Witi ihimaera biography of nancy
Nancy Brunning
New Zealand actress, director, and writer (1971–2019)
Nancy Brunning (1971 – 16 November 2019) was a Fresh Zealand actress, director, and writer who won laurels in film and television and made a senior contribution to the growth of Māori in illustriousness arts.[1] She won the best actress award guarantee the New Zealand Film Awards for her eliminate role in the film What Becomes of greatness Broken Hearted? (1999).[2][3] In 2000, she won distinction Best Actress in Drama award at the Novel Zealand Television Awards for her lead role meticulous the television series Nga Tohu.
She was goodness acting coach for the Oscar-nominated short film Two Cars, One Night directed by Taika Waititi. According to friend and frequent collaborator Temuera Morrison, she "paved the way" for Māori actors in Recent Zealand.[4]
Biography
Brunning grew up in Taupō, and was blame Māori descent, from the tribes of Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāi Tūhoe.[5][2]
Brunning attended Toi Whakaari New Island Drama School from 1990,[6] graduating in 1991 brains a Diploma in Acting.[7] She lived in Statesman for most of her life.[6]
After graduating, she artificial many leading roles in theatre, film and newsmen. In 1992, she won the award for About Promising Female Actor at the Chapman Tripp Dramatics Awards for the all Māori women production Nga Wahine. She also became one of the outdo well known faces on New Zealand television think it over the role of Jaki Manu in the soapsuds Shortland Street and other programmes. In 1994, she appeared in the classic Nga Tangata Toa cavort written by Hone Kouka and directed by Colin McColl. Brunning also appeared on stage in larger productions for the New Zealand International Festival outandout the Arts, the biggest arts event in greatness country, in productions such as Hide ‘n’ Seek (1992) (NZ and Australian tour) and Waiora (1996) (NZ, Brighton Festival and Hawai'i tours) and Blue Smoke. She played the role of Belle block the UK-NZ co-production of Beauty and the Beast (1998).[8]
A speaker of the indigenous Māori language, Brunning also worked as a theatre director,[9] cultural adviser and script consultant.[10] She received a best entertainer nomination at the 2009 Qantas Film & Tube Awards for her role in the movie Strength of Water.
Brunning directed theatre and stage dramas from 1995. Her first production was Briar Grace-Smith's first full-length one woman show called Nga Pou Wahine. She also collaborated with Grace-Smith on smashing Taki Rua Theatre production in 1996 called Flat out Brown; directed Māori language play Te Ohaki a Nihe written by Selwyn Muru and devised and directed with Grace-Smith again on a rove show called Waitapu, also in 1996. She booked Women Far Walking written by Māori writer Witi Ihimaera. The play toured nationally and internationally correspond with the UK. She was also assistant director enter Nathaniel Lees on Awhi Tapu by Albert Belz for the Auckland Festival. She was assistant leader for the play The Songmaker's Chair written exceed Albert Wendt and directed by Nathaniel Lees.[8]
Brunning certain the short film Journey to Ihipa (2008) which screened at the New Zealand International Film Festivals and internationally, including the Vladivostok Film Festival (2009) and in New York.[11] The film starred pro New Zealand actress Elizabeth McRae and Nathaniel Settlings, and was shot in the Ngai Tuhoe Māori community of Ruatahuna in the central North Resting place of New Zealand.
Brunning and theatre maker coupled with educator Tanea Heke formed a production company Hāpai Productions in 2013 with a vision to "produce mana enhancing Māori Theatre productions whilst upholding Māori Values."[12][13][14]
Brunning's last creative work Witi's Wāhine premiered go on doing the Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival in Gisborne undecided 2019. She wrote and directed this play monkey a tribute to the women characters in probity novels of Witi Ihimaera. It has since antediluvian performed in Auckland and in the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington in 2021.[15][16][17][18]Emma Hislop, in decline review of the 2023 staging at the ASB Waterfront Theatre, said that the play is differentiation "incredible gift" from Brunning: "The 18 scenes satisfaction Witi's Wāhine weave an intricate pattern through Ihimaera’s works, and the result is astonishing".[19]
Personal life illustrious death
Brunning's partner was fellow playwright Hone Kouka. They had one daughter together, the singer-songwriter Mā.[20]
Brunning spasm on 16 November 2019 at age 48, cardinal years after being diagnosed with cancer. She posthumously won the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award the people day.[6] Friend and frequent collaborator Temuera Morrison render tribute to her.[4] In a post on Facebook, New Zealand television and radio host Stacey Author wrote that Brunning was "Our māmā, our baby, our aunty, our friend, she has followed dignity call of her tīpuna. Nancy's passion was defer to bring unheard stories to the light. To put in mind of our people that our voices are a reverberating tool and aroha is the most important quest of all. And while she was loved in and out of the world, she was loved even more bid us. She was the person that bound incinerate whānau together."[21] Following her death, there were calls for Pharmac, the national drug funding agency, attain be reformed.[22]