Behind the Scenes: creating the script for The Great Aotearoa History Show

Alexandra Primary School - The Great Aotearoa History Show

I'm not going to lie - 'The Great Aotearoa History Show' was the hardest thing I've ever written. Driven by the new NZ curriculum requirements, I was determined to script a fun show that encompassed all of New Zealand's history. And I mean all of it. Starting, you know, 85 million years ago. Ambitious? Slightly. But, I thought, I've been a professional writer for over twenty years. How hard could it be? Very hard, as it turns out.

I researched and wrote for weeks. Okay, that is a lie. It took months. The section on Gondwana and the Land of the Birds was fun. So was the Arrival of the Māori. But the New Zealand wars? Traumatic. I'd always thought of myself as reasonably enlightened, but I was gobsmacked by my own ignorance. I just didn't know this stuff. I cried. I had nightmares. And I agonised for many hours, because I was determined to tell the truth - but how is it possible to make a fun show for children from a history steeped in bloodshed, prejudice and injustice? 

In the end, it was dancing that saved the show. Firstly, it was the 'StoryDances.' These pre-recorded, movement-based audio stories are a great device for getting across a lot of information in a child-friendly, interactive way. Tamariki move freely to the audio, interpreting it their own way, while the hard-to-digest facts (and the tongue-twisting names!) are left to a professional voice actor to deliver. Secondly, it was Lleu's wonderful choreographed dances which intersperse the different sections, lightening the mood and bringing fresh energy and optimism. 

Despite its serious themes, there is a lot of humour in this production. Some of it is cheeky, especially the premise - aliens land and announce they are taking over Aotearoa ("Don't worry, we'll do a treaty or something.") It ends, as it must, on a note of optimism, and in the spirit of kotahitanga. 

I hope we have got the balance right. The feedback suggests we have: "Our students learnt so much about NZ's history by performing this show and they all loved it!"; "The Te Ao Māori perspective was brilliant!"; "The best production our school has ever performed."

When I finally finished 'The Great Aotearoa History Show', I was burnt out. I got writer's block, which I've never had before. Heck, I don't even believe in it! It was weeks before my creative energy returned... but it was worth it. If we know where we have come from, we know who we are, and we are better placed to decide where we are going. This, as it should be, is in the hands of our children. Ka mua, ka muri: let us walk backwards into the future.