Show keeps actors on their toes

Semu Filipo and Gregory Cooper play Ioane and Peter respectively in Niu Sila, which is in rehearsals in Dunedin at the moment. Photo: supplied
Semu Filipo and Gregory Cooper play Ioane and Peter respectively in Niu Sila, which is in rehearsals in Dunedin at the moment. Photo: supplied

A strong Pacific Island arts voice will be heard in Dunedin in coming weeks with Fortune's Niu Sila and a reading of Sons, Rebecca Fox says.

At its heart, Niu Sila is a ‘‘bromance'', its director Daniel Pengelly says.

Daniel Pengelly. Photo: supplied
Daniel Pengelly. Photo: supplied

Written by Oscar Kightley and Dave Armstrong, the comedy tells the story of two young guys from different worlds in Auckland in the 1970s and their friendship from age 5 to 40.

Semu Filipo plays Ioane while Peter is played by Gregory Cooper. The two actors did not know each other before they were cast in the play for a season at the Court Theatre last year.

• Collaboration comes full circle 

Filipo admits to Googling Cooper but says he got the wrong guy, while Cooper arrived on the first day wondering who it was he was going to work with.

‘‘It's a risk in a two-actor show like this one. You have to get on well or it won't work. There is so much chemistry between Peter and Ioane, the audience needs to believe there is genuine friendship and love there,'' Cooper said.

Filipo agreed that for the characters to come alive there needed to be friendship on and off the stage between the two actors.

Each actor played numerous characters, switching from one to the other without costume changes, props or sets.

‘‘You have to have real trust in the other actor when you are switching characters left, right, and centre. You rely on the other person to keep the balls in the air.''

It was also important to have a director allowing them to play with the structure of the play as they went.

Pengelly, who is also Court Theatre's assistant director, said: ‘‘The best night I have had watching the play was when something went wrong and the audience realised how hard it was for the actors and it was way better knowing anything could happen.''

The actors had to be clever and skilled to make it work so the audience could sit back and relax, he said.

‘‘It's fast and furious.''

The reviewer from Theatre Review agreed, saying: ‘‘There is no shortage of material or characters in this cross-cultural world where stereotypes are smartly dealt with and racism itself is mocked''.

‘‘If they are stereotypical, the folk of Niu Sila are nevertheless finely detailed in terms of their language and physicality. Flexible, hugely energetic and versatile playing is the order of the evening.''

Keeping on top of the multiple changes required plenty of repetition in rehearsals and muscle memory, Cooper said.

‘‘Each character has a physical shape so you hook into the physical stance and it tells the brain which one - it's like a dance.''

Filipo jokes it is quite hard to keep Cooper focused but, once on stage, he kept him on his toes.

The cast and crew were now back together in Dunedin for rehearsals for the second season.

‘‘It is good. We had so much fun last year. It doesn't happen very often where you get to work with the same people again,'' Cooper said.

This time, instead of a narrow, long stage with the audience at either side of the actors, they were on a wide stage, which was taking some getting used to.

‘‘It's a much bigger space, so it will be a different show.''

Filipo had noticed that while the lines were still there from last year's show, he delivered them differently.

Niu Sila was a show he had wanted to act in since he saw it during its first season at Downstage Theatre in Auckland while he was still at drama school.

‘‘I related to the relationship between the two characters. I grew up in a Maori area, so I could relate to kids from two different backgrounds so that is why I wanted to play the role.

‘‘And I've got to play it twice.''

Of Samoan and Tokelauan descent, Filipo grew up in Rotorua and stumbled into acting because he wanted to kiss a girl - he played Othello, she, Desdemona in the school play.

‘‘I did it for the laughs, drama classes until one of the teachers suggested I try out for drama school. I got into Toi Whakaari (NZ Drama School) and realised it was harder to stay in school.

‘‘I realised a lot more about my craft and not taking it for granted.''

He has worked on various projects such as The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee Contest (Auckland Theatre Company), Auckland: Ensemble (The Basement), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Circa Theatre) and Romeo and Juliet (Downstage) and television's Shortland Street, and worked as a high school drama teacher.

‘‘I'm getting back to treading the boards, which is good.''

Cooper also has fingers in ‘‘various pies'', which actors in New Zealand needed to do to make a living, he said.

He has been writing and directing - most recently at the Fortune Theatre with his work Mamil, with Mark Hadlow.

Christchurch-born, he learnt speech and drama as a child, because ‘‘I mumbled''.

That led to amateur theatre and on to theatre sports and improvisation and ultimately to the Court Jesters, in Christchurch.

Instead of going to drama school, he learnt on the job, starting with performances in kids shows.

His improvisation background came in handy in Niu Sila, he said.

‘‘I love the challenge in this. As an actor you are on a real tightrope. It's much more interesting switching characters from old to young, men to women. It's never boring.''

As such the role was a ‘‘real gift'' to play, he said.

 


To see

Niu Sila Fortune Theatre April 30-May 21

Also touring the regions:
May 24 Oamaru Opera House; May 26 Ranfurly Town Hall; May 27 Alexandra Memorial Hall; May 28-29 Luggate Hall; May 31 Cromwell Memorial Hall; June 3 Blue Mountain College, Tapanui.

 



 

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