Fortune's smiling

Outrageous star Kirk Torrance's new play, Flintlock Musket, fuses theatre with choreography in a yarn that took him a decade to research, write and polish.
A bloody story raged  in the mind of TV's Outrageous Fortune star Kirk Torrance for more than a decade. Through a series of fortunate events - and a cast of talented Aucklanders - that story will be staged from November 17 as Flintlock Musket.
Torrance, 44, from Westmere, says the physical writing of Flintlock took about a month. "But it's been in my head for at least 10 years. I'd spent a lot of time just figuring out how I was going to say some of the things in it. Writing's like drawing blood, bro, you've really got to drag it out of yourself.''
This is Torrance's second play after Strata in 2003, which picked up three prizes at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.
He admits to being a little disappointed at missing out on a role in his play, which is set immediately before New Zealand's Musket Wars.
"Part of writing is about making work for myself, but being in Outrageous has meant I've had to sit it out,'' he says.
Instead, the man who plays level-headed ex-cop Wayne Judd on the hit TV series will keep his head down in the audience on opening night. He laughs that he'll have dark sunglasses on and be keeping a low profile until the applause. "And if there's none, I'll be out of there.''
New Lynn costume designer Rona Ngahuia Osborne, 35, says the production has been a perfect assignment for her.
"I hadn't read the script or seen the earlier staging of Flintlock, but it immediately appealed,'' she says. "I've been attracted to this period of history for as long as I can remember.''
Osborne has been helped further by knowing Torrance through friends and being able to ask about the landscapes in which the story is set. "Kirk has talked about it being more like the Desert Rd, with open tussock lands rather than the dense, lush bush like River Queen,'' she says.
The play demands plenty of movement from the actors, which has also challenged Osborne. The characters incorporate movements drawn from mau rako, a Maori martial art, kapa haka, a Maori dance form, Japanese kabuki and Brazilian capoeira.
"There's heaps of movement and we've designed the costumes to help the movement rather than to simply allow it.
"It's been really exciting to see them try the costumes on and you can see how they are itching to see how it moves.''
She hopes the costumes will make sense to the audience.
"Overall, I hope the costumes reinforce the story. I can't imagine they will be seamless and unnoticed.''
Osborne says, however, that the costumes are unlikely to be seen on the racks at her Kingsland store Native Agent. "It's not streetwear,'' she laughs.
Actor Scotty Cotter is thrilled at being involved with a new production. "I was part of the read-through two years ago. It's been awesome to follow it from there to here.''
Cotter describes the play as a twisted journey. "There's heaps of twists and turns. There are no good guys or bad guys in this story. There are a lot of deaths,'' he laughs.
The 24-year-old, who grew up in Howick and now lives in Mt Wellington, is hoping the production goes on tour.
"I reckon they will love it overseas. I am so looking forward to seeing how the audience reacts and hearing what they have to say afterwards.''
There is every chance Flintlock Musket will go overseas. That's the mission for Craig Cooper, associate director of the arts programmes for The Edge.
"Flintlock is kind of a new approach for us at The Edge,'' says the 41-year-old Beach Haven man. "Ordinarily, we co-produce by working with companies that are already established by facilitating the venues.
"This time we're executive producing. We applied to Creative New Zealand for funding and we're underwriting the first season.''
Cooper says The Edge sees Flintlock Musket as an exciting new piece of New Zealand theatre with huge international potential. "It's the kind of New Zealand story that would resonate overseas, so we've made a three-year commitment to it.''
In the first year, The Edge is overseeing development and staging the first season. The show will tour New Zealand in the second year to give the play time to "run-in'', says Cooper. "At the end of year two it will be what I call export-ready.''
To develop and stage Flintlock Musket for the first year, Cooper estimates it is costing about $150,000.
"No one's getting paid much, put it that way. But New Zealand is getting a culturally significant piece of art.''
Flintlock Musket, Aotea Centre, November 17-28.
Tickets: 0800 BUYTICKETS or www.buytickets.co.nz