Cultural Storytellers: Andy Saker

This week Renee Liang thinks about the notion of a 'Kiwi Culture' and talks to Andy Saker about the Devonport Theatre Company and his new play, Pearshaped.

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Does a ‘Kiwi culture’ exist?  Are we a nation of rugby, racing and beer, as the old song suggests? How many of us make pavlova or own buzzy bees?  (I don’t wear jandals – I hate the feeling of a wedgie between my toes.)  Or is being Kiwi knowing how to proceed on a marae, how to have at least a basic conversation in Maori, and understanding the implications of the Treaty of Waitangi?  Or is it celebrating Chinese New Year in Albert Park, or Diwali on the waterfront?

I don’t think there’s any one ‘cultural pattern’ for being a Kiwi.  A look at the Census data will show that we are fast becoming one of the most diverse nations on earth.  And while the system is by no means perfect, NZ also stands out for being one of the few places where people from different cultural backgrounds are given an authentic chance to speak, to claim their side of the ‘Kiwi story.’

Imagine my surprise then when a good friend of mine complained that she didn’t feel she was able to tell her story.  She’s a white New Zealander, of fairly standard English and Scottish descent. And when I probed further the problem was that she felt ‘colourless.’

In my other job as a researcher, I’ve been reading about identity.  The brainy people have already thought about the notion of being ‘colourless’ and found that those from a majority group don’t feel particularly ‘cultural’ – precisely because they are part of the crowd and don’t stand out.  In the words of one D W Sue, “unlike people of color, white individuals are not reinforced by and taught to be aware of racial differences but instead are taught to ignore them.”

Yet our theatres are full of plays about baches, rural family feuds and remote farmhouses.  Last week I went to Auckland Theatre Company’s newest offering, Horse Play, actually a revival of a 15 year old play by Ken Duncum about an imagined meeting between James K Baxter and Ronald Hughie Morrieson.  That play was a celebration of two quintessential ‘Kiwi’ writers, chock full of old-school Kiwi jargon.  A good part of its sly humour might have been lost on anyone not growing up in NZ in the 70s and 80s.  And the capacity audience roared.

This week I talk to Andy Saker, a playwright who did, indeed, grow up in NZ in the 70s and hails from Devonport (via London and a few other places).  He’s a real Shore boy, and he’s written a new play about growing up on the Shore. I haven't seen it yet, but the poster suggests a barbie and some annoying neighbours are involved.  Is it a ‘Kiwi’play? Most definitely.  Is he a ‘cultural storyteller’? Absolutely.

Renee: So, I gather you're a Shore boy….tell us a bit about your background.

Andy: I was born in Takapuna and grew up and to school on the Shore. I left New Zealand when I was 21 and went to live in London, where I based myself for 13 years. I returned in 2000. 

Renee: What was doing theatre in the 80's in London like?

Andy: Drama was not a subject when I was at school so I had had no acting experience when I got to the UK, but as soon as I got to London and went to the West End I found myself completely taken by the huge respect for the performing arts that that city has. I started making short films and videos but really did not start training till the early 90's. After my first acting course I went straight into an independent theatre company. 

Renee: What was coming home like?

Andy: I was away from home for 15 years and only returned twice briefly over that time so I was really out of touch with what was happening here. It was amazing to see how multi-cultural the country had become. I settled back into things relatively quickly. 

Renee: How and why did you start Devonport Theatre Company?

Andy: I was living in Devonport when I first came back and was teaching adult drama classes. Some of my students were desperate to be in a production so I formed the company and directed a production of 'Beauty Queen of Leenane' by Martin McDonnagh. It was the first stage experience those people had ever had. I put the company on hold because I wanted to train as a teacher but always knew I would return to it when I was ready.  

Renee: Tell us a bit about this play you're writing and directing, Pear Shaped. Is it based on real life?

Andy: The basic story is based on real life experience and the characters are based on people I know or have met. It takes place in a backyard of a house in Takapuna over the space of a week. The characters are all friends who live on the North Shore and a visitor comes to stay, and he is a very nasty piece of work indeed.
The play endeavours to capture that time in our life when the rug gets pulled out from under our feet when we least expect it. Some people can cope with the change and the hurt and some never recover. 

Renee: What's doing theatre on the Shore like?

Andy: Being based at the Pumphouse is fantastic, such a cool theatre in such a beautiful setting. Doing plays there you feel a real sense of community and a lack of any pretentiousness and exclusivity. I teach drama at Rosmini College in Takapuna so I encourage my students to see as much as they can.  

Renee: How do you see theatre shaping up in Auckland in the next ten years?

Andy: I personally feel theatre in Auckland is in a very healthy state. You only have to see how many indie theatre companies are being formed and how drama is now one of the fastest growing subject areas in New Zealand secondary schools to see that future is looking positive. 

Renee: What's your next project?

Andy: I'm currently writing a book, a fictional story set in New Zealand in about 200 years time, but there is a strong chance I will end up writing a trilogy of plays based on the North Shore. Let’s see what happens.

More information

Pearshaped written and directed by Andy Saker runs from 19-30 May at The Pumphouse, Devonport. 09 489 8360 to book, or online www.pumphouse.co.nz.