Cultural Storytellers: Chris Malloy

Renee Liang talks to Maori playwright and actor Chris Malloy.

Malloy plans to tour The Last Taniwha to small towns - introducing 'the power of theatre to new audiences' at marae, school halls and community centres. "Hopefully sowing creative seed amongst new fertile grounds."

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I’ve recently been asked to write an article on “Asian theatre in Aotearoa”, so I’ve been having fascinating conversations with people.  Among other things, I’ve made the amazing discovery that the first documented public performance of Asian ‘theatre’ in this country was in 1887!  Interestingly though, professional theatre reflecting the Kiwi-Asian experience didn’t really appear until more than a hundred years later, in 1996.

Thinking about this, and about the many strands of social, political and cultural awareness that go into nurturing a community voice, I always find it instructive to see what my Maori and Pacific colleagues have done. 

Maori theatre, of course, is well established in this country.  But like all art forms, the amount and depth of work waxes and wanes. I think it’s fair to say that currently Maori theatre is experiencing a renaissance. The offerings at the inaugural Taonga Whakaari (Maori Playwrights’ Festival) at Hawkins Theatre are proof that not only is there more writing, but there’s an increasing diversity of voices.  There’s also a greater confidence in exploring stories that reflect the wealth of Maori experience in our society, both good and bad.  It’s a sign of a healthy culture and a trajectory which I hope Asian-Kiwi theatre will follow.

Anyway, I'll shut up now, I feel I'm starting to pontificate!  This week I talk to Chris Malloy, who was one of the writers for the 24-hr Theatre Challenge as part of Taonga Whakaari, and has a wealth of acting and writing credit under his belt.

Renee: How did you start writing?

Chris: I suppose my first taste for writing came in 5th form. I had to give a written account of a school funded voyage, aboard the Spirit of Adventure. It was a 10-Day youth development course and my school’s hope was that I would come back, changed, inspired. I didn’t. My time was pre-occupied with chasing girls, and exhibitions of strength. So the pressure was on when I had to give an account of my experience. I ended up writing a completely fictional story titled ... 'The High Seas and Me, To Spew or not to Spew, that is the Patai.'

So impressed was my English teacher, that he sent it to the local paper were it won an award! My next foray was writing for local church drama productions, but I began to take it seriously when I started at Unitec (acting). I got a real taste for it when I began to write monologues for myself to explore and push the boundaries of my acting capabilities.

Renee: Are you an actor who writes, or a writer who acts?

Chris: Actor who writes. Though I have done more writing than acting recently.

Renee: How did you approach the job of directing your own work? Would you do it again?

Chris: I was hesitant to begin with. I didn’t want the piece to be limited in scope. I was afraid that the play would be bound creatively, that it would have a one dimensional, introspective feel.

1. Assistant Directors - In order to address this issue I had a couple of people I respected as directors/actors, to sit in on the rehearsals and give feedback. They had to be people who were not at all familiar with the play, who were fresh to it, in order to give a non biased opinion.

2. Actors and Crew – Keep open to suggestions from the actors and also crew.

3. Confidence . As with anything in life, having confidence in myself was key. If I had doubted my vision for this piece and my creative abilities to fulfill this vision, it would have never got off the ground.

The other major lesson I learnt was to have the time to process your process. Because I was working full time while directing, I would have found it so beneficial to take the time to step back and reflect, instead of living in the moment, forging ahead with the schedule and deadlines.

Yes I would definitely do it again, just let me at it!

Renee: How did you come to write The Last Taniwha?

Chris: The Last Taniwha originally grew out of my concern with the spate of children’s deaths at the hands of close family members. I was sitting with a friend when another death came across the news. We sat there and looked at each other and said "what the hell is going on?! “ With this play I wanted to try and explore this shameful issue of domestic violence within Maori communities, by using my upbringing in Murupara as a point of reference.

Renee: Were there any roadblocks in the process? Any discoveries about yourself as a writer?

Chris: I had to be careful around Maori tikanga and historical elements of the piece. A point to take note of is that you will have to get at least three professional opinions on Maori content, as each can have disparate opinions. But as long as you do as much research as possible before you put pen to paper, this should steer you in the right direction.

The discoveries have been many! A notable one is that I have a voice and it’s not that bad. Another important lesson I’ve learnt is to be able to listen, as much as possible, to others’ critiques of your work but importantly, to be intelligent enough to decipher what advice is useful and which to discard. Easier said than done.

Renee: Would you recommend formal study in playwriting to others?

Chris: Yes I do, but not a course that’s a full year full time. Maybe a night class where you can learn a few of the basics rules, then get writing. Practise, practice, practise! Try out different genres that you are not that use to, fuse your favourite style of writing with one you uncommon with. You may surprise yourself.

Renee: Do you see yourself as a "Maori" playwright?

Chris: Ae, a Maori playwright from Murupara.

Renee: Are there any special considerations to take into account when presenting theatrical work on a marae?

Chris: Be prepared for the venue to become almost like an unwritten character. The uniqueness of the whare tipuna can overpower your play if you let it. I had to clearly state to the audience, at the start of the play, to relax, and that laughter is ok. I was lucky because just under half my play was set inside a whare. Even though it is a tapu place, we forget that it was also used as a place the tribe would gather and entertain each other with stories.

Renee: What would be your advice to others who want to do this?

Chris: First of all, make sure you have a lot of hui with everyone whom is connected with the running of the marae, thus enabling a deeper understand of protocol, but most of all it’s about fostering relationships. It’s such a sacred, inspiring place -  so to be completely informed and respectful of this space is the very least you can do.

Check the power box and how much it can handle! You don’t want to blow the fuses during your performance. I got in an electrician to check for me.

Renee: Tell us about your plans for touring The Last Taniwha.

Chris: I plan to tour the play to small towns of Aotearoa. Taking theatre to marae, school halls, community centres and in doing so introducing the power of theatre to new audiences. Hopefully sowing creative seed amongst new fertile grounds.

Renee: What are some of the other projects you're working on?

Chris:  A few…

Writing: I am finishing off two short films, developing a feature and working on the next draft of The Last Taniwha. I am also developing two 10 minute theatre pieces, and with one of them I am getting the fantastic support of the Banana Boat Writers Group.

Larger Projects : firstly, Indigenous Theatre Group…I am in a development phase with Te Puni Kokiri to start a theatre company that produces Maori and Pacific contemporary theatre, aimed at the tourism market as a ‘cultural experience’ - watch this space. Too many of our beautiful stories sit on shelves collecting dust, and too many of our graduates are not employed in the industry they trained for and are passionate about. This is my attempt at trying to address these two issues.

Secondly, the Platform Festival…..I am at the early stages of setting up a performing arts expo/careers day called ‘the Platform Festival’ targeted at connecting high schools and tertiary intuitions, graduates or anyone interested in a career within the performing arts, with the performing arts industry. There is a desperate need to strengthen our sector. We need to come together and support each other, develop and reinforce networks. Too many gifted performing artists are being lost to other industries.