Drama and Dance Update

Dance have started the year very strongly. PNBHS students achieved some great results in the weekend of May 22-23 at the North Island leg of Dance NZ Made Nationals in Taupo, as they build up to Hip Hop Unite in Wellington.

Senior Advanced group: APEX were over all group winners in all genre divisions and include: Zac Maskill- former student, Jake Maskill and Noah Purcell.

Duo/Trio North Island Advanced level : 2nd place - Jake Maskill, Noah Purcell and Zac Maskill; 3rd place: Noah Purcell & Jake Maskill.

Overall duo trio across all divisions North Island: 2nd place : Zac Maskill, Jake Maskill & Noah Purcell 3rd Place : Noah Purcell & Jake Maskill. 

Duo/Trio National 2nd place: Zac Maskill, Noah Purcell, Jake Maskill 3rd place: Noah Purcell & Jake Maskill.

Solo:

North Island Intermediate Hip hop: 1st place : Jake Maskill North Island Hip Hop Solo Champion.

National: (across all age divisions): 1st place :Jake Maskill National Hip Hop Solo Champion.

Jake also earned a golden ticket to compete for $1000.00 from DNZM at the interschool competition.

Many thanks to the Dean McKerras School of Dance for all the teaching and support they provide our young men.

Theatresports

Our school Improvisation Club kicked off in early Term 1 and is well underway with their annual events. The Super Eight Cultural Competition, held at Gisborne Boys’ High School, was a successful event with our Senior Theatresports group placing 2nd. The team of five (William Hince, Ali Alaswad, Nicholas Dewhurst, Cameron Baker and Jonathan Stone) are now preparing themselves for the Manawatu Secondary Competition, to be held at Centrepoint Theatre on September 5th. The team will battle it out against local secondary schools in order to retrieve the golden trophy! 

Junior Play

Ancient history has a comical new twist. The Hysterical History of the Trojan War, written by D. M. Larson, adapted by Chris Burton and directed by Sophie Belcher. All your favourite classical Greek characters come alive in this comedy about the epic Trojan War. And yes, there will be a horse. Featuring wacky Greek gods with mobile phones and the blind drummer Homer and his ‘homies’ narrating the events before and during the war. A modern twist to an old setting.

CAST - Matthew Wongchoti, Kade Kareko, Micaiah Gloyn, Joshua Harrison, Camden Woodroofe, Ash Clough, Henry Bovey, Gabriel Crisp, Johnny Pratt, Thomas Mason, Charlie Wuts, Jesse Franks, and Hunter Giltrap.

The Rector’s Company

This year the PNBHS Rector’s Company will perform Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night - a Star Wars Tale - by William Shakespeare with characters suggested by George Lucas. The Rector’s Company first performed at the Super Eight Cultural Festival in 2019 and made an entry to The Shakespeare’s Globe Centre New Zealand (SGCNZ) Sheilah Winn Shakespeare festival, and were well received.

The company aims to perform Shakespeare’s works, as well as other playwrights.

For this year’s production we have a Star Wars theme. This will be an fun interpretation of the Star Wars film, with some of the characters from the film  performing in a Shakespearean play. Many of Shakespeare’s characters have ‘stock’ qualities that allow us to re-use them in this way - hopefully adding to the humour of one of the bard’s well-loved comedies.

Performances will be 29th ,30th June and 1st July. 

Junior Musical Theatre

With selections from Big River as their work for this year, and perhaps the strongest group of JMT Juniors ever, this group are now well into rehearsals. Lines are being learnt, scenes blocked, dance steps taught and numbers rehearsed with huge enthusiasm and a lot of talent. We look forward to their performances as part of the Junior Theatre Showcase in Term 4.

Big River Cast: Kade Kareko Huck, Regan O’Connor Miss Watson, Micaiah Gloyn Widow, Saem Millward Jim, Jun Hee Cho Judge Thatcher, Camden Woodroofe Pap, Duke (Understudy), Akshay Aneesh Tom, Max Hodgson Spud, Luca Deegan Simon, Jesse Franks Jethro, Daniel Soh Dick, Matty Leary Billy, Scott Du Ben, Jake Maskill Duke, Josh Harrison King, Nikhil Baine Loafer/Hank, Hugo Liuvaie Loafer/Andy, Ethan Davenport Loafer/Floyd, Ben Harre Loafer/Lafe, Rhys Hobdey Announcer 1, Shrawan Venkatesh Announcer 2/Man 2, Teo Jauregui-Na Announcer 3, Oscar O’Brien Announcer 4.

Drama class productions.

Levels 1 and 2 classes are both into rehearsal for their Dramafest public performances in Term 3. Level 2 will perform Niu Sila, a wonderful home-grown tragi-comedy by Dave Armstrong and Oscar Kightley. Level 1 are performing excerpts from Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. We have been delighted by the enthusiasm students are showing for their plays.