Hooligan Synopsis

1913.    Florence (Flossie) Warren,  Madam Adamantine and Mrs Hortense Esmerelda Cake the Third prepare to entertain the masses with their version of classical Grecian poses for the vaudeville stage.  The company's Impressario, Quintus Penumbra, argues with Flossie about her act, the facsimile of a London Suffragette turn demonstrating the latest craze; the Ancient Oriental Art of Ju-Jitsu.  The chorus girl, Fanciforia Mooncake, seeks Flossie 's help to rebuff the lecherous advances of Quintus.  Flossie has an epiphany, adopts a stage name and persona, and enlists German pugilist and Ju-Jitsu expert, Joseph Gardiner, to help her launch their own antipodean version of Ju-Jitsu:  The Hooligan and the Lady.  It is her mission to save all women and girls from brutes, bullies and badmen alike  with the strengthening and health-giving benefits of Ju-Jitsu.  She is an overnight sensation.  The talk of the town.  Flossie is encouraged to take wagers from the audience for fifty pounds.  Many try, none succeed.  She becomes a household name.  She develops her own manifesto, The Life and Adventures of Miss Florence LeMar, the World's Famous Ju-Jitsu Girl, and  regales audiences with the verve of a preacher woman.  She is unstoppable.  She marries Joe and produces a child, little Ronnie, 'The World's Youngest Ju-Jitsu Exponent'. With the advent of cinema, and the closure of theatres, Flo and Joe eventually lose their act, their child, and go their separate ways.  But LeMar is triumphant in one thing - the lives she saves.  The first woman to bring self defence to the stage in New Zealand.

                                       DRAMATIS PERSONAE

FLOSSIE LEMAR                                               ......                    Champa Maciel

FANCIFORIA MOONCAKE                         .......                   Champa Maciel

JOSEPH GARDINER                                        .......                   Alex Greig

QUINTUS PENUMBRA                                 .......                    Jamie Macphail

MADAM ADAMANTINE                              ........                  Amanda Jackson

MRS ESMERLDA CAKE the THIRD          .......                    Jane Sutherland

HUBERT HEFT                                                  ........                  Will Couper

 WITH SPECIAL GUEST musicians and original score by:   Rosie Langabeer, Anton Wuts, Joe Dobson and Paul Magarity

2017 Cast

FLORENCE LEMAR - Champa Maciel: Trained in Contemporary Dance at the New Zealand School of Dance.  Since completing her training, Champa ‘fell sideways’ into theatre, preforming in numerous local productions as well as performing as a guest dancer for various events.  Most recently she played Beatrice in The Drama Workshop’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing”.  She also does screen and voiceover work with Indelible Ltd.  Champa is currently a dance tutor at Iona College, Artist in Residence at Woodford House, Movement director for Hawke’s Bay Youth Theatre, a tutor at National Youth Drama School, and is in the midst of a UK collaboration for an upcoming movement theatre project.

JOSEPH GARDINER - Alex Greig:  Involved in all aspects of theatre since 1999.  His works include numerous national tours and a heap of performances in Wellington.  Alex has performed in shows ranging from new New Zealand works to classical pieces, including Dean Parker’s, “Once We Built a Tower”, Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus” and James Nokise’s “Public Service Announcements”.  In 2005 Alex won the Chapman Tripp Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Antony Sher’s “I.D.”

QUINTUS PENUMBRA - Jamie MacPhail: Born and bred in Central Hawke’s Bay, Jamie has been designing gardens and building stone walls around Hawke’s Bay for over 20 years.  He hosts intimate live music performances, The Sitting Room Sessions, and is familiar to Harcourts’ Hawke’s Bay Festival goers as the Master of Ceremonies in the Spiegeltent.

MADAM ADAMANTINE - Amanda Jackson: Theatre and film reviewer.  Acting in HB for 22 years including Shakespeare (Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing); Musical Theatre (Love off the Shelf); stage drama (Beauty Queen of Linane) and comedy (Four Flat Whites, Archie Gets His Man) as well as a member of Expertease Theatre Corporate (Murder Mysteries).  A teacher and a writer (Over the Top, The Waiting Room) Amanda is currently working on a series of New Zealand historical novels for children with a grant from MK Spencer Trust.

 MRS HORTENSE ESMERELDA CAKE THE THIRD - Jane Sutherland: From the Scottish Borders to Hawke’s Bay, Jane has always had a love of acting, likely passed down from her mum who was an actor at the Byre Theatre in St. Andrews.  This one’s for the girl with stars in her eyes.

FANCIFORIA MOONCAKE - Champa Maciel: Trained in Contemporary Dance at the New Zealand School of Dance.  Since completing her training, Champa ‘fell sideways’ into theatre, preforming in numerous local productions as well as performing as a guest dancer for various events.  Most recently she played Beatrice in The Drama Workshop’s production of “Much Ado About Nothing”.  She also does screen and voiceover work with Indelible Ltd.  Champa is currently a dance tutor at Iona College, Artist in Residence at Woodford House, Movement director for Hawke’s Bay Youth Theatre, a tutor at National Youth Drama School, and is in the midst of a UK collaboration for an upcoming movement theatre project.

 HUBERT THE STRONGMAN - Will Couper: Will is an actor who has recently crossed medium from stage to screen.  He also writes and directs for stage and screen and enjoys storytelling in many forms.  This is his first appearance in the HB Arts Festival and he has relished the opportunity to work alongside an amazing team.

THE HOOLIGAN BAND

ROSIE LANGABEER (keyboard, saw) 

A multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer who works primarily on evolutionary collaborative arts projects.  Recently returned to the Bay after seven years in the USA with numerous international festival appearances, she was the Musical Director and keyboardist for Margot Wuts 2015 HB Arts Festival band “The Duchess Club” and is currently the trombonist for the Hastings-based band, The Revolutionary Arts Ensemble, as well as music teacher and band mentor at the Napier Music Academy.

ANTON WUTS (clarinet, saxophone)

Local heavyweight champion of the saxophone and mainstay of the Revolutionary Arts Ensemble, The Tropical Downbeat Orchestra and Fane Flaw’s, No Engine.  He has performed with Kiwi music and arts icons Jonathan Crayford, Patrick Bleakley, Margot Wuts, Leterbox Lambs and Blair Latham.  He features regularly in HB Jazz in the Park, HB Arts and Fringe Festival shows and has side projects too numerous to mention.  Anton is also a regular in the pit for most of the Bay's best loved musicals.

PAUL MAGARITY (Banjo)

Paul is primarily a Banjoist and hails from Illinois. He is new to the arts and music scene in Hawkes Bay. In his first two years living here he has performed with The Bold Deceivers, Stretch, The Ellieukes, and his own band The Bluff Hillbillies. He studied banjo at the Old Town School of Folk Music while living in Chicago. This is his first appearance at the HBAF. 

JOE DOBSON(Drums)

Raised by bears in the Appalachians of New Zealand, Joe Dobson took to music through a magical pair of drumsticks that he found under a willow tree in 1986.  He loves fishing, treehouses, honey, kimchee, kombucha and runs an organic chocolate business (La Petite Chocolate) in his spare time.

2017 Crew

Writer, producer, director:  Pauline Ellen Hayes

Pauline (“Pauleen”) is a writer and teacher of English and Drama and former teacher of

women's self defence with WSDN (Women’s Self Defence Network). Her production

company, CookPlaceProductions, aims to resurrect long-forgotten histories of singular New

Zealand heroines. Her debut play “The Hooligan & the Lady” – was a critical success and

sold out at the 2011 Wellington Fringe Festival and 2017 Hawke’s Bay Arts Festival.

She is collaborating with Rollicking Entertainment to revive the play for production in the

South Island in 2019, and nationally in 2020. Pauline was commissioned by the Hawke’s Bay

Indian Cultural Centre to write the dance/drama “Shakuntala!” which premiers at, Napier

Municipal Theatre March 9, 2019. As a short story writer (under “Pauleen”) She was a

second runner-up in the 2006 Hawke’s Bay Today Short Story Competition and was

longlisted for both the 2006 BNZ Katherine Mansfield Short Story Awards and the 2009

Sunday Star Times Short Story Awards.

Dramaturg/Assistant Director:  Ken Keys

 Ken Keys is a colourful character who has given long service to the Hawke’s Bay performing arts sector. Ken’s focus has been primarily on youth from around the region who have demonstrated a passion for drama and theatre. In 1991, he set up the Hawke’s Bay Drama School which subsequently became the National Youth Drama School. The school celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2011 and has been successful in attracting students and tutors from around the world, including Australia, Pacific Islands, Britain and Canada. In 2003, Ken began Hawke’s Bay Youth Theatre, which has put on 39 productions at schools and theatres around the region and, in 2006, took 12 young actors to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He was Head of Drama at Havelock North High School for 18 years, where he directed a number of productions and took drama tours all over the North Island. Ken has also directed and performed regularly in local theatre and opera productions and is a regular participant in fundraising comedy debates. Ken never seeks the limelight and is always prepared to go the extra mile for his students as they embark on their career in the world of performing arts.

Lighting Design: Cameron Lithgow

Cameron Lithgow was first introduced to theatre when he was nine and has been heavily involved ever since. After studying Entertainment Technology at the National Drama School he has been working around the country with different productions and tours. Most recently he toured with The White Guitar as the lighting Technician, and volunteers regularly at Theatre Hawke’s Bay helping their productions to come to life through soundscapes and lighting design. He was drawn to this production for its vaudeville aesthetic, political themes, and imaginative take on time placement.

Set Design:  Rachel Kemp

Rachel has a love of all things theatre. After graduating with a degree in Interior Design she has returned, once again, to design and build the set for "The Hooligan and the Lady".  Rachel lives in beautiful Wellington.

Set Design: Jessica Monk

Jessica has a background in visual communication and a passion for illustration, typography and graphic design.  Lover of hoppy beer, white chocolate, precise alignment and viewing the world upside-down.  This exploration into theatre has been an enlightening and valuable journey. 

Costume: Pauline Ellen Hayes, Lauren Hastie, Charmaine Anthony

Makeup Artist: Jessica Harrison

Stage Manager:  Ryan Garrick

Stills Photographer: Sarah Horn

Doug Bailey: Ju-Jitsu consultant

Doug began Ju-Jitsu in 1988 and gained his black belt in Kawaishi Judo-Jiu Jitsu.  In 1998 he changed to Olivecrona Jiu Jitsu, in which he has a 5th dan black belt.  Doug has a long involvement with sport Jujitsu, competing at two World Games and refereeing over 2,000 matches at national and international level.  He runs kids judo and adult jujitsu classes in Hastings.  www.nzjjs.org.nz.  Doug discovered LeMar independently as part of his own research into the history of the ancient art in New Zealand and is excited to be part of the project.

Thanks to

Alison Broad, benefactor; Sarah Horn, photography; Joe Dobson, props; Bernard Winkel, props; Rick Terstappen, proscenium arch; Amanda Jackson, proscenium art work; Nick McHugh, cinematography 'silent' movie; Doug Bailey, Martial Arts Supervisor; Tony Wolf, research and scholarship; Josephine Carpenter and Woodford House; Erin Gardiner and the Gardiner family; Stuart Robertson, King George Hall; Yavanna Redgrave, all manner of stuff; Greg Sims, everything.

2011 Dramatis Personae

Flossie LeMar                   ......      Ailsa Kreft

Joe Gardiner                     .......      Allan Henry

Quintus Penumbra          .......      Alex Greig

Madam Adamantine       .......      Rachel More

Fanciforia Mooncake      .......      Bailey McCormack

Hubert Heft                       .......      Patrick Keenan

2011 CREW

DIRECTOR:                                            Susan Dugdale

WRITER & PRODUCER:                   Pauline Ellen Hayes ( "Pauleen" in all publicity at the time.)

MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT:     Ruth Armishaw

LIGHTING DESIGN:                           Morgan Whitfield

SET DESIGN:                                           Rachel Kemp

FILMOGRAPHY:                                   Nick McHugh

COSTUMIER:                                          Janet Dunn

MARKETING & DESIGN:                  Pam Kemp

PHOTOGRAPHER:                              Clare Willsher

MARTIAL ARTS SUPERVISOR

and  PUBLICITY:                                   Sue Lytollis