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I'm Victor. Roger. And this is, um this is hashtag the future, Um, a session that I curated to look at some of the newer voices, Um, on the Auckland and beyond. Uh, theatre scene. Um, for those of you who don't know me, um, I'm primarily a playwright. I'm currently the Robert Burns fellow at Otago, Uh, and best known for my play black faggot and, um, helped, uh, [00:00:30] get off the ground. A play that's on at the moment. Finishing tonight's, um, pussy co-written by Kiki, who is, uh, some Filipino writer. And actually, Kiki, I'll just ask you to come up and join the join the crew, and we're missing one transgender Tongan who will miraculously appear at some stage, probably in high heels. This is just gonna be very relaxed. I wish. It's so hot. I wish we could be doing this in a pool one of those pools with the bar in the middle that you just, [00:01:00] um, go and sit, sit on and drink. But we're not. We're doing it here, and that's that's cool, too. I'm just gonna briefly introduce, um, our panellists, um and then just go. We're just gonna have a little bit of casual banter. Oh, well, I just want to acknowledge Peter Wells. Thank you for saying same, but different. I think this is such a great festival. And, um, I need to acknowledge Simpson Grierson lovely lawyers who sponsored this session, and, um FYI. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we hate filling [00:01:30] out creative New Zealand funding applications. So if you can help us, please talk to us afterwards. Um, so, yeah, I'm gonna kick off with introducing first, um, Kiki, who is, As I said, Samoan Filipina, based in Hawaii, and pussy, which has enjoyed great success this week as part of Pride's, um, as her first play, which I helped get up and running my only, uh, we have next to her a a [00:02:00] of Maori and descent, hailing from, uh, long time magazine journalist and, um, relatively new playwrights. Next to him, we have young Nathan Jo, who is like myself from Christchurch. Um, he is the baby of the panel. He literally is hashtag the most future ahead of him. Uh, and next to Nathan, we have Josephine Stewart, uh, proud [00:02:30] Westie, Uh, and, uh, author of three plays. Um, and next to her, we have Sam Brooks, Um, absolutely the most prolific of the playwrights here tonight. And, uh, Sam is also an Auckland, and next to me, a woman I consider my daughter naughty daughter. Uh, this is, uh, a, uh uh to which is the Tongan [00:03:00] for and, uh, A and I have worked together on a couple of plays, uh, with her as an actress, but a last year wrote her first play with, um, another writer called Inky Pinky poky an award-winning clave, which we will get to in due time. So thank you guys all for coming and thank you guys all for coming. So I'm gonna start asking my questions now. Right? OK, so, um, I just thought I would [00:03:30] ask, And I'm very mindful when I do this session of a play that I read recently called Booty Candy by African American, um, playwright Robert O'Hara. And there's a scene set at a writers' festival. And if you'd read it, you'll know that if I if it goes like this, I'll stab my eyes out. Um, so keep it light. Um, one thing I'm curious of, because now at the grand old age of 46. I am hashtag father time, which is amazing. Um, [00:04:00] you know, I think things have changed since I started writing in the the mid nineties. Um, and we're all here because we are part of that alphabetical spectrum from L to I think it's I and right. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Um, and I just wondered about boxes because, you know, um, I got put into the Pacific box. I mixed. I got put into a Pacific box. I guess I've been put into kind of [00:04:30] a gay box, particularly since black faggot. But, you know, I just think of myself as a writer who happens to be gay as opposed to a gay writer, and that's a subtle difference. And I just wondered, Is that a question that even occurs to you guys or or not? And I'm gonna ask you first. Well, I think I'm the same, but as you as a gay writer that writes plays. But I think also my, um, 10 years experience as a journalist, um, writing various varieties of [00:05:00] each week. Um, from celebrity stories to kind of big news stories. Um, you know you're writing, um, a variety of things. And you never think about whether, um as a journalist, whether you're gay or new or Maori, you just have to do that, Um, because it's your job. So in terms of playwriting, it's kind of the same that I apply into as a playwright. Um, you know, I just write what I feel and what comes to me at that point in time and what I want to say. Um, [00:05:30] I've written two plays, um, one called office 27 about, um, the aftermath of a police shooting. And my first play was luncheon, Um, about, um, Academy Award winning actresses meeting up for a lunch, um, before the awards. Very diverse. Um, topics. Um, so, you know, um but what I can say in terms of my gay experience, I think what kind of helped is, um, you know, I think we're all very funny gay people. [00:06:00] I think we're just quite funny. I think it comes from Well, for me personally, it comes from being brought up in the eighties and being brought up in and being kind of lonely. And then it's just kind of the humour that you kind of, um, develop to protect yourself? Um, yeah, coping mechanism. You're always the funny one in your group. Um and you know, some of some of our humour comes from a lot of hardship. So I think, um, if there is a kind of common theme that I could connect to [00:06:30] my and my plays is that despite what issues I tackle, there's always some lightness. There's always some humour because it kind of reflects the kind of upbringing that I had and and the things that I did to cope. Um, you know, luncheon is very funny. You've got five women competing for an Oscar in a room, so that kind of lends itself to the camp humour. That could be just five drag queens. You know, kind of, um, that kind of funny. I mean, office 27. Although it was about a place shooting, um, and the mother trying [00:07:00] to cope with that grief, it was really important. So for me to have a little bit of lightness because our lives have been full of the extremes. And I think that's what in terms of my experiences growing up gay and being AAA proud a gay person. I think that's what my plays bring. Um, so you don't necessarily have to write about the gay experience. But, you know, there is something there that, um, you know, your life. Um, experience has actually, um, [00:07:30] uh, influenced Josephine. I funny, actually, I was talking to Sam about this outside. I think the box is very generational. I think your generation kind of took one for the team, you say? But in a sense that you know, we don't I. I don't know if it's so relevant anymore. It was a little bit yes, but like the more I read particularly [00:08:00] but from younger writers and stuff, like a lot of what I'm reading online, it's not It just doesn't matter. Yeah, and no, I don't know what what is mainstream. I don't know. I think it's subjective. So And, you know, as a writer, I identify as a lesbian woman, So everything I write is gonna be from the perspective of the lesbian woman, regardless, [00:08:30] if there are lesbian women characters in it or not. So I don't like to put myself in a box because I'm half half Maori, so I hate even having to choose a race on a, you know, filling out a form, especially when it makes me pick one. Pisses me off. I just draw another box, and I just do it. Don't make me choose. I just let me be. But yeah, Does that sort of Yeah, absolutely. Do you concur, [00:09:00] Sam, With what Josephine was saying? I think that when someone is like, oh, OK, like, I use only this X box or this? Oh, it's only, uh, for the box is for the person and not for the subject. Yeah. Yeah, if that made any sense whatsoever. Yeah, OK, eventually [00:09:30] say yes. No, thank you, sir. Yeah. What about you, Nathan? Well, I find it's harder because, um, it's the, I suppose balancing of different boxes. I mean, I've always, um when I start a play or any sort of writing, I'm always questioning whether I feel the need to write from a gay perspective or a Asian perspective or both. And it's like, Oh, no, this is the time I wrote a gay play and this is the time I wrote an Asian play and I feel bad for neglecting one of them [00:10:00] in as a general rule. I find it's not too productive trying to fill those boxes, so I end up just writing whatever I want. But there's always a sort of latent, um, feeling of responsibility, I think in the back of my mind. And I guess that sort of plagues me more than, um, I suppose, feeling that I need to write a particular sort of, um, play. But, um, I don't think there are that many players that [00:10:30] deal or feel the need to deal with, um, gay subjects. So head on these days, um, we tend to be more. I wouldn't say peripheral, but, um, just we exist. Matter of fact, which I think is nice. I disagree. I think maybe there are a lot of plays about gay men, but there aren't very many about gay women. Pussy is the first show I've seen in years about gay women, and it's not only about gay women, it's about women. In general. I felt like it was a celebration of vaginas [00:11:00] and women's sexuality. It wasn't just about it's hard to be gay. That's the thing that I keep getting told through theatre and film is that coming out is really hard coming out is really hard, But I wanna have a kid with my partner one day. I have no idea what to turn, what it means to be a lesbian, to have a baby or raise a child. I've got no reference in terms of popular culture for that. And I refer to popular culture for the way I live my life. You know, I'm in my early thirties. It's been around me my whole life. I can't help it. [00:11:30] Sorry. No I. I totally agree, I. I agree with that aspect, and I am sort of viewing it from a very particular lens. When I say that I've over, I am sort of overexposed to a very particular sort of gay cinema or storytelling, and I guess that's what I feel is unnecessary to explore anymore. It's the sort of coming out stories and the I hate being gay stories or the, um, in the closet stories, which you know there is still a lot of validity in those [00:12:00] stories, but we have an excess of them and you're right. It's the a lot of the female gay stories, especially of persons of colour and a lot of the gay male stories of persons of colour are still, you know, require a lot of exploration and need a lot of exploration since you brought it up, Josephine, let me go to you, Kiki, because, um, you know, pussy is your first piece. Uh, yeah. What made you apart from me suggesting that you're right. [00:12:30] What made you want to write what you wrote? I mean, I didn't tell you what to write. What made you write prison? I think there is responsibility in knowing, uh and I felt that that my responsibility as an artist is to help others like me, [00:13:00] other people who are going through the same experiences. Uh, so I never intended it to be Pacific Island lesbian. Uh, I just intended it to tell a story. Um, yeah, and I think part of of pussy is dealing with those boxes and the reasons and [00:13:30] and and kind of, um, dealing with, you know why? Why does she have to choose a box? And really, it's the only reason why people would feel I would feel the need to choose a box is because other because of the other And and so for a long time I. I had to battle with that. [00:14:00] Um, until I realised that I would be giving in to into that that way of thinking. And so I Yeah, I hate boxes. They're so restricting. But also I think the boxes are what we put ourselves in. I think a lot, a lot to do with, um, audience members accepting, [00:14:30] um and especially in such a small kind of world that we live in that, um Then they accepting that, um, gay people and Maori people are multifaceted, and they don't necessarily have to write about, um their experience to, um, you know, the gay or the Maori experience. You know, they can write about anything that they want because, you know, we are artists and we shouldn't put ourselves in any of those boxes. We should just write what we want. But I think, um, I came across [00:15:00] a lot of, um writing lunch, and it was just really hard for people to kind of perceive that this Maori person could possibly write about this Hollywood world when, for so long they had seen Maori writers write about, um and, you know, you know, it was a point in time where there was, um, for that voice to come through. But I found it really hard for people to kind of accept, um, that a Maori person would write something other than that. So for those of you who don't know which is a debut award winning play, right, um, deals [00:15:30] with the five nominees for best supporting actress. Um, in 1958 58? Um, yes. So not your typical subject matter for a, and I actually, um, and I actually try and trying to get it on to the stage without having to produce it myself. I sent it out to most, um, companies in New Zealand, and, um, you know, I had a background in celebrity journalism, so that pop culture world is something I'm very familiar with. Um, but one person who actually said to me who actually read it [00:16:00] said that it was flawed because I'm not writing what I know. I should start to write Maori stories. Um, so, Well, you know, I was trying to, you know, I was trying to kind of keep it professional. I mean, I was I mean, obviously being told that it was quite, um, I can say, is it? No. But, you know, it just kind of, um that, you know, it goes to show that, you know, when people when this particular person who read this play, [00:16:30] um he read it with the knowledge. Obviously, I put my name on it and kind of dismissed it entirely because he knew it came from a Maori writer. Um, and despite the one, you know, lunch and one in the water had Jennifer and Katie. So, you know, as a play itself, it stood its ground. And it was, you know, um, it proved itself to be quite successful, but, you know, trying to get it on stage. Um, you know, you know, we're judged just because of, you know, the Maori are not even the gay side, but the Maori side. [00:17:00] So I think, um, the pressure of putting ourselves to some boxes comes sometimes from, um it's within our with, you know, comes from outside of us sometimes. And I think that, um, you know, we just still have to keep to what our, um, truth is, um but that can be hard because it's such a small industry. And if you know, there's a lot of people that think like that. It just can, um, have a barrier. I just wanna rewind a little bit back to one of Josephine's [00:17:30] points which, um, which resonated with me because when I was helping Kiki with pussy, You know, when I was looking for lesbian plays by lesbians Very, very little as opposed to We are spoiled for choice for our boys. Um, which takes me to you, Uh, a because you are, you know, transgender. Um, in terms of plays by trans about trans out there, many slash any others out there? Um [00:18:00] well, not that I know of. Um I mean, when I wrote my play, I didn't really I wrote it because I like to write about things that will move me or something that I want to see in theatre. And so I like to go to theatre shows. So usually I like usually my stories are about love, because I I love love stories, whether they're about a straight couple gay couple. Um, so I don't I don't I didn't really think that there was any other trans writers writing about trans story. And what compelled [00:18:30] you to write inky pinky Punky, which, for those of you who haven't seen it, is about a story very close to I'm gonna about a young, uh, gorgeous who, um, is the victim of a bet at high school, Uh, with the 1st 15 captain who, um, subsequently falls in love with the gorgeous. So, yeah, you go. I think it was the interest that people, um, found [00:19:00] the the the story in the script. To me, it was just like, OK, yeah, it's a script, but it was the fact that everybody found it. So, um, different to me, I was just like, maybe it's because it's not been told enough about Yeah, and so I was just like, OK, then, well, we'll see how it goes. And because it's my first play. Well, my first play. Yeah. So it turned out to be really good, but I didn't actually think about any boxes or anything while writing it. Or did you feel like you were representing your your [00:19:30] trans community? Yes. Definitely. Yeah, because I know a lot of friends who are kind of related to it, So they really it was when I wrote it, I was thinking about my friends who I actually know because it's really hard trying to write a poly story when they're so so strong about Well, I don't live like that. I don't live like this. I don't, so I try not to. When I write a story, I try not to say it's really I'm not representing a whole heap of because they're individuals first before [00:20:00] they are kind of boxed into a community. So I try to make sure I write something that's kind of related to me or kind of close to me. And I try to say, Well, inspired by my life, I'm not trying to represent a whole community of because some of them are really No, I don't live like that. I was like, OK, sweet. That's cool. Yeah, Spectrum is the word I always come back to. There's a lot of us, and not all the same. Um, one thing I'm curious about for you guys is why? Why [00:20:30] theatre? Um, as opposed to Why not? I know some of you dabble in in magazines and work. Um, and online work, Pantagraph punch. And, uh um but why? Why? Why? Theatre Josephine, You wanna take that one or because it's here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, It's here and it's accessible And there is a community [00:21:00] here, and it's just so Hm. Oh, like are friendly. And it's here. Yeah. Yeah, if that makes sense, he says, unsure of himself. No, but yeah, it's just here. And it isn't like what you new like you gay? Well, like [00:21:30] come in. Here's a like help. Yeah, like yeah, Exactly. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, That's nice. And like, Yeah, and why? Why? Why theatre And why don't you Do you know, in Pinky Cony the film musical? Um, because it's theatre. I find it's right in front of you. You can't really run away from it. You can't change your channel. You can't. Once you're in the theatre, you're sitting there. You're watching it. You can't get out, honey. Right? Unless [00:22:00] you're gonna walk out halfway through my show, I will put you on the spot. It's like, No, you You have a seat, honey. OK? And I'm Nathan. Why theatre for you, I guess for me, it's, um I just really like words and especially spoken words. I think it's, uh I mean, I know that theatre isn't strictly a verbal medium. There's a lot of very visual stuff on stage, but for me, it's always been about poetry on stage. Poetry spoken aloud. And [00:22:30] it's such a great pleasure seeing, you know, a bunch of actors reading your lines out loud on about poetry being read out loud. I just wanted to ask you about one play on your CV secret life of sausages. Could you talk to that? I'm just intrigued by it. That was a, um, during the basement 24 hour play festival last year where it was sort of like the, um, V 48 film one we had, like, you know, 24 hours to come [00:23:00] up with a play based on some prompts. And ours was, um, trial by fire. And I think we thought, um, absurd sausages characters was the way to go. So, yeah, there are three sausages on a grill counting down before they die. So that's that. Yeah. And just while you're there, um, Nathan, I just actually was curious. Is your first produced play gonna be like six this year as part [00:23:30] of young and Hungry or have you had one in terms of the full length piece? Um, like proper 60 minute plus, Yeah, like sex, which will be in the Wellington Young and Hungry Festival and then, in theory in Auckland a few months later will be my first full length play. And what is the the synopsis of it's, um, seven teenage high schoolers all sleeping with each with each other in a sort of daisy [00:24:00] chain rotation? So it's the, um, sort of. It's more like, um, it's based on the structure of an old French play called Laronde was a German, um, French German Laronde. But, um, basically, the first scene is a couple. Second scene is a couple, but it's each scene that follows on with one of the from the previous chain. So it's basically daisy chains back to the start [00:24:30] by the end of the play. Yeah, and it's about their coming of age, um, their understanding of their own sexuality and sexualities, Um, and just how freaked out we get trying to understand sex when we're young. OK, I look forward to it, and young and hungry is a great training ground for a lot of young writers like Sam, you've done young and hungry, and now you, Nathan, and was pinky young and hungry or a TC version of [00:25:00] the next big Thing, which is similar. OK, that's great. Um, one thing I wanted to ask. Is there a particular, um, in terms of Is there a particular play or I guess, film or book where you feel like you've really been represented, or are you doing it yourselves within your work? Mull over that. My first election will be Josephine, uh, TV series [00:25:30] Transparent by Jill Soloway. Hands done. God, yeah, she's a lesbian writer. She's got Trans people on her. I think her head writer is Trans. They're just real people who just happen to be off the, you know, on the spectrum, and that's it. They're not like the lesbians aren't crazy. They haven't murdered anyone. They're not just like trying it out. They're just women who love other women. There are men who love [00:26:00] the other men. There are women who now identify as men, men who now identify as women. It's really interesting, and it's real and it's human and it's awesome, and everyone should watch it. It's on light box. You can get a 30 day free trial. I swear to God you'll watch it in about 48 hours. Binge. Go watch it. It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it. It's exciting. And it's just a revolution. It's fucking [00:26:30] awesome. You don't have to pay for it. Have you ever seen anything that represented you? I mean, pussy represents you, But before that, I'd say the only thing that I've ever felt like represented me was My name is Gary Cooper. And it was that guy. But that was the only role I've ever connected with [00:27:00] role the academic, the fatherless academic. Yes. Have you ever seen something Film theatre that's represented you? Um Well, I, I can go back for, um, top song trilogy. Um, when I first watched that when I was, um I think about 15, Um, because that was kind of like the first, um, kind of gay drama that kind of dealt with those [00:27:30] kind of deep issues of, um, acceptance and coming out. And, um and I think as a 15 year old, um, you kind of attach, you know, something that I have never seen before. So I think yeah, Trilogy and how? Yeah, yeah, um, no particular show. But, um ja, the writings of James Baldwin tended to speak to me a lot, even if it wasn't, um, because it was ethnically [00:28:00] appropriate. But I think knowing he was a person of colour and gay and going through certain things, I could sort of sense that in his writing, even if he was writing about a, you know, older, white male in Giovanni's room. But, yeah, I think it's just that sense of not knowing where you belong. I've quite deeply connected to nice. Lucky? Um, no, not really. [00:28:30] No, not really. I mean, my favourite, probably trans or film would be too on, but yeah, I connected to that when I was really young. Only because I was like, because I wanted to be them. But it was really really, uh, but nothing really, Polly, Or, you know, wise really has kind of reached out to me. So if you don't know, that's kind of like an American version of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert [00:29:00] with Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swe and John Zima. Right? So which one did you identify with Wesley Snipes? No doubt, no doubt. And, um, what about you, Sam Play or film? Or do you feel like represented or not? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Other hours, it's like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I am yes, No, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah I love all his books [00:29:30] that that nicely on to my next question which is Who's Who's who's inspired you on the spectrum in terms of authors. Sort of similar question. Authors like him, of course. Um, him and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Like and to like, Amos is like somebody who like Oh, like yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, Like somebody who [00:30:00] is that That smart, that overtly angry, that overtly sexual and that overtly, just sad about life is just somebody who who I think inspires every thing I exist Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Has feared all my work I think, like every day of my life Like I hear yeah Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, Like all the way through who's been inspirational [00:30:30] for you as a writer? Uh, gosh, I guess, as a lesbian writer, Um, probably Patricia Highsmith and Susan. So, Marilyn, we quite very intelligent older women who are angry as well Yeah. Yeah. Well, I don't work for her so much anymore, but I used to sort of ghost some of her writing. She's such an icon [00:31:00] figure in New Zealand. What? Um what she taught what she taught you? Uh, she's taught me that, you know, it's that same thing that I what I mentioned at the top, it's like she was outed by truth magazine while she was a politician, and that's really hard. And so she went. She's quite, you know, angry about it. And so she should be. It was awful what she went through and what people [00:31:30] said to her and wrote to her. So you turn that into a knows her very well. She was Abigail's step mum for a while. So, um, we've we've talked about it. That's my girlfriend, Abigail. Um, we've talked about it, and I have asked Marilyn I asked her permission and I did some research. She's currently writing her autobiography, so I've done a research pre research for her [00:32:00] to go and write, and she's writing now. James Baldwin, Tennessee Williams. All the sort of obvious ones, unfortunately, But, um um, but a big one is also not from sort of for the gay stuff. But, uh is David Henry Huang who writes a lot of interesting Chinese American plays, and I find them incredibly relevant and biting, even if it doesn't, you know, appeal to my homosexual [00:32:30] side per se, like stuff like, um, yellow face, madam in butterfly. Even though it's got the gay stuff in there, it's not really about that. It's more about the way that Asian masculinity is perceived. And I find that really incisive, but, um, yeah, did you know that That's really sad. Um um, Tennessee. Definitely. I know it's a bit cliched, but, um, especially [00:33:00] his earlier work. And, um, you know, I'm I'm a cliche myself. I love musicals, and I'm inspired by a lot of musicals. So, um yeah. I mean, like, when I'm working, I kind of have, um a But, um, yeah, um, Tony Morrison Villa. Uh, just their fearlessness and their boldness just being different. [00:33:30] Um, most recently, it would probably be shows like black faggot and girl on the corner. And we're probably the ones that are mostly drawn to as of late. Um, I, I would like to talk about hate now. I just It's the flip side of one of the earlier questions. Um, I'm just curious. Like, if there is a film, I mean, this is kind of theatre centric, but it can be film or book or whatever is Is there a gay character or film [00:34:00] that you've really wanted to stab the writer when you've watched it? Because you hated the depiction of of a gay character or or story? Does anybody wanna? Nathan? I've always had, like, serious issues with, um, a folk. The both sort of Really. I mean, I watched, uh, Russell T Davies recent series cucumber, which, you know, there are a lot of bits I like, and then a lot of bits. I just [00:34:30] want to, you know, grab C needles and start stabbing everyone. Yeah, but, um, as a general, um, yeah, there's I think there's something about the way that gay males are sort of portrayed as. It's not that my concern isn't as sexual creatures. I'm all about that. But, um, as sexual creatures as something to sort of laugh at, I find sort of, I don't know, cheap and tasteless. [00:35:00] Thank you. No, not a hater. So, Hawaiian, uh, have you been offended by a trans depiction in theatre or film. No, there's not enough hate going on on this panel. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Have some head over here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah A looking is a show I found to be a show that [00:35:30] tries everything And it just isn't Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah It tries are to represent, like a gay man And it is so unspecific about it and it just just it also it just moved at such a such an uninteresting pace And it just ended up being very safe and dull and not interesting And the concept [00:36:00] even And I'm just like yeah, yeah, yeah, that's yeah, No, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah It's something that isn't specific enough. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, Anything that's got your back up in terms of representation, I just hope that there aren't enough stories about women for women in general everywhere, let alone lesbian. [00:36:30] We've got a long way to go. Sisters pisses me off. And have I covered everyone's hate for the day? Um, in terms of having a long way to go, I mean, the buzz word at the moment is diversity, which is a word. I don't really care for that much, although I do. I do. Um, I do really, um, think a lot about the concept of diversity. Um, Josephine, I'm just wondering, could you ever bring yourself having [00:37:00] said what you just said to to, um, potentially write a piece that was all male, or would that just go against? Because I think about that myself. Sometimes. Can I bring myself to do a piece that's all white? Because there's there's a lot of roles for white people, not so many for us specifically as a Gemini. I can flip flop on that, I have to say, but yeah, I, I could. I mean, it depends on the story. Maybe I'd write a show where it is [00:37:30] all male cast. But women have been in power since the beginning of time, and men are treated like shit and raped and beaten. And maybe it's like, how do they top that? So, yeah, I could, but I probably flip on its head somehow or just No, I want more roles for women. That's the whole reason I started writing. I'm a trained actor and I got frustrated at watching my male friends be like, What role are you auditioning for? And there were about six for them. [00:38:00] And then me and my female actor friends were going for the one female role. I got sick of it. So I started writing things that I wanted to perform, and then I just accidentally became a writer. So I don't know what the I don't know what I'm doing. Join the club somehow. Somehow we're all here. Um, is diversity something that you guys think about as well, in terms of the industry and the the lack of it and the need for [00:38:30] it? Yes. Um, it's just funny that that this is the question we're being asked because, uh, I was about to write a play and for my playwriting class at at UH. And all the characters have happened to be male for some reason. And then I thought, Wait a minute, I'm missing my own point. [00:39:00] I So I changed the story. And it's because as an actress, growing up in a theatre community with no lead roles for Pacific Island women, I feel like it's my duty almost to create those roles, and maybe I'm doing it for myself. But I'm also doing it for other people like me. [00:39:30] I think it's just for yourself. Your show selling out every single night. That just speaks volumes. People want to see the work when they're hungry for it. It? Yeah. And I'm surprised that, um as writers and I'm really total call, um, more woman, um, roles because, you know, I love writing for women. My first play was all woman, my man and, um, and I I wrote for women's magazines for 10 years and, you know, [00:40:00] in terms of the depth in terms of, um, just the range that you can write, it's just just I just I'm quite gobsmacked that there are not more, um, plays and works for women because I find, um I enjoy writing women characters. And also when we were casting for lunch, and it was just, um, just seeing, um just the gratefulness of actresses, you know, having such a range [00:40:30] and, um, dealing with such issues and even seeing your play. Um, it was just a thrill to see five. You know, someone actresses on stage, just, you know, on point and doing that thing. So I'm really surprised that, um you know, writers don't identify that. That is the key to great drama and great writing woman roles. Anyone else wanna chime in? Um, I value [00:41:00] it absolutely hugely. Like, I feel like as somebody who comes from somebody who is somebody who is half white and half not white. I come from a family who is like a family who, like, looks not like anyone else in the world. And I feel like it's it is important. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's hugely important. I also think that there is the danger [00:41:30] overvaluing other devo, uh, that over the quality of the content. And I sometimes am scared of something getting elevated That is like Ha, ha yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah How diverse and not actually good because I think that can happen [00:42:00] sometimes And it isn't like wrong It's just it can make things hard on an audience Sometimes if it's humping like Oh, my God, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah This is amazing Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah It's not a good something that's actually good writing Or like it's not handling things in a clever or smart? [00:42:30] Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, It's just something. Yes, Yeah. Separate and new, which is not good, necessarily all the time. We are approaching the end of this. So I did. I did want to ask in terms of hashtag the future. Uh, what what would be your guys' hopes for the future in terms of keeping keeping it theatre centric and thinking about the way that the industry [00:43:00] is now and and particularly the establishment is now What? What would you, um how would how would you see hashtag the future as being in your ideal, your ideal world? No. Straight at all. No, it's done. No. Yeah, OK, My ideal theatre would probably be because I find [00:43:30] Poly transgender to be a really talented to the point where someone like me who could flip both characters where I'm I think I'm really capable of playing a really strong male character and then playing a female character like Beyonce. Really Well, So I feel like I would love to put on I would love to. I'd love to put on a play where I could see a cast of just all train to were able to play male female characters because they were singers, dancers. We make costumes we can do. Sits just a company where I be like poly Like, [00:44:00] let me give you a real show. Real tell. That's my future. And it will happen. Oh, yeah, I agree. No I. I see, um, more, more roles for Pacific Islanders in general. Yeah, well, you know, just looking at this panel this amazing, diverse in [00:44:30] terms of the age. And, um you know, um what what we identify as I mean, this is the future, and it looks like it's in great hands. Um, in terms of the gay voice in theatre. But I wanted to kind of mention the resources it takes to put our work on. And I think I hope in the future that there are more resources for our voices to get out there. Um, identifying, um because we've all put on our shows, and it's really tough, you know, in terms of, um, putting a show on pardon. [00:45:00] So, in terms of talking about the future, I would love to, um, see resources for our voices to be heard. Um, it's sort of going back to what? Something a a said earlier on. But, um, last year after I won cow one the before 25 playwriting award. Um, the other winner was a half Chinese person as well as me being full Chinese. But our question we got asked or a comment that was made before [00:45:30] a radio interview that we had to do was, um do you find it interesting that both of the winners this year were Chinese or part Chinese? And I guess for me, I hope that in the future, that's just not something that needs to be said. Yeah, I agree with everything that everyone here has said just yeah, more roles for women as well. You know, more money. But people take big risks because I find theatre quite conservative [00:46:00] at the moment. I got really inspired by pussy at the basement, which you guys should see. It might be sold out, though, Um, but, you know, I just really want to see people taking more risks and yeah, I hit my Well. Look, there is about us, right? Julie? Julie here. So, um, I just I just want to round that [00:46:30] by asking Do you wanna ask a question? Yeah. You may be aware of Mike Chu's play Strange initiative to encourage school age, uh, people to learn songwriting. And I wonder if there's any similar initiative to encourage school age students to learn their craft and play right. And if not, perhaps it's something you might explore. Love [00:47:00] it. Thank you. Anyone else ask a question, I. I will wind up and just say that. Um look, I want to thank you guys for, um, coming on the panel. Um, I'm excited that you are all in the industry, and I wish you, you know, you're all relatively new, uh, to it, Um, And you've already all had a measure of success, and, um, I just, uh I wish you all the best hashtag the future. [00:47:30] So thank you. And thank you guys for coming too. Thank you.
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