The road to Kings of the Gym

Playwright Dave Armstrong talks about the origins of his new play, set in a school gymnasium, Kings of the Gym.

The initial idea for Kings of the Gym probably occurred in the mid-1970s in the gymnasium of my local secondary school. I remember back then that most gymnasiums in co-ed schools were like little man-caves – oases of testosterone where the PE teachers, who were usually male, ruled the roost. In their striped tracksuit trousers, with the ever-present whistles around their necks, these teachers would command us to go on long cross-country runs and play all sorts of games, which were highly competitive and very physical. Most of us enjoyed them but heaven help you if you were overweight, bookish or both. Liberal English, drama and art teachers wouldn’t go near the school gymnasium, preferring the coffee plungers, literary magazines and pottery mugs of the staff room.

Though as a breed, PE teachers seemed to be very different from other teachers, I enjoyed their company immensely. They were almost all uniformly contemptuous of modern, progressive education and perhaps therein lay their appeal. After a day of interactive learning I quite enjoyed playing a highly physical and competitive game of now-forbidden bull-rush in the gym. What interested me is that my liberal teachers, whom I really liked and respected, couldn’t believe that I enjoyed spending time in the company of the ‘Neanderthals’ in the PE department. It was true that these PE teachers could be boorish and insensitive at times, very like Laurie in the play, but I also knew that these kings of the gym really liked kids. And it’s very hard to dislike someone who likes you.

But Kings of the Gym is not really about PE teachers. The gym is merely the setting – that got me thinking about a variety of things. One was that a scummy, dirty gym of a tawdry, failing, low-decile school would be a really challenging place in which to set a romantic comedy.

But as well as being a gym rom-com, Kings of the Gym also looks at a number of issues, not just the obvious ones to do with politics and education, but also wider human issues such as tolerance.

We all think we are tolerant, but real tolerance is another issue altogether. As I was writing this play, a number of social and religious groups such as Destiny Church, Family First and Sensible Sentencing hit the headlines. Some of the members of these groups are highly intolerant, especially of gay rights groups, liberals, prisoners, schoolteachers and judges, to name a few. But I also noticed a growing intolerance amongst people like me to Christians and other conservative groups.

What would happen if people from these opposing groups found themselves all in the same place, say in a school gymnasium? It was then that I realised that even though only one of the four characters in Kings of the Gym is religious, this play is really about a battle for the soul. Each character seems to want every other character to think like them and believe what they believe – and are all prepared to fight to get their way. I found this battle both intriguing and at times very funny.

So how do I describe this battle for the soul set in that most unlikely colosseum – a school gymnasium? Kings of the Gym is definitely a comedy, though perhaps less of a farce than my last play at Circa, The Motor Camp. It features four good-natured, intelligent characters who are fun to be with. Luckily, Kings of the Gym is performed by four good-natured, intelligent actors who are fun to be with, so rehearsals, helmed by my old friend and colleague Danny Mulheron, have been a blast. We were also in the same PE class at school so have had a lot of fun recalling some of the more outrageous events that happened in our run-down, tawdry little school gym.

Kings of the Gym will make you laugh and no doubt rekindle some memories of stubby shorts,  tracksuit trousers, and  rompers in the school gym. But hopefully it will also get you thinking about some of the issues that are of importance in New Zealand today.

Kings of the Gym opens on Saturday, 19 January, with $25 ticket specials for the Preview on Friday, 18 January and the matinee on Sunday, 20 January. To book tickets, call the Circa Box Office on 801-7992 or visit www.circa.co.nz.

The Motor Camp: Surf the wave of more than 240 people in a small space letting loose, laughing and genuinely having a good time

You know him from last year’s Circa One show, The Birthday Boy, as well as those Countdown ads, and now Phil Vaughan is inspiring riotous laughter in The Motor Camp. He takes a moment to tell drama on the waterfront all about playing the crass and vulgar Mike Hislop for the second time at Circa.

DOTW: This is your second time playing Mike Hislop in The Motor Camp at Circa; has the experience of playing this character changed for you at all? Have you learned anything new about him the second time around? What do you think of him?

PV: I think playing Mike Hislop a second time round has allowed me to let go and have a lot more fun exploring the boundaries of how far he as a character can go. From the success of last season, we all know the play works and as crass and vulgar as Mike can be it becomes clear to audiences that his heart is in the right place. So this time round knowing that if I keep him grounded with his heart in the right place people will understand him, accept his flaws and let him get away with quite a lot.

I think Mike is a guy who does the best he can with what he’s got and what he’s dealt. He’s very loyal. Mikes the kind of guy that if you get him for a friend he’ll come round and chop ya winter woods for ya if for some reason you couldn’t. Probably ever year till ya leg got better.

Phil Vaughan in The Motor Camp. Photo by Stephen A'Court.

DOTW: What is it like to return to this play after a year? Has the overall play changed at all? Has the approach of the rest of the cast changed?

PV: The play as a piece hasn’t changed much. We have made a couple of changes that some brain time to let things sink in for a year can bring. We knew what worked so if ‘it’s not broke don’t fix it’, but that gives you the freedom to play a lot more and that ‘play’ can be the most creative and great fun choices come out of that. Our approach last year was let’s do it and make it the best we can which is the same as this year except we know it works so we are privileged as a cast this year being able to just trust and play!!

DOTW: What has been your favourite part of your experience in The Motor Camp?

PV: Without a doubt meeting the hundreds of people who have come to see the show who haven’t been to a play before or don’t normally go to live theatre. It’s been fantastic. I myself got in to theatre later in life and I have fallen in love with the medium. I get a special buzz when I meet people who almost didn’t realize theatre existed but have been told by their friends to come and see our show. They see it and LOVE it and the look on their faces is priceless. They’ll never forget that and neither will I. That’s pretty cool to be a part of.

Phil Vaughan and Olivia Violet Robinson in The Motor Camp. Photo by Stephen A'Court. 

DOTW: You have been working double time for the last few weeks, rehearsing Peninsula during the day and performing The Motor Camp at night; what has that experience been like? Is it difficult to switch from one to the other?

PV: Rehearsing during the day for one show and then performing another at night is a little hard. But really? World War II was hard. This is a joy. Don’t really have a lot of time at the moment for anything else but I don’t mind. For me the tiredness is washed away when you surf the wave of more than 240 people in a small space letting loose, laughing and genuinely having a good time.

DOTW: The Motor Camp is a very funny show that literally sends audiences into hysterics; what has been the most memorable audience reaction to the show, either this season or last?

PV: There is one scene in the show where I show a rather large amount of my body. There was one night when I came out and my mother told me after that the woman sitting next to her exclaimed ‘Oh my God will you look at the state of that!’ Mum said she wasn’t quite up to leaning over and telling her she had given birth to it.

Tim Spite and Phil Vaughan in The Motor Camp. Photo by Stephen A'Court.

DOTW: Aside from your work in theatre, you have become quite recognisable for the Countdown ads; what has that experience been like?

PV: Yes the Countdown ads are quite high profile and I do get recognized a lot for them. I’m very fortunate that that profile can bring other opportunities. And as an actor, it is not often in your life you get to feel a little financial security. The response has been very favourable. A lot of people come up on the street and say they enjoy them, which is nice.


The Motor Camp runs in Circa One until 18 February. All performances in the last week were sold out more than a week in advance, so an extra matinee was added, on 18 February at 4pm. Tickets will sell out, so contact the Circa Box Office or go online right away to book! 801-7992 or www.circa.co.nz.

The Motor Camp: Those unforgettable Kiwi camping rituals

HIT COMEDY RETURNS!

The cast of The Motor Camp. Photo by Phil Reid.

"I predict it will soon be performed all over the country” - DOMPOST

Following a triumphant sell-out season in 2011, The Motor Camp is back to start your new year of theatre-going.

Playwright Dave Armstrong is over the moon that The Motor Camp will be performed by the Auckland Theatre Company and a number of other theatre companies around the country in 2012, as predicted by Laurie Atkinson of The Dominion Post after the premiere season at Circa last January.

“It is great that other theatres have picked it up,” Dave says “I am overwhelmed at the response.

The idea for The Motor Camp was mooted a long time ago when Danny Mulheron told me his idea for a story about two very different families sharing a site in a motor camp. I could see immediately that it was a fantastic concept. After Danny erected those first structural poles, I ended up hammering in all the pegs – and banging out a script.

Both Danny and I had fathers involved in left-wing politics and education who took their families camping, and mothers who worked hard at keeping relations civil with other families. The holidays that Danny and I remember were wonderful, though we can’t forget the terrible weather, crappy facilities, neo-fascist camping ground owners, and the almighty arguments that could occur, for all the world to hear. This shared dramatic experience was the genesis of The Motor Camp.

Camping grounds are great levellers. University lecturers read Chomsky while sitting slap-bang next to builders reading Dan Brown. Middle-class women sit listening for tui and crickets while working-class blokes drink Tui and listen to the cricket. It is this juxtaposition that attracted me to the idea of the motor camp as a sort of Pakeha marae, where issues of family, relationships, education and politics could be discussed and resolved. Just about all Kiwis have been camping at some time in their lives. The Motor Camp is a glorious celebration of those unforgettable Kiwi camping rituals.”

Apart from the success of The Motor Camp in 2011, Dave co-wrote the TV movie Billy, about the life of Billy T James, and is well-known for his witty, weekly Dominion Post column.

The Motor Camp opens in Circa One on Saturday, 21 January and runs until 18 February. To book tickets, call the Circa Box Office at 801-7992 or go online at www.circa.co.nz.

The Motor Camp: The Perfect Summer Show

Taking time from playing 'hormonal 15-year-old' Holly Redmond in the current Circa One hit The Motor Camp, Florence Mulheron talks to drama on the waterfront about making her Circa debut, working with her dad, and acting in the 'perfect summer show'.

DOTW: What is the story of The Motor Camp?

FM: The Motor Camp is about two families – the Redmonds and the Hislops – a camping ground, two caravans, hickeys, class, race, fish (in particular, snapper) and love.

(left to right) Tim Spite, Danielle Mason and Florence Mulheron in The Motor Camp. Photo by Stephen A'Court.

DOTW: What can you tell us about your character? Are there any particular challenges in playing this character?

FM: My character’s name is Holly Redmond, and she is a hormonal 15-year-old  who wants to be at the Mount with her boyfriend, Eugene. She is at the stage where she believes she deserves a lot more independence from her parents, yet is still wanting to be mothered so it is that in between stage where you want to have that freedom to do what you want but then want to come home to a freshly made bed by mum. Holly knows how to wind up her father and is quite happy to do so on a regular occasion purely to punish him for making her come on this holiday. She is the epitome of an adolescent teenager who is both cheeky and clever and knows how to win over her mother in order to get her own way. I have found Holly such a fun character to play as everyone has either been a Holly type when they were younger or knows someone who has or even has one of them at home. Initially, it was quite easy to make Holly purely sulky the whole time but over the rehearsal period I have found that sometimes the art of being cheerfully sarcastic works even better to annoy my parents.

DOTW: I understand this is your Circa debut; what has the experience been like for you so far?

FM: This experience has been absolutely amazing, it is so bizarre to think this is my summer job before I go back down to Otago for university. I am so lucky to have this opportunity and I really didn’t know what to expect but it has exceeded everything I had hoped for so far. The adrenaline rush of being on stage is almost an out-of-body experience; it’s so great to have a job that purely is playing on stage every night and getting paid to do so. I would probably count this as my proper debut to the stage, although when I was six I had a walk-on role in The Herbal Bed that was on at Circa in 1996. I had about five lines and played my real mother’s daughter and mum [actor Michele Amas] said she used to have to whisper to me on stage to get me off as I just absolutely loved it and never wanted to get off the stage on my cue.

Florence Mulheron and Anthony Young. Photo by Stephen A'Court.

DOTW: What can you tell us about the rest of the cast?

FM: I think the cast has been the most incredible part of this experience. Each person has been so supportive of one another and created such a beautiful working atmosphere. As it is a new play, we did quite a lot of workshopping in the beginning and everyone was so open to new ideas, and variations of lines and allowed people like me who were quite under confident to have my opinion be heard. I think it was through this workshopping that we all created a bond and allowed our characters to really take shape. I am again so lucky to be a part of such a talented cast who I not only admire but who have helped me so much from giving me vocal warm up tips to making me laugh and giving me congratulatory hugs after the show.

DOTW: What is it like working for your dad, director Danny Mulheron?

FM: Anyone who knows my father will know he is absolutely bonkers. Working for Dad has actually been such an eye opener for me. I have always known him to be a director by profession but having worked for him I know now why he is so good at what he does. Dad has this ability to create such a good vibe between the cast and was so generous in his manner in letting us experiment with new ways of saying certain lines but also directing us by letting us know exactly what worked and what didn’t. His passion and his humour took the edge off what could have been quite a stressful play with all the props and action that takes place. Having worked for him I have an absolute newfound respect and I was really proud to be the daughter of such a well-liked director. Also Dad has a fantastic laugh and so regardless of the amount of times we performed the show for him he always laughed loudly and gave us energy and confidence.

Florence Mulheron. Photo by Stephen A'Court.

DOTW: Finally, what can audiences expect from The Motor Camp?

FM: Audiences can expect to have a big ol’ laugh. It is the perfect summer show that would be hard not to enjoy.

The Motor Camp is on in Circa One until 19 February. To book tickets, please contact the Circa Box Office at 801-7992 or go online at www.circa.co.nz.

Getting to the Motor Camp

The Motor Camp, opening on January 22, has been a long time in the making. Though Circa commissioned the play a couple of years ago, it was well before that that Danny Mulheron and Dave Armstrong first discussed the idea of a play set in a Kiwi motor camp. 

Playwright Dave Armstrong explains:

 “A long time ago, Danny Mulheron told me his idea for a story about two very different families sharing a site in a motor camp. I could see immediately that it was a fantastic concept. We talked about writing a play sometime, wrote a bit of a draft then got busy doing other things. However, after Danny erected those first structural poles, I knew that there was a good play in there so ended up hammering in all the pegs and banging out a script.

What attracted me to the idea is the theme of very different people from very different backgrounds being forced slap-bang next to each other and having to get on together. It’s not the first time I’ve examined the different classes in our society, but the motor camp is a unique location. It’s a place where people are meant to enjoy themselves but so often, disaster happens. 

 The characters in The Motor Camp were people Danny and I felt we knew well. The Redmonds are an educated middle-class family from the western suburbs of Wellington. People like Danny and I who know the difference between a latte and a flat white and who probably go to shows at Circa Theatre! Frank Redmond is a left-wing training college lecturer. His wife Jude is a lecturer in art history and their 15-year-old daughter Holly goes to an expensive private school, and would much rather be at the Mount with her boyfriend than the godforsaken iron sand beach on the west coast of the North Island that Frank decides will be the site for this year’s holiday.

Right in the next caravan is Mike Hislop – a redneck building contractor from Wanganui, and his Maori partner Dawn and her teenage son Jared, a child from a previous relationship.

While Danny and I probably know more Redmonds in our life than Hislops, we are fascinated by characters like Mike Hislop and we have met them at barbecues, in hardware shops and in sports teams. On the surface Mike Hislop is an intolerant bigot but there is far more to Mike, and people like him, than meets the eye.

Camping grounds are great levelers. University lecturers read Chomsky while sitting next to builders reading Dan Brown. Middle-class women sit listening for tui and crickets while working-class blokes drink Tui and listen to the cricket. It is this juxtaposition that attracted me to the idea of the motor camp as a sort of Pakeha marae, where issues of family, relationships, education and politics could be discussed and resolved.

Within the two families in this play, who are from very different racial and socio-economic backgrounds, Danny and I discovered a host of prejudices, sexual and relationship problems and family dysfunction – in other words, fantastic fodder for a play. And they were funny! I love it when I see people, who on the surface have no similarities or common ground, gradually get to know each other and eventually become friends. It’s a common theme in a number of my plays and I make no apology for that.

(left to right) Anthony Young, Olivia Robinson, Phil Vaughan, Danielle Mason, Tim Spite, Florence Mulheron

Then there is the whole area of camping itself. The holidays that Danny and I remember that we had as children were wonderful, though we can’t forget the terrible weather, crappy facilities, neo-fascist camping ground owners, and the almighty arguments that could occur, for all the world to hear.

Just about all Kiwis have been camping. There are wonderful rituals associated with it that tell us a lot about our national character. Men love displaying their manhood by pitching tents, building fires, and hunting and fishing for camp food. The fact that these same men largely spend their days behind computers doing sedentary work for the other 11 months of the year is irrelevant.  

Yet sadly, motor camps are being sold off to provide private luxury accommodation for a few, and that’s a tragedy. Yet again Armstrong bangs on about the way that public facilities are disappearing or being privatized in this country. But now I’m sounding like Frank from The Motor Camp so I’ll shut up, and urge you to book for The Motor Camp. It’s very funny, it’s got a fantastic cast, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy this love song to public ownership."

The Motor Camp runs 22 January - 19 February, with a $25 preview performance on 21 January and a $25 special on 23 January. To book your tickets, please contact the Circa Box Office: 1 Taranaki Street, 801-7992, www.circa.co.nz.

We are looking for the funniest camping disaster story! Send us your best worst camping story by 31 January, and be in to win a magnetic beach scene from Whirlwind Designs (which was used as the background for The Motor Camp image) and a bottle of bubbly. 

Enter by mail to Camping Story, Circa Theatre, PO Box 968, Wellington or by email to cara.hill@circa.co.nz. The winning story will be published on the Circa website.