News

STARZ PRESS RELEASE - ANDY WHITFIELD

“SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND” STAR ANDY WHITFIELD DIAGNOSED WITH NON-HODGKIN LYMPHOMA

Production on second season of the hit Starz series delayed to accommodate treatment

Andy Whitfield, who plays the title role in Starz Original series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," announced today he has been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and will begin treatment immediately in New Zealand. Whitfield discovered the cancer during a routine checkup as he prepped for the sophomore season.  Andy’s doctors have stated his condition is very treatable, and was detected in its early stages.

"I'm receiving excellent care, and am feeling strong, positive and determined with an army of support behind me," says Whitfield.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Andy," says Chris Albrecht, President and CEO of Starz.  "His health, of course, is our primary concern. He has our complete support during this difficult time.”

The second season was scheduled to begin shooting shortly in New Zealand, but has been postponed to accommodate Andy’s treatment.

"Spartacus: Blood and Sand" has been a breakout success for the Starz network. The first season finale airs Friday 16 April.

Lola and Maisy McLeod-Riera acknowledged by NZ Fire Service

New-look fire safety campaign proves hit

"The Fire Service's popular school Get Firewise programme has been revamped - much to the delight of new entrants who can't get enough of the colourful resources, firefighter visits and shiny red fire engines.

The Auckland phase of the national educational programme, which has undergone a major overhaul, was announced at Kaurilands School in West Auckland yesterday afternoon.

Get Firewise teaches children key fire safety messages, relevant to their age group. Yesterday's start was aimed at Years 1 and 2 with the key messages being based around the importance of working smoke alarms, the dangers of matches and lighters and what to do in the event of a fire.

Fire Service spokesman Scott Sargentina said while the aim was to teach children, it was hoped they will remind their parents about the importance of fire safety.

The programme began after an assembly at the school during which sisters Lola and Maisy McLeod-Riera were acknowledged by the Fire Service for their roles in a hard-hitting fire safety advertisement which aims to shock people into realising the deadly consequences of leaving cooking unattended."

from the NZ Herald, 3 March, by Elizabeth Binning

Jake

a feature film by Doug Dillaman
HYBRID MOTION PICTURES


JAKE is an independant feature film shot in Auckland late 2009, now being submitted for festival consideration world wide. JAKE is the first feature film in New Zealand to be shot entirely on the RED camera.

The story of Jacob, a man whose life is stolen when he is inexplicably recast by a shadowy agency. When the actor who takes his place rekindles a long lost love, Jacob will do whatever it takes to fight for the role of his life.


starring Auckland Actors Leighton Cardno alongside Sam Berkley, Julie Collis, Jonathan Hodge and Martyn Wood.
directed by Doug Dillaman

for futther information visit the official website here

Girl Meets Boy

SOUTH PACIFIC PICTURES

now filming

Shooting has commenced in Auckland on GIRL MEETS BOY, a romantic comedy/coming-of-age feature film based on the award-winning 2005 documentary Banana in a Nutshell by Roseanne Liang.  Liang directs GIRL MEETS BOY, which she co-wrote with Angeline Loo.  

GIRL MEETS BOY is the contemporary story of Chinese New Zealand-born over-achiever Emily Chu, raised to believe she can get anything she puts her mind to.  Even if ‘anything’ is at odds with her traditional Hong Kong born parents’ wish for her to become a doctor like her two older sisters. Everything is coming up roses - until she meets James, a European New Zealander, and accidentally falls in love with him. But if her father finds out, she will face disownment. By the time Emily realises that she’s sacrificing the respect of her family to follow her heart, James, too, has fallen irrevocably in love and there’s nothing for it but to try and keep their relationship a secret. Happy endings don’t come easy, if at all, but that doesn’t mean they don’t happen. But for Emily to get one, she needs to show James and her family that she has learned a lesson about the selflessness of love.

featuring Auckland Actors Todd Emerson, Mark Ferguson, Andrew Munro, Josh Thomson and Michael Saccente.

360 (NZ INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL, WELLINGTON)

created by Carl Bland, Ben Crowder and Peta Rutter
NZ INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL & THE AUCKLAND FESTIVAL (co-producers), Te Whaea (Wellington), 12 - 21 March


The highly anticipated premiere season of 360 offers audiences a brand new theatrical experience. Swivel seats are positioned in the centre of a circular stage, allowing the audience to enjoy the spectacular action taking place all around the enclosed circle.

Travelling back through the memories of a prodigal son, 360 tracks the series of events that led to his final departure. His memories paint a vivid portrait of a family who are funny, exquisitely melancholic and charmingly clown-like. Expect the unexpected as two worlds collide when the son opens the same door he closed behind him years before.

Filled with larger-than-life characters and surreal situations, 360 is a moving tale of going back to the beginning to get to the end. Spin around in your seat to choose the action in this innovative production by the award-winning creators of HEAD.

featuring Milo Cawthorne, Ray Henwood, Jonathon Kenyon, Bruce Phillips, Olivia Tennet and Edwin Wright
direction by Carl Bland, Ben Crowder and Peta Rutter

for further information and to book please visit the New Zealand International Arts Festival website

American Accent Coaching

With so many American productions shooting in New Zealand it is essential your American accent is indistinguishable from the real thing. Your accent could be the difference between having a successful and diverse career both in New Zealand and internationally.

American actor John Dybvig is available for either ongoing American accent lessons, and/or to work on a specific script with you before an audition. John is an experienced actor and teacher, who has been teaching the American accent in New Zealand for many years, having worked with Pacific Renaissance Pictures on both Xena and Hercules, on countless Disney productions and more. John has a unique perspective on the idiosyncracies and dificulties that New Zealanders face when learning the American accent being an American who has lived and taught here for many years.

We highly recommend you take lessons with John, whether it is the first time you have attempted the accent, or you are a seasoned professional who has not auditioned for an American production for a while. Rates are exceptionally affordable, at only $30 per hour, and lessons will be structured according to your specific needs.

You can contact John on 021 179 8925.

Please call us if you have any queries regarding this, or if you need help learning any other accent, we have resources available to assist you.


The following article - taken from ENCORE MAGAZINE also outlines the importance of have an impeccable American Accent:

Aussie actors must speak ‘American’

"Voice coach Troy Mackinder says Australian actors must be prepared to speak with a ‘standard’ American accent if they want to find work in international productions shooting in the country.

“You don’t want productions hiring people in LA and bringing them out to Australia, you want to get the work when it’s here,” said Mackinder, who launched his book Practically Speaking last month.

Mackinder, an American-born actor based in Queensland, has coached Australian and New Zealand talent to speak with an American accent. He has supported Australian talent on the set of Daybreakers, Accidents Happen and Triangle, and is currently working on the James Cameron/Andrew Wight production Sanctum.

“There’s been a low in terms of work volume, with the rise of the Australian dollar, but I think [international productions] are coming back,” said Mackinder

According to Mackinder, the idea for the book was to create a reference for the classes he was teaching, because there was no such material in the market. He started developing the book while working on the set of Daybreakers, hoping to reach a broader audience.

Mackinder says even American actors learn the ‘standard’ American accent, which helps them neutralise their voice so that the audience is not distracted from the story trying to identify where they’re from.

“To create the American sound, Australians and New Zealanders need to focus on elements that are different from the old academic guard; a more practical approach with less thinking about the accent and more thinking about the acting.

“This technique focuses on the emphasis on words within a sentence, and stress on syllables within the words. Actors [such as Claudia Karvan, who wrote the foreword of the book] say that it frees them up to concentrate on the acting,” said Mackinder

Mackinder has long-distance students in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, whom he teaches via Skype. His services have been promoted by word-of-mouth, but he expects that the release of the book will help him develop a stronger relationship with casting agencies and the possibility of master classes around the country.

One thing he will make clear to his current and prospective students is that developing this skill doesn’t mean they will be ready to conquer Hollywood.

“Many students come to me with those aspirations. Everybody wants to move to Los Angeles and ‘make it’, but they should learn the accent and get the work here first, then go over to the US.”

Mackinder defines the work of Karvan and the Australian cast of Daybreakers as “wonderful”, but believes his best on-set students have been the young cast from Andrew Lancaster’s upcoming Accidents Happen.

“Those guys had this huge film that they were a major part of, and they just skyrocketed from the minute we started,” he recalled.

Practically Speaking is available at Mackinder’s website".

Cat & Mouse (Melbourne Comedy Festival)

by Thomas Sainsbury
FINGERPRINTS & TEETH, Melbourne Comedy Festival, 1-11 April

After only a short time based in Australia, we are very proud to have two Auckland Actors involved in CAT & MOUSE which returns for a second Australian season - this time in the La Mama Theatre as part of the Melbourne Comedy Festival. CAT & MOUSE is Lucy Wigmore's directing debut.


Roberto works in a bar and meets multitudes of women but nothing can prepare him for Cat. Drunk, desperate and on a failed date, he takes her number through pity and sleeps with her out of lust. A week later he meets Cleo: confident, indifferent, independent - everything Roberto desires. The only problem is Cat and Cleo look, sound, and smell the same, yet assure him they're different people. As Roberto juggles two passionate affairs with what may be the same woman, he's about to learn that the game has changed for good - a game that someone has to lose.

"One of those shows that you'll be talking about long after the curtain falls...must see for anyone who loves good theatre"


starring Stephen Fitzgibbon and Hannah Marshall
direction by Lucy Wigmore

for additional information including how to book visit www.comedyfestival.com.au

Mammals

by Amelia Bullmore
HOWICK LITTLE THEATRE, 6 - 27 March

MAMMALS - Speaks volumes to anyone who's in, has been in, or ever will be in a family!

In their chaotic family home, Jane and Kev don't have room for secrets. Their children take up all the space. Dirty laundry and weekend guests just have to be squeezed in. But when Kev comes home from a business trip with something on his mind, he starts a confessional chain reaction that hilariously and tragically reveals the truth about Home Sweet Home.

"A gem. The dialogue gurgles, sparkles, fizzes with compassion, recognition and wit."

starring Jo Crichton, Jess Holly Bates, Katea Duff, Terry Hooper, Carl Drake & Nikki Christensen
direction by Terry Hooper

for additional information including how to book visit the Howick Little Theatre or iTICKET websites.

The Players

from the New Zealand Herald, by Dione Christian

"It's called Fresh Produce but it has nothing to do with farmers' markets or the current vogue for home-grown vegetables.

Instead, it epitomises the blossoming of live theatre in Auckland. The mini festival of new New Zealand theatre, written and performed by actors you may not have heard of, begins next month at the shabbily chic Basement Theatre.

Across town, Flipside, a play about the capsizing of the Rose-Noelle and the crew's epic 119-day battle for survival at sea, begins theatre company SmackBang's 2010 season at The Auckland Performing Arts Centre.

Meanwhile, performing arts outfit Hackman heads to Sydney next month to stage Apollo 13: Mission Control, where the audience gets to play the parts of Nasa staff rescuing three astronauts from space.

So many names, so many shows. The script for live theatre in Auckland is being rewritten thanks to a growing number of actors, writers and directors who are starting their own theatre companies...." for full article see http://www.nzherald.co.nz/arts/news/

Yogi Bear

WARNER BROS PICTURES

currently filming in New Zealand

A feature film combining live action and CGI starring popular cartoon character Yogi Bear. Dan Akroyd voices a CGI Yogi, and Justin Timberlake his side-kick Boo Boo. Local actors have picked up minor roles alongside an international cast.