Daily White Toast (2018)
Original Story by Nirvika Nair & Marietta Apulu
“Toasted to perfection.”
“Best Film Academy I have seen (and I have seen four of them).”
“Brilliant! Loved the transitioning between stage and screen.”
“Highlights a very topical and relevant issue, that is the reality of many of our young people.”
Herald Theatre - Aotea Centre
7:00pm 25th / 26th / 27th July 2018
Proudly Supported by Auckland Live and Photogear
Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku
7:00pm 8th / 9th September 2018
Proudly Supported by Photogear
What price would you pay to fit in, especially if what you want most is to belong? In the quest to figure this out, teenagers' lives quickly flicker from the mundane to the insane. Friendships form, then crumble, then reform, and all while the world is watching them on tiny screens.
"Daily White Toast" is a live cinema experience co-mingling film, dance, theatre and music on stage. Aorere Film Academy once again invites you to experience a story that balances the comedy of growing up with the awkwardness of being young and making stupid mistakes. Written and performed by current Aorere College students and alumni, and drawn from their own self-defining experiences, the show will engage you in their struggle to cross boundaries and find a place where they truly feel at home.
"Daily White Toast" begins with Serena and JD, two students with rickety social skills. They use their misfit identity to sew together an uneasy friendship which then expands to others who can't quite seem to place themselves in the boxes they are forced in by their families, cultures, and society. The story will give you feels, make you wonder and laugh. But above all, their story will provide a window to a world that might turn out to be more like a mirror.
Director’s Note
We are going to start off by saying that, we had only known each other for 3 months before we started writing this script but we guess we knew each other well enough that we ended up writing a whole script in another 3 months. It's so crazy, now that we think about it.
In writing Daily White Toast, we really wanted whoever was experiencing our script to be able to relate to it but we didn't want to force it either and potentially stray away from ourselves. It was hard and sometimes stressful to find the right balance of this, especially with a tight deadline chasing after us. Despite this, we were able to develop the script and at the same time develop our relationship with each other. The end product? A story that has a lot of little pieces of us, our family and our community. Hopefully, it is a production that will evoke memories, rile emotions and elicit the audiences own thoughts and deductions of the story line.
This story is very close to our hearts and it is evident in some parts of the script. By adding experiences from our lives, we wanted to make the script relatable and not stray away from the authenticity of our community. The stories we wrote last year respectively called out issues plaguing our society and as we learnt how to weave these themes in using live cinema.
We want the youth to watch this and think "I'm going through the same things as they are, so maybe I'm not alone". Similarly, we want the adults to watch and think about the underlying themes we see throughout the show, reflecting on themselves and the way they see the younger generation.
- Nirvika Nair & Marietta Apulu
The Cast
Iva Lepale as Serena
Iva is an overall high achieving student. She is not only a capable drama student but also capable academically, taking part in this years China Trip. Her good work ethic and dedication has been evident from the word go. She is able to prepare herself well before filming and is always open to new methods of acting. Her professionalism allowed other actors to bounce off her energy thus making her a great asset to the team and makes her a great fit for the main role.
Andrew Karima as JD
Andrew is a budding musician who is trying his hand at acting to strengthen his performing skills. He is a rookie actor and sometimes seems quite reserved but when given a task, he takes it and executes it well. He not only is a crucial part of the cast but also a part of our songwriting team as we are aiming to have original soundtracks. He also has a keen interest in learning the ins and outs of filming and also live cinema. It has been a pleasure to guide and influence his interest in acting.
Noah Tauti as Joseph
Noah is a triple threat. He is known to be talented in dance, drama and music. He is also a part of Aorere's Poetry Club. Despite taking part in these activities, he has never taken part in anything to this scale. The difficulty of being a part of Film Academy has been a real learning curve for him and it was a pleasure for us to aid in this experience. His talent has been a great help to fulfilling his role and he will be displaying this talent during the Live Production.
Martha Teleiai as Isa
Martha is the only Year 13 cast member. She has taken Drama as a subject every year but has never taken on a project to this scale before. After being an extra in 'Salty' she gained an interest in taking on a more important role. Martha is very dedicated to the production despite having to balance netball, work and NCEA Level 3. She exudes a bright energy that is a pleasure to have on film sets. She has a real knack for performing and anything else she puts her mind to.
Fili Fepulea'i-Tapua'i as Maia
Fili is a well rooted student. She is mostly known as a poet but this year she challenged herself and will now become known as an actress. Despite being fairly new to it, she has done well in fulfilling her role as a cast member. Although being busy with running Aorere's Poetry Club herself, being a Japanese Exchange Ambassador and NCEA Level 1, she has truly shown great qualities that will set her up to be an even greater leader in the future.
Eddie Tamati as James
This is Eddie's second year taking part in Film Academy. Although he was the lead in last years production, this year he takes on a bigger role as he not only is a cast member but is taking part in choreographing our dance sets. His dedication and enthusiasm is always evident on set as he always has a willingness to help wherever he can. He will definitely strive in all Performing Arts as he grows to be an experienced actor and dancer.
The Crew
Writers
Marietta Apulu
Nirvika Nair
Stage Management
Marietta Apulu
Teariki Yandall
Isaac Tuuga
Ben Neva-Pange
Lighting & Projection
Nirvika Nair
Saghar Singh
Jennifer Vuong
Staff Support
Mr Muzaffar Ali
Mr Cris Cucerzan
Miss Kelly Morrison
Miss Eseta Lemanu
Mr Brent McGarva
Mr Elijah Taulago
Supporters
Auckland Live
Photogear Ponsonby
Aorere College Foundation
Cinematographer
Nirvika Nair
Senior Sound Technician
Saghar Singh
Sound
Teariki Yandall
Rahul Prasad
Marietta Apulu
Senior Editor
Nirvika Nair
Editors
Saghar Singh
Teariki Yandall
Rahul Prasad
Graphic Designers
Nirvika Nair
Jennifer Vuong
Animators
Aaron Deo
Ben Neva-Pange
Sor Taing
Kevin Vi
Eddie Tamati
Dancers
Vivica Lucania-Smith
Kamira Paul
Helena Autagavaia Silipa
Elizabeth Eitiare
'Avila Hafoka
Manna Kitiona Fui
Samantha Laupepa
Krystella Tea
David Fuimaono
Tepuaariki Kapi
Ayush Kumar
Viliami Tu'ifua
Tufi Tufuga
Musicians
Isaac Tuuga
Valerie Veiao
Jesica Siva