Thirteen artists in experiment

Press, 17 December 1988, Page 18

Thirteen artists in experiment

Thirteen young performing artists from tertiary arts training centres in Wellington are part of an experiment. “Kaleidoscope — Five Years On” (Sunday at 9.55 p.m. on One) reviews a year in their training and will return in five years to find out what has happened in their careers and how they have progressed.

The final instalment of “Kaleidoscope” for this year was the brainchild of director Peter Coates, who says, “I think the chances that there will be one or two people that will make an international career out of this are pretty good, and to have stuff from the beginning is a rare and unusual thing.” The 13 were chosen by “Kaleidoscope” and the tutors and come from the New Zealand Drama School, the Wellington Polytechnic Conservatorium of Music, the Schola Musica, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the New Zealand School of Dance. Coates says the group selected was a cross-sec-tion not of those thought to be the best but of those thought to have a chance of becoming professionals in the performing arts. “They are either going to succeed in their careers or move into associated areas. The exciting thing is that we are looking at creative people, all their ideas and all their ambition. By looking at their training in five years time and questioning what they are doing we will learn a lot about them and also their opinions on their training.” The group was filmed at the beginning of the year, the middle and at the end of the year at their first performance. Most are in their first year, though some are in their second or third. The development, even in one year, says Coates, illustrates what a training in the arts does for confidence and personality. “It’s a great reflection on the institutions, on how the arts can develop the personality. What comes out is an incredible amount of enthusiasm and a love for what they are trying to do.” This is brought out by the students themselves. Helen Winchester at the New Zealand School of Dance says her mother was very keen on her dancing from a young age and pushed her, though it was not until later she found what it was that really attracted her. “It wasn’t really until I started to do interview performances with Deidre Tarrant at the Opera House that I started to sort of feel something rather than it just being part of the schedule for me.”

Asked what it was, she replied “Magic.”