who is playing who!

I'd like to finish by congratulating the Nelson group for all your enthusiasm, creativity and for being so open to new ideas and so unprecious with your own. Its been difficult to stay as focused as I'd know you'd all have liked during exams but hopefully now that's over you can give this your all and let the script amalgamation ideas pour forth!

Bye for now,

Sarah