NZ Drama School is Making History – Literally

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is Making History – Literally.

Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School celebrates its 40th Anniversary this year. As part of the yearlong celebration the students and staff of the School have been working on putting together a Time Capsule, which will take greetings from the current Toi Whakaari crew to the future one in 2050.

The Time Capsule will show what Toi Whakaari is today in 2010 and it will be buried at the Toi Whakaari grounds on Monday 14 June. The event will be attended by The Governor-General, Hon Sir Anand Satyanand and his wife Lady Susan Satyanand.

The Time Capsule will be marked by a bronze plaque with inscription:

This kowhai tree was planted by the Governor-General of New Zealand,
Hon Sir Anand Satyanand, on 14 June 2010, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of
Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School.

Ma mua ka kite a muri, ma muri ka ora a mua.

Those who lead give sight to those who follow; those behind give life to those ahead.

Time Capsule contributions include something from each year of all the six of the School’s courses and the staff. The Director of Toi Whakaari, Annie Ruth, and two past Directors have written letters to the School’s Director in 2050 and a recording of a typical Friday staff meeting will be included.

Students have contributed by inserting transcripts of tutorials, photos of the building they inhabit today, stories and photographs of themselves and Wellington in our time, music videos and recordings of their memories. Some students have written letters about what they think will happen in the future and included equipment list of their tools today to compare with those of the future. Also a handmade patchwork quilt will be buried in the Time Capsule along with a self-made jigsaw with hopes and tips written on the pieces. Even a miniature model of Head of Design Penny Fitt and a written dedication to her will be buried underground for the next 40 years.

In her letter to the future Director current Toi Whakaari Director Annie Ruth reflects on the past and the future: “If I look backwards 40 years I get a sense of how very long that can be in both a personal story and the story of an institution. So it is difficult to wrap my head around the world you will be living in. I wonder if some of the same issues that every director of this school has faced continue to concern you – the need to continually adapt and expand our building, the need to secure an adequate funding base and the need to continually deepen the investigation into how the way we build ourselves as a community is reflected in the kind of artists we become. “

For more information visit http://www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz

ENDS

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