8 Scott Ave The Musical has its own app. Photo / Stephen Parker
8 Scott Ave The Musical has its own app. Photo / Stephen Parker
An app will help audience members going to 8 Scott Ave The Musical know the words to the songs. But journalist Kelly Makiha discovers that - true to the musical's writer Jack Grace's style - there's a touching story that goes with how the app came about.
After many weeks, Harris came up with the idea of an app. He set it up online for Grace, but died last year following a battle with cancer before he could finish it.
With the resurrection of Grace's musical, 8 Scott Ave The Musical, about to hit the stage for an encore season, Grace wanted to get the app working to allow audience members to participate in the show and sing-along.
"A few weeks ago I decided to have a crack at finishing it. Me in my old dinosaur brain struggled to work out how he did things ... So I'm talking to myself while I'm trying to get this thing worked out 'c'mon Whitty, what was it? How did you do this?', I'd say as I was scratching my brains out!"
Whitinga Harris with his two sons, Waaka and Heremia Grace-Harris. Photo / File
Eventually Grace got it finished, with some help from an IT specialist at the Rotorua Lakes Council.
"He helped with a couple of things but for most of it, it seemed like a posthumous intervention."
8 Scott Ave The Musical returns this week and will run at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre from Wednesday to February 22.
The cast of 8 Scott Ave. Photo / File
It tells the story of a typical Māori family growing up in Ōwhata in Rotorua in the 1960s and 1970s where families didn't have much, but when they came together to sing, they felt like they had everything.
The show, written by Grace based on his own upbringing, sold out in November last year and has been brought back to the stage with support from the Rotorua Lakes Council.
Council performing arts director Cian Elyse White said 8 Scott Ave was developed during Aronui Indigenous Arts Festival as a part of Ngā Kākano -The New Works project last September.
"The event showcased snippets of homegrown original musicals and performing arts pieces in the hopes of testing the shows key themes, style and writing on an audience.
"Jack Grace's snippet of 8 Scott Ave lifted the roof and it was evident the show would be a crowd pleaser."
Jack Grace near his home on 8 Scott Ave. Photo / File
White said following the "incredible development season" at the Blue Baths in November, the council stepped in to help achieve Grace's dream to grow the show into a larger venue and allow more people to enjoy it.
The council was supporting it by providing a range of infrastructure from the venue, technical support and pre-production advice. Equipment from the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre was being used to replicate the theatre venue within the Energy Events Centre and the council provided marketing, communications and design support.
White said they looked forward to continuing to support community talents once the Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre reopened in April 2021.
Tickets for 8 Scott Ave The Musical can be bought at Ticketmaster.
About Whitinga Harris
Jack Grace's son-in-law fought a brave battle against colon cancer in 2018 and 2019, losing his fight on June 21 last year.
Grace spent the months leading up to his death helping his family to raise $100,000 for lifesaving cancer treatment to help prolong his life.
Harris, a father of two boys who was just 31 when he died, was to start his career at Western Heights Primary School after graduating as a teacher but he became too sick.
Fundraising efforts were held in Rotorua and Northland, including Grace hosting two events last year Rua Duets in June and Four Mothers Four Stories in May.
Rotorua youngster Miles Corbett, 7, raised more than $3000 by running the Rotorua Mini Marathon for Harris' cause.
