The Nambassa Winter Show with Mahana was all about a bunch of aspiring young hippie entertainers who moved into a youth camp in West Auckland, out of which this community of 60 people produced and directed two musical theatrical productions and toured the North Island of New Zealand in a convoy of Mobile homes, buses and vans, performing at major centres and theatres throughout September and October 1978. While initially four main shows were scheduled for this collective theatre company, repeat and spontaneous performances around the nation saw this number of live performances increased to over 10. This theatrical extravaganza was organised by the Nambassa Trust as part of its national promotion of the arts and towards promoting its 1979 three-day music, crafts and Alternative lifestyle festival, which was held in Waihi and attracted 70,000 people.
The Winter Show production had two parts. The Mahana rock opera, a live rock-theatre production made up of both Māori and Pākehā, combining traditional Māori songs and dances with modern rock music, and depicting early white European colonisation of New Zealand and the impact this had on its local indigenousMāori people. The second part was a high-energy theatre-rock production based on the old theme of cooperation versus competition. The "Return of the Ancients" told the story of the battle between "space angels" and "black magicians" for control of the planet earth. This visual creation was made up of actors, dancers and mime artists performing to a background of rock music, extravagant lighting with weird special effects, fire, bizarre costumes and giant masks.
Background
Return of the Ancients 1978.
The Nambassa Winter show was coordinated on a voluntary basis by proud young unemployed kiwihippies against a national backdrop of high unemployment in New Zealand. This era heralded the reformation of many social issues and cultural ideas, with youth (today's baby boomers), encouraging social revolution, while reshaping creativity and artistic direction away from the norm. This period in New Zealand also witnessed many young indigenous Māoriactivists protesting for land rights and to have past land acquisitions recognised and recompensed. This was the roaring seventies and countercultural idealism was in full swing.
The first 1978 Nambassa festival had been successful and some of the profits from this event were drafted into their Winter Show.
To make this event a reality, the Nambassa core group, who were based in the country villages of Waihi and Waikino at the foot of the ecologically sensitive Coromandel Peninsula, temporarily moved to the city and hired the St John youth camp west of Auckland, from where this production was implemented. Professional and amateur actors, musicians and dancers, choreographers, seamstresses, chiefs, masseurs, prop designers, auto mechanics, various sound and lighting technicians, roadies and administrators (who doubled as actors) assembled at the St Johns camp where, over a period of two months, this production was created and rehearsed. This was a live-in workshop, as most participants in the Winter Show were encouraged to take up temporary residency at the camp; thus the Mother Centre was established. Many participating amateurs later carved out professional careers in the entertainment industry.[citation needed]
Mahana Rock opera
Mahana
To most people Mahana was a rock band.
To the folk involved Mahana was a travelling road-show,
a spiritual family, a community on wheels.
The musical production of The Mahana rock opera was a colourful and perceptive view of early New Zealand life and began with the coming of the Māori in canoes from the South West Pacific, their meeting on the high seas and subsequent voyaging to Aotearoa. It portrayed the arrival of the white man, his politics, his religion, early colonisation and the often negative transformation of the country dear to Māoridom. The storyline and music climaxed as Māori and Pākehā do battle with each other, and continued with the eventual reconciliation of the two races. The rock opera employed many special effects, costumes, and some 20 actors, singers and musicians.
Mahana's John Tucker, Bobby Simmons,Dale Whitcombe and John Cossar at Nambassa 1978.Mahana's John Tucker and Bobby Simmons on Nambassa Aerial Railway, January 1978
Mahana was formed in 1977 when a group of Māori and Pākehā friends who were mobile-truckers started jamming together. What they shared was a common bond. They were all mobile and lived with their families in a nomadic gypsy lifestyle in handcrafted house trucks and buses. They first came to notoriety when they performed on the Aerial Railway stage at the 1978 Nambassa three-day festival, becoming a huge hit. They called themselves "Mahana" in honour of a friend who loaned them his equipment to perform the 1978 festival. Within 24 hours and by popular acclaim they were headlining on the Nambassa main stage with a 20,000W PA in front of tens of thousands of people.
After the Winter show Mahana performed at the Nambassa 1979 three-day festival in Waihi in front of 40,000 fans and again at the 1981 five-day celebration up Waitawheta valley. At Nambassa 1979 they formed their own self-contained gypsy encampment circle incorporating dozens of house-trucks and buses. This was the beginning of the Road-show Fayre era, and within their large magic circle enclosure, continuous entertainment and theatre was available for children and adults, organised and spontaneous. After the festival the Roadshow Fayre and Mahana continued their musically-founded gypsy lifestyle, touring from town to town entertaining people throughout the nation.[1] Mahana was filmed live on the main stage at Nambassa 1979. The film was part of the New Zealand Film Commissions entry to the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
By telling the story of New Zealand through a musical blending of the two cultures it was hoped that the Rock Opera would provide a vehicle to express their collective feeling of Ko Tahi Tatou, "We are one together."
Mahana Rock Opera written by Billy TK and Mahana, and Produced and Directed by John Tucker and Mahana.
The Return of the Ancients
Return of the Ancients Ogias implementing civilization collapse.
The Return of the Ancients (1978) was a musical theatrical opera which presented a story told in the year 2975 by an old man from another dimension who recounted to the audience a strange and forgotten tale. He spoke of the legend of the lost planet earth, the evolution of humankind and the frail path humans have walked to find their destiny, encountering dark forces reincarnated as humans who sought to destroy culture and civilization. Utilising best of 1970s visual technology using pulsating light beams, theatre, dance, mime, photo projections, fire, costume and rock music, the production portrays the age-old cosmic battles between the past and the future. The audience witnessed the seeming peace and tranquility at some point in evolution with live music from the legendary Rick Steele,[3] Norma Leaf and Ted Chapman. But civilisation regressed, reflected by fast on-stage theatrics, heavy rock and explosions of special effects. Humans had to suffer captivity at the hands of the black magicians, ogias and demons that followed and obeyed the prince of darkness. Theatrically extravagant cosmic battles were fought live on stage as "Space Angels" dressed in multi-coloured rainbow cloaks descended from other planetary systems through two powerful beams of light, to do battle with the negative forces controlling and threatening the existence of planet Earth and its inhabitants.
The Return of the Ancients was written and produced by Peter Terry, Directed by Chris Cooper, Matthew Robinson and Grant Bridger.
Principal winter show cast
The return of the Ancients
Space Angels saving civilization in the Return of the Ancients.
Danze co:
Dancers: Donna Farhi, Stephanie Burns, Caryn Dudson, Matthew Robertson, John Tresize, Bev Wynyard, Brian Tracey, Ellen Currie, Terry Blade and Greg Norman.
Fire dancers: Donna Farhi, Bev Wynyard and Stephanie Burns.
Prince of darkness: Brian Tracey.
Devil man: Daniel Keighley.
Ogias or Ogre: Shak MacCready, Fred Alder, Ted Chapman, Peter Terry, Ellen Currie and Brett Fitzpatrick.
Space Angels: John Tresize, Terry Blade, Bev Wynyard, Matthew Robertson and Greg Norman.
Poster by Neil Wernham
Sun Dancers: Mike Colonna, Dave Sheridan, Mike Taylor and Caryn Dudson.
Live Music by: Rick Steele, Ted Chapman and Norma Leaf.
Original music score written, arranged and performed by Simon Alexander. Produced and mixed by Simon Alexander and Doug Rogers at Harlequin Studios.
Mahana Rock Opera
Lead guitar: John Cossar. 2nd guitar: Aramete. Drums: Stuart Crooks, Bass: Corben Simpson. Sax: Jim Dixon, Keyboards: Ben Grudd, Acoustic guitars: Bobby Simmons, Waka Kimera. Backing vocals: Mahia Blackmore, Dale Whitcombe, John Tucker. Land agent: John Tucker. Priest: Daniel Keighley. Pioneers wife: Pauline Mann. Māori people: Waka Kimera, Mahia Blackmore and Norma Leaf. Soldiers: Podge and Shak MaCready. Narration: Matthew Robertson. Māori tribal leader: Bobby Simmons. Pioneer: Mike Colonna.
Winter Show Production team
Lighting: Jay McCoy, Andrew McNicoll, Jeff O'Donnell and Brett Fitzpatrick (Radar). Sound: Moby, Easy and Mark. Choreography and artistic direction: Chris Cooper Special effects: Mike Taylor. Masks: Matthew Robertson. Costumes: Pauline Mann and Ellen Currie. Road crew: Pixie Fox, Doug Lawrence, Podge, Dianne and Robert Briar. Winter Show Produced and Directed by Peter Terry.
New Zealand's Housetruckers of the 1970s. Housetruckers are individuals, families and groups who convert old trucks and school buses into mobile-homes and live in them, preferring an unattached and transient gypsy lifestyle to more conventional housing. These unique vehicles began appearing around New Zealand during the mid-1970s and even though there are fewer today they continue to adorn NZ roads.[4]
Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole. Although musical theatre overlaps with other theatrical forms like opera and dance, it may be distinguished by the equal importance given to the music as compared with the dialogue, movement and other elements. Since the early 20th century, musical theatre stage works have generally been called, simply, musicals.
Split Enz were a New Zealand band formed in 1972. Regarded as the first New Zealand band to gain significant recognition outside of Australasia, they were initially noted for their progressive/art rock sound, flamboyant visual style and theatrical performances. The band later moved toward a pop/new wave sound that yielded the breakthrough hit single "I Got You" (1980). Split Enz broke up in 1984. Since that time, the band has staged several brief reunions.
The Plague was a New Zealand theatrical punk/art rock band that existed from 1977 to 1979, and was led by Richard von Sturmer. Their most famous performance was at the Nambassa Music Festival in 1979 and they recorded four tracks for the Infectious EP. Von Sturmer went on to a career in writing and film-making and other members went on to play in bands such as The Whizz Kids, Blam Blam Blam, The Swingers, Coconut Rough and Pop Mechanix.
Rock music in New Zealand, also known as Kiwi rock music and New Zealand rock music, rose to prominence first in 1955 with Johnny Cooper's cover version of Bill Haley's hit song "Rock Around the Clock". This was followed by Johnny Devlin, sometimes nicknamed New Zealand's Elvis Presley, and his cover of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". The 1960s saw Max Merritt and the Meteors and Ray Columbus & the Invaders achieve success. In the 1970s and early 1980s the innovative Split Enz had success internationally as well as nationally, with member Neil Finn later continuing with Crowded House. Other influential bands in the 1970s were Th' Dudes, Dragon and Hello Sailor. The early 1980s saw the development of the indie rock "Dunedin sound", typified by Dunedin bands such as The Clean, Straitjacket Fits and The Chills, recorded by the Flying Nun record label of Christchurch. New Zealand's foremost hard rock band Shihad started their long career in 1988. Since 2018 this title is now undoubtedly held by New Zealand Māori metal band Alien Weaponry who have achieved huge success in Europe and the USA.
The following lists events that happened during 1978 in New Zealand.
The following lists events that happened during 1979 in New Zealand.
Music festivals have a long and chequered history in New Zealand. The first large outdoor rock music festivals were Redwood 70 in 1970 and the Great Ngaruawahia Music Festival in 1973. The largest was the 1979 Nambassa festival, one of several Nambassa festivals held around that time, in Golden Valley, just north of Waihi.
Nambassa was a series of hippie-conceived New Zealand festivals held from 1976 to 1981 on large farms around Waihi and Waikino in the Waikato. They were music, arts and alternatives festivals that focused on peace, love, and an environmentally friendly lifestyle. In addition to popular entertainment, they featured workshops and displays advocating alternative lifestyle and holistic health issues, alternative medicine, clean and sustainable energy, and unadulterated foods.
Waikino is a small settlement at the eastern end of a gorge in the North Island of New Zealand alongside the Ohinemuri River, between Waihi and the Karangahake Gorge. The Waikino district lies at the base of the ecologically sensitive Coromandel Peninsula with its subtropical rainforests, steep ravines and fast moving rivers and streams. The cascades of the Owharoa Falls lie just to the south west of the settlement.
James David Sharman is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director since the 1960s, and is best known internationally as the director of the 1973 theatrical hit The Rocky Horror Show, its film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and the film's follow-up, Shock Treatment (1981).
Waikino Music Festival was a 1977 music and alternatives event held on Bicknell's farm in the Waitawheta Valley between Waikino and Waihi, New Zealand. Between band set ups; solo artists, poets and storytellers, comedians, yoga demonstrations and ravers would entertain, enabling the show to continue without breaks. These ideas were even further developed at the subsequent Nambassa festivals.
Theatre of Australia refers to the history of the live performing arts in Australia: performed, written or produced by Australians.
Jules Fisher is an American lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 300 productions over the course of his 50-year career of Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive work in film, ballet, opera, television, and rock and roll concert tours. He has been nominated 24 times for Tony Awards, more than any other lighting designer, and won nine Tony awards for Lighting Design, also more than any other lighting designer.
Housetruckers are individuals, families and groups who convert old trucks and school buses into portable homes called housetrucks and live in them, preferring an unattached and transient lifestyle to more conventional housing. These vehicles began appearing around New Zealand during the mid-1970s and, even though there are fewer today, they continue to travel New Zealand roads.
Salā Lemi Ponifasio is a Samoan theatre director, choreographer, and artist who works internationally. He is known for his radical approach to theatre, dance, art and activism, and for his collaboration with communities. He founded the performing arts company MAU.
Mahana is a 2016 New Zealand drama film directed by Lee Tamahori, and written by John Collee, based on the novel Bulibasha: King of the Gypsies by Witi Ihimaera. It was released as The Patriarch outside New Zealand.
Alastair Riddell is a New Zealand singer-songwriter.
Mika X is a New Zealand Māori singer, performance artist, actor, filmmaker, TV producer and comedian.
Performing arts in New Zealand include amateur and professional presentations of theatre, circus, dance and music where it accompanies live performance. Aotearoa New Zealand has an active contemporary performing arts culture; many people participate in performing arts activities and most people live near an arts centre or theatre building.
References
↑ Nambassa: A New Direction, edited by Colin Broadley and Judith Jones, A. H. & A. W. Reed, 1979. ISBN0589012169. Pages 68–73
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