Scholarship winners for 2005 are from Toi Whakaari

Two out of six Francis Irwin Hunt Scholarship winners for 2005 are from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.

Marama Emery (Waikato, Ngati Maniapoto, Ngati Ruanui, Tuwharetoa), an acting student, and Natala Huaki Gwiazdzinski (Ngati Raukawa), an entertainment technology student, won the scholarships, which are awarded to Maori undergraduate students in the field of performing or cultural arts.

"Nearly 80 applications were received for the six scholarships and Toi Whakaari is immensely proud of our high achieving students," said Annie Ruth, Director of Toi Whakaari.

The Maori Education Trust, which administers the scholarships, awarded the Toi Whakaari students the grants because they were studying in the field of performing arts and showed outstanding leadership skills and academic
results against other applicants who were eligible for the scholarship.

Marama Emery from Paraparaumu is in her final year of the Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting). Before coming to Toi Whakaari she had never performed in public before - in fact her first performance outside her bedroom was at her audition. Last year she took the lead role of Marina in Pericles and this year has travelled outside Aotearoa for the first time to study as a seconding student for six weeks at the La Mancha International School of Image and Gesture in Chile.

"This scholarship means a lot to me and I feel very honoured to have received such a prestigious award," said Marama. "As a full time student this money was a blessing in funding the last weeks of my secondment and enabling me to buy a digital camera that will help me by recording improvisations and other work. I would also like to say thank you to my teachers for giving me so many opportunities - my training at La Mancha was all thanks to Tom McCrory and Nina Nawalowalo."

"The most important thing I learnt in Chile was to 'drive my own car', as Rodrigo Malbran said. By doing that I hope to help others in any way I can," said Marama.

Natala Gwiazdzinski from Otaki is in her final year of the NZ Diploma of Entertainment Technology at Toi Whakaari after leaving a career in Human Resources. She recently wrote, directed and starred in Beautiful Flaws, a play about love and emotional addictions that aimed to challenge the way we perceive and judge each other.

"The scholarship was a godsend - I don't qualify for an allowance anymore so it gave me extra money to live and also put towards the production of Beautiful Flaws" said Natala.

"Being awarded this scholarship has given me added confidence to continue following my dreams, and I hope to inspire others to have faith and be brave."

Both Marama and Natala were awarded $3,500, which they will use to survive their student lifestyle.

Coming to Te Whaea shortly: Slaves to the Rhythm - Choreographic Season 17 - 25 June - Slaves to the Rhythm brings together New Zealand's most outstanding percussionists STRIKE and 2nd & 3rd year contemporary dance students from the New Zealand School of Dance. Find yourself at the mercy of the driving rhythm.

The Seagull 9 - 13 August - The second year class of actors is split into two groups - one group will perform Chekhov's first play - a comedy with three female parts, six male parts, a landscape, much talk about literature, and five tons of love.

Small Lives, Big Dreams 9 - 13 August - The second year class of actors is split into two groups - one group will perform Anne Bogart's look at all Chekhov's canon. Small Lives Big Dreams is a play about memory that examines how characters in Chekhov's plays are haunted by the past while attempting to look forward.

ENDS

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