Ship Songs weaves together animation, music, shipboard romances, epic tales and roguish folklore from the seven seas. Ship Songs weaves together animation, music, shipboard romances, epic tales and roguish folklore from the seven seas. The solo play written and performed by actor Ian Hughes was inspired by the true story of how Ian’s mum met his dad following an ocean-board adventure. It is Ian’s first play and has undergone a 18-month development process. The idea emerged from an Auckland Theatre Company Master Class in 2007 with Australian theatre director John Bolton, which focused on story telling and self-devised work. Directed by Anna Marbrook, Ship Songs features original seas shanties from musician Don McGlashan (The Front Lawn, The Muttonbirds), design from John Verryt and animation and visuals by Michael Hodgson (Pitch Black), including artwork by Ian - a graduate of the Elam School of Fine Arts. “Fortunately we have been able to bring together some of our finest practitioners to work with Ian on this project over the last 18 months. This is a multi disciplinary, creative collaboration that blends the time-honoured art of storytelling with cutting edge animation and original music,” says Auckland Theatre Company’s Artistic Director Colin McColl. The play enacts three narratives spanning several centuries– from the true story of Ian’s mothers’ fateful journey on the Manchester Progress in 1963; to a British convict ship sailing the waters off New Zealand in the late 1790’s; to an Imperial treasure fleet under the command of the famous Chinese eunuch admiral Cheng Ho in 1405. Ship Songs traverses the symbolic connection between the sea, the human capacity for love and everyone’s quest to reach the shore. Lynne Cardy, Auckland Theatre Company’s Creative Development Manager, was immediately impressed. “Everyone was enthralled by the story of how Ian’s parents met – a story that Ian had only just heard, never guessing the romantic and adventurous beginnings of his parent’s relationship. The resonance of that story, together with the ideas Ian explored in the Master Class had the makings of a very exciting piece of theatre that sang out for further development”. The New Zealand Post season of Ship Songs sails into port on August 6 to The PumpHouse Theatre, Takapuna before touring the Auckland region with performances in the Herald Theatre in Auckland City, The PlayHouse in Glen Eden and the Howick Little Theatre.
SHIP SONGS Written and performed by Ian Hughes With songs and music by Don McGlashan Directed by Anna Marbrook Designers: John Verryt, Michael Hodgson, Jeremy Fern and Grant Bowyer. Tickets: $25 - $49 (BOOKING FEES APPLY) Bookings: at TICKETEK on 307 5000 or Auckland Theatre Company PumpHouse Theatre, August 6 – August 10 Wednesday 6:30pm, Thursday – Saturday 8:00pm Matinee Saturday August 9 at 2:00pm Sunday August 10 4:00pm The Herald Theatre, August 14 – September 7 Tuesday – Wednesday 6:30pm Thursday – Saturday 8:00pm Matinee Saturday August 23 at 2:00 Sundays 4:00 The Playhouse, Glen Eden, September 12 – September 14 Friday – Saturday 8:00 Sunday 4:00 Howick Little Theatre, September 17 – September 21 Wednesday 6:30pm Thursday – Saturday 8:00 Matinee Saturday September 20 at 2:00 Sunday 4:00 The New Zealand Post season of Ship Songs Auckland Theatre Company’s Literary Unit, which supported this work through its public playreading process, plays an important role in bringing new New Zealand work like Ship Songs to the stage. Over the last seven years the Literary Unit has worked with 55 different playwrights and 100’s of actors on new scripts in development. For the last two years, New Zealand Post has been an active supporter of the Literary Unit and is the presenting sponsor of both Ship Songs and ATC’s showcase of new New Zealand work, The Next Stage. ‘Ship Songs represents innovative and well-crafted storytelling that will resonate with many New Zealanders,’ says New Zealand Post Group Chief Executive John Allen. ‘Literacy is fundamental in a modern society and is the foundation for innovation, creativity and artistry. ‘It therefore makes sense that a company like New Zealand Post, dedicated to connecting people through the written word, should nurture the skills of writing and to support a process that encourages the development of New Zealand’s voice.’