BIRDS
Written by award-winning playwright Dianna Fuemana, Birds stars Ali Foa’i (Falemalama, Aukalofa Monologues) and Bianca Seinafo (Number 2, Big Trouble). The pair plays a multitude of characters,seamlessly bringing this truly contemporary Pacific story to life.
An ode to teenagers and their mums, Birds is an urban tale told through the eyes of a young Niuean boy growing up in Auckland’s Avondale Hood-Lands.
THE CREW
SHARU DELILKAN
Producer / Publicist
Creative Producer & Publicist
With over 20 years experience as arts journalist, PR Consultant and music manager, Sharu Loves Hats specialises in producing, publicising and marketing the arts. Credits include Ryan Richard’s A Boy Wonder (2015), Dianna Fuemana’s Birds (2013-14), Black Dog Relief: A Cabaret for Robbie Tripe (Auckland and Wellington 2015), Newmarket Stage Co’s Educating Rita (2012), Amy Waller’s Gloria (2014), Henry V (Pop Up Globe/The Pah/Pumphouse, 2016), Te Rehia’s Hoki Mai Tama Ma (2014), Brown Boss’ Nga Bro e Wha (Modern Maori Quartet’s inaugural show) (2013), Te Rehia’s SolOthello (Wellington 2016), The Secret of Dongting Lake (2010) and Newmarket Stage Co’s Tuesdays with Morrie (2014). A Boy Wonder in Otago/Southland, winner, the Tour-Makers Award for Travelling Hero, Auckland Theatre Awards (2015) Sharu Delilkan, MA in Arts Mgmt (First Class Hons), was recently awarded creative entrepreneurs award ART Venture by Arts Regional Trust worth over $30,000.
SHARU DELILKAN
Producer / Publicist
SCOTTY COTTER
Director
Scotty Cotter has a varied carrier in both theatre and screen for the last ten years.
As an actor, Scotty has appeared in television and film (Brown Brothers, Shortland Street, Whanau, Knights in the garden of Spain), He also starred in the Maori television Atamira series (Purapurawhetu and The prophet). He has been in theatre (Purapurawhetu, Awhi Tapu, Flintlock Musket, Havoc in the garden, The Brave, Awatea).
His directing credits include Assistant directed Whero’s New Net 2010, The Girls’ Show 2010. Devised and assisted directed Up Close Out Loud 2007, The Brave 2012. Directed 2 showings for Massive Company’s Massive Ensemble 2011 and 2012. And recently directed Birds at the basement 17-21 September 2014.
He recently collaborated with Nancy Wijohn and Atamira dance for Nancy’s work ‘Paarua” and is currently the voice of Ira for the Nz Herald cartoon/comic Hook Ups.
Scotty also devised and toured a show internationally (Up Close Out Loud) with Massive Company and has travelled to The United Kingdom to work as an Ambassador for Massive and New Zealand Theatre in Liverpool and Wales.
SCOTTY COTTER
Director
DIANNA FUEMANA
Playwright
Dianna Fuemana emerged on the New Zealand theatre scene in 1999 with her one-woman show Mapaki. She is credited with being the first New Zealand Pacific playwright to merge the Niue and New Zealand born way of life through professional theatre. In the same year, she was nominated at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Outstanding New Writer and best up coming actress of the Year.
Also in 1999, her acclaimed play Mapaki was performed in New Zealand then toured internationally across the United States and Athens, Greece. This was followed by her next play, a comedy, Jingle Bells produced in Auckland, 2001.
Fuemana completed a Master of Creative and Performing Arts with honours in 2005 at the University of Auckland, writing her third play The Packer during her study. The Packer was performed to sold out audiences in New Zealand, Australia as well as at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Her fourth play My Mother Dreaming premiered in Auckland in 2005.
Her play Falemalama was produced during a residency in 2006 at the Pangea World Theater in Minneapolis, USA. Falemalama is semi-biographical and is based on the life of her mother. It has toured to the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts in Pago Pago 2008, Niue Arts Festival 2009 and the Planet Indigenous Festival in Toronto 2009.
Dianna has held writer residencies in Niue and with New World Theater in Amherst, USA. She has been a selected guest writer at the Tahiti writers festival 2005 and the Auckland Readers and Writers festival panels. Her plays Mapaki, The Packer and Falemalama have been published.
In 2008 she won the Pacific Innovation and Excellence Award at the Creative New Zealand’s, Pasifika Arts Award. These achievements have sealed her reputation as a leading light in New Zealand Pacific theatre.
DIANA FUEMANA
Director
SOLOMON FUEMANA
Lights and Sound Operator
Solomon has been involved with the play since it was written, not only via lights and sound operation
but being Dianna’s son he is intimately familiar with the script. His acute understanding of his mother’s
work gives the play an added dimension in terms of light and sound.
SOLOMON FUEMANA
Lights and Sound Operator
CAST
BIANCA SEINAFO
Bianca graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2010,with a Bachelor of Performing Arts, majoring in Acting.
Since graduating Bianca has been apart of a handful of devised shows including her own show of Big Trouble in small Newtown, which was apart of the 2011 Fringe festival. Shortly after, Bianca immersed herself in a string of solo performances of No. 2 directed by Ngapaki Emery. She has also traveled up and down the country with Ensemble Impact for two of their touring shows. Bianca has more recently been teaching devising and theatrical stage performance, to a group
of young Pacific Island and Maori youth who are about to create and devise their own show in Christchurch.
BIANCA SEINAFO
ALI FOA'I
Ali Foa’i graduated from UNITEC’s Performing Arts School as an actor in 2006. Upon graduating he appeared in the drama series Ride with the Devil. His recent screen credits include Diplomatic Immunity and Shortland St.
Foa’i made his professional stage debut in 2008 at the Pacific Arts Festival in Pago Pago, American Samoa, in Fuemana’s play Falemalama. He toured with the work in Auckland, Niue and Toronto. Foa’i most recently has performed Fuemana’s play Birds in Auckland and festivals in Niue and the
Solomon Islands.
ALI O FOA’I
GALLERY
