Unitec students practise their table manners

Eli Matthewson sits nervously at a dining table, toiling with a tea cup while listening to the adult conversation across from him.

"Right now I'm a 6-year-old," he explains of his inquisitive gaze and anxious disposition. Clad in too-short shorts, school shirt and tie, the Unitec drama student is dressed for one of four roles he will play in the upcoming show, The Dining Room.

Written by American playwright Albert Gurney and first performed in 1981, the play's 57 characters will be played by 17 third-year students in their production directed by well-known Auckland actor Cameron Rhodes.

The play is set entirely in a dining room in which decades of Americans have eaten. The work is touted as a comedy of manners and a commentary on how American Anglo-Saxon culture and White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (Wasp) values are challenged by a new America - one in which multi-racialism and gender equality dominate.

For Eli and two of his classmates, James Angelo Roque and Jason Wu, the play is an interesting challenge, from playing children, to identifying with American culture, to learning accents. But the three personify multiculturalism - Jason was born in Fiji of Samoan-Taiwanese descent; James is of Filipino descent and Eli is a pakeha New Zealander.

James, who plays an 8-year-old and an 81-year-old, says a lot of work was given to learning about American cultures.

"I personally would be the furthest away from a Wasp as you can get. First of all, I'm not white, so there was a lot of back story and research into that culture to see just what the environment was like. I've never dabbled in that culture."

Eli says much of the material is indicative of what we see in our living rooms.

"A lot of our film and TV is that kind of culture. A lot of what we've grown up with is that American 'Wasp' culture. People will identify in terms of the struggle between tradition and acceptance. There's one bit where a character says, 'These are different times, we've got to be accepting of everyone', and then in the next line she's telling the maid off and saying, 'Go back to the kitchen'.

"With the characters of different ages, it's all about the traditional values and what you can still uphold in modern times."

The serious material is threaded with humorous undertones, fittingly so for Eli and James who have had success as stand-up comics and will perform with friend Edith Poor at the New Zealand International Comedy Festival that opens next Friday.

"It's called Minority Report. There's three of us and it's about us being minorities. It's not necessarily content I'd want my parents to see," says James.

Eli is heading to Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his show Square Eyes, and he and James hope to pursue comedy and acting once they've completed their degrees.

"I like doing stand-up and gigs and things like that, where I don't have to take any props anywhere. I've been writing my own shows and putting those on and then, hopefully, a huge movie will make me millions of dollars," Eli says, as he and his classmates erupt in laughter. "I'm more interested in stage acting but it would be good to earn money."

James says he'd like to find a way to keep acting and do comedy.

But Jason, who starred in the 2010 film Matariki, has other plans.

"I'm going to start my career in WWE wrestling," he says solemnly. "I've always wanted to do wrestling and I thought acting was the way to get into it. Halfway through last year I found out you have to have three years of wrestling experience first. I thought it was mostly acting. I'm in training now."

UNITEC PLAY

WHAT The Dining Room

WHEN April 20-28, 7pm.

WHERE Unitec Theatre

HOW MUCH Adult: $15; concession: $10; Unitec graduates and students: $5.

Bookings through iticket.co.nz or phone 361 1000.

FACEBOOK Click here

COMEDY FESTIVAL SHOW

WHAT Minority Report: Being minorities in the comedy world

WHEN May 2-5, 10pm, part of the NZ International Comedy Festival

WHERE Brooklyn Bar, 332 Queen St

HOW MUCH Adults $12; concession $10; ph 0800 842 538

WEB comedyfestival.co.nz