Actors agog at 'spiritual' trip experience

By ABIGAIL CASPARI in Rotorua
Rotorua's Jono Griffith and Taofia Tauiliili cannot believe they are going to London to perform at the same theatre as William Shakespeare.
"For drama people it is a spiritual experience to go to the Globe," Jono said.
While Jono is a fresh face to all things Shakespeare, he is an experienced actor, having performed in many of his school's productions over the years.
Jono and Taofia, who are both Year 13 students at John Paul College, are part of a group of 22 students from throughout New Zealand who have been chosen to tour England and perform at The Globe at the end of June next year.
The two students were chosen to go after their performance at the Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools in Wellington earlier this year.
Both did enough to impress the selectors with their performances of Twelfth Night and Love's Labour's Lost at the national competition.
Now the pair will begin a mammoth fundraising campaign for their trip, which will cost them each about $7000.
Holding sausage sizzles, a trivia night, and raising money by selling tickets to the final dress rehearsal of Robert Young's latest production, On Broadway, are part of their fundraising drive.
Jono and Taofia's selection carries on a John Paul College tradition. At least five other students have been to the Globe over recent years.
While both are heading on to tertiary studies next year, they say their school has given them a lot of opportunities and representing John Paul College one last time will be an honour.
They are not too sure of what their itinerary will entail but both hope to learn new skills and techniques in drama which will help them in their careers.
While Taofia wants to be a professional actor, Jono is undecided but would definitely like to continue in amateur theatre.
Next year Jono heads to Victoria University to study law and the arts, majoring in theatre, while Taofia plans to go to Toi Whakaari New Zealand Drama School in Wellington.