Latest news from Unitec School of Creative Industries
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Monday, 30 January 2024
Unitec scholarship helps graduate filmmaker bring project to life
2023 Unitec Bold Innovator Scholarship recipient and Master of Creative Practice graduate, Alex De Vries, will premiere his short film/audio-visual album, Trust Issues at the Bridgeway Cinema in Northcote Point, North Shore this Thursday night, 1 February 2024 at 8pm. The film features a number of Creative Industries alumni and was produced by Procrastination Productions, a company De Vries formed with Screen Arts graduates: Kelsey Chapman, Saree Biddick, Lukas Faulkner, and Hunter Challis. All Unitec ākonga and kaimahi are encouraged to attend the screening. Tickets are only $10 and any additional donations are welcome. "Trust Issues was only possible due to the Bold Innovators Scholarship I received from Unitec so it would be cool to enfold the community into the screening," says the Afro-Kiwi writer, director, and producer. Among the cast are graduates: Alex de Vries, Georgie Llewellyn, Ella Rerekura, Gabby Terras, Tara Hodge, Lulu Qiu, Andre Busby, and 'Isope 'Akau'ola.
Find out more about 'Trust Issues' and get tickets to the premiere
Read more about Unitec's Bold Innovator Scholarship
Unitec actor returns to Pop-Up Globe stage
2014 Unitec alumna and film/TV/theatre star Natasha Daniel (pictured above), returns to Pop-up Globe as Juliet in Romeo & Juliet from 10-25 February at SkyCity Theatre, having first appeared on stage with the company in its premiere season in 2016 as the heroine in Antony and Cleopatra. She was part of the Pop-up Globe cast for the first time starting as Katherina in 2019’s The Taming of the Shrew and delighted audiences at Q Theatre as Twelfth Night’s Maria. Other credits include: the American sci-fi thriller M3gan, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings, and the fantasy The New Legends of the Monkey.
Auckland Pride features art graduate's exhibition
2019 Contemporary Art grad, Oliver Cain is currently exhibiting his latest work in Ripe & Ready to Pick as part of the 2024 Auckland Pride Festival. The exhibition is running at Studio One Toi Tu in Grey Lynn until 22 February 2024. Oliver's work holds a lot of complexity. At first glance, his ceramics are playful and whimsical, but peeling back the skin we find a pulp ripe with narratives. As a proud member of the queer community, much of his work revolves around themes of sexuality, identity, gender, and queer storytelling. Cain explores these themes by "using everyday objects to challenge stereotypes."
Pacific artist's hybrid fale on show in Christchurch
Paradise by Unitec Master of Creative Practice and Bachelor of Creative Enterprise grad, Jimmy Ma'ia'i
Master of Creative Practice contemporary art graduate, Jimmy Ma'ia'i is exhibiting alongside 23 other Kiwi artists in the exhibition: Spring time is heart-break: Contemporary Art in Aotearoa currently on at the Christchurch Art Gallery - Te Puna o Waiwhetū until 19 May 2024. This exhibition explores the transitions between places and across time. In Paradise, Ma’ia’i has made a hybrid fale structure from poolside ‘hula’ umbrellas and milk crates. The work reflects on Jimmy’s father’s work ethic and the strong Pacific presence in the trades workforce. These works are underpinned by ideas of cross-cultural exchange.
Read more about Jimmy Ma'ia'i's work
Lecturer joins live podcast discussion on masks
Unitec acting lecturer, Dr Pedro Ilgenfritz (above) will be joining Jacob Rajan (Indian Ink) for a live podcast with Radio New Zealand producer and host of Here Now show, Kadambari Raghukumar, talking about the magic of masks at Q Theatre next Thursday, 8 February at 7:30pm. Pedro's show Tea for Two: Valentine's Special also opens next week.
Get your tickets to Tea for Two: Valentine's Special
Dance lecturer shares stage with grads in double bill
Unitec Dance Discipline Leader, Katie Burton (right) is performing in Old Hat, Fresh Pain. Photo: Poynton Studios
Unitec Dance Discipline Leader and Lecturer, Katie Burton is performing in a Double Bill dance show Old Hat, Fresh Pain featuring two new dance works from 22-25 February at the Auckland Old Folks Association. Magpies at the Diner by Miriam Eskildsen features collaborators Jane Smolira, Tess Doorman-smith, Sydney Magnus, and Jake Starrs. The other work is A sea of split peas by Jess Crompton collaborating with Dan-Yel James, Katie Burton and Tessa Redman. All of the performers are Unitec Dance grads.
Dance grads' new work explores techno/rave culture
Unitec Dance alumni Oli Mathiesen, Lucy Lynch, and Sharvon Mortimer
Unitec Dance grads, Oli Mathiesen, Lucy Lynch, and Sharvon Mortimer present their new work The Butterfly Who Flew Into The Rave an endurance-based dance work to the seamless techno album Nocturbulous Behaviour by Suburban Knight. From 20-24 February at the Basement Theatre, this show explores the movement vocabulary used in techno and rave culture. Supported by Pride Elevates, this work is part of the 2024 Auckland Pride Festival programme and will be performed again in Wellington at BATS Theatre from 7-9 March. Come witness the destruction of three human beings commence in front of you. Unitec alumni Abbie Rogers (producer), Raven Afoa-Purcell, Jess Crompton, Lulu Qiu and Caleb Heke are also involved in this production.
Acting grads headline devised show
Unitec acting graduates, Georgie Llewellyn (2016) and Emily Hurley (2018) star in Cowboy Dreaming, a devised show which explores the world of dreams, queer ideology and the enigma of the cowboy; a complex character who all at once embodies a sex symbol, queer icon, solo adventurer, and superhero. Cowboy Dreaming is on at The Basement Theatre from 27 February - 2 March and is produced by Lunar Collaborative as part of the Auckland Pride Festival.
Get tickets to Cowboy Dreaming
Unitec acting graduate Georgie Llewellyn stars in Cowboy Dreaming
2024 Creative Industries Events Calendar
What's on?
1 February Auckland Pride Festival 2024
16 February Unitec Information Sessions
Creative Industries
26 February Semester One begins.
Powhiri & Orientation
This e-newsletter is distributed weekly by the School of Creative Industries at Unitec-Te Pūkenga. If you have any news of student, staff or alumni achievement as well as relevant events, please email the details to creative@unitec.ac.nz
