Theatres win regional recognition
Morris to call race on Commentators Day
Big winner at the Regional Theatre Awards, held in Palmerston North recently, was Foxton Little Theatre (FLL) with with seven awards or special commendations. Levin’s Performing Arts Centre (LPAS) reached four.
Levin’s Little Theatre bagged one win.
FLL received a Special Commendation for Carl Terry’s concept and design for The Jailhouse Frocks , for which Ryan Burnell won direction.
Matt Kilsby-Halliday won Cameo play for his performance as Max in Things My Mother Taught Me. Kim Stevenson (Gloria Romano) won Female Supporting Actor (Play) for The Jailhouse Frocks, while Ryan Burnell won Male Actor Play for a role the same play.
Sonya Grimstrup (Cathy Monroe) shared Most Outstanding Performance in a play with two others.
LPAS won Direction Youth Theatre, with Manawatu¯ Youth Theatre’s The Little Mermaid, for the Lion King Jr, directed by Bernard O’Brien and Jenna Wicks.
A Special Commendation for Female Youth Performer went to Mischa O’Brien for her performance in The Lion King Jr, while Kahu Newton received the Special Commendation for Male Youth Performer for his role at the professor in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Asaria Saili received a Special Commendation for Debut Musical Direction for the Lion King Jr, while Kristy Bullians (Velma Kelly) won Emerging Performer Musical for LPAS’ rendition of Chicago.
Levin Little Theatre received a Special Commendation for the choreography of Snow White, done by Kate Martin.
In the members stand at the Manawatu¯ Raceway early next month, in among the mumbling of men, will be the voice of Phillipa Morris. The 31-year-old will be the only woman calling a greyhound race on Commentators Day, now an annual event and a rare occasion where all the racing commentators from New Zealand meet in one place.
The first time Morris called a race was in Palmerston North at Manawatu¯ Raceway at the corresponding event last year, creating history in the process as the first woman to call a greyhound race in New Zealand.
The milestone went largely unheralded, but its significance could not be understated considering greyhound racing first started in New Zealand 110 years ago.
For Morris herself, the race calling was about challenging herself and adding another string to her bow. The commentating could one day complement her main focus of television presenting.
Morris had been a television presenter with racing channel Trackside for nearly three seasons now. She used to live in Levin and is now Auckland based.
The idea of commentating a race herself was only bandied about early last season. The rubber hit the road when she was given a couple of months to prepare for her debut.
“I started practising at home with the TV on mute,” she said.
Conscious of doing well and wanting to prove to herself she could do it, she began practising as much as she could and was able to get behind the binoculars at trials meetings.
Just like the athletes on the track, nothing could beat that raceday experience for shaking out nerves and gaining experience, and the historic day proved a valuable learning curve.
“I wouldn’t say I aced it at all . . . it was hard. I had over-prepared and made the mistake of pre-empting the result,” she said.
“There was a $1.50 favourite and I thought he’ll jump out and I’ll go from there, but it didn’t work out like that at all. I learnt a valuable lesson straight away . . . the second race went a bit better.”
Morris described herself as someone who was naturally a fast talker and thought that would hold her in good stead for race calling. But the opposite was the case.
“The thing I had to learn was to slow it down. There is this perception that you have to talk fast,” she said.
The outbreak of Covid 19 put paid to an opportunity for Morris to meet Australian race commentator Victoria Shaw, who was to have been at Commentators Day last year.
“I was really looking forward to meeting with her to get a gauge on it and get her perspective,” she said. Morris said she had never entertained the idea of commentating until hearing Shaw call a race.
“I’d never dreamed of it. Not even being sexist, you just think you have to have a deep voice just because it had always been done in a man’s voice,” she said.
“I realise now it’s all good for women to be race calling . . . the main thing is to normalise it.”
But equally as important to Morris was the need for any female race caller to be given the microphone on merit.
Much like the female jockey pioneers of the 1980s, it brought with it another level of scrutiny.
Now, female riders are dominating the jockey premiership. In fact, women are on par with their male counterparts in all aspects of racing now: trainers, jockeys, and racing personalities. The only exception is in race commentary. But that was all part and parcel of the challenge.
“As long as you can do it properly. The last thing you want is to be doing the job just because you are a woman. You want to be doing it because you’re good at it,” she said.
“I’m my own harshest critic and like to push myself anyway. I’ll tell myself if it wasn’t good.”
Morris said she was getting plenty of support. Experienced people like Mark Rosonowski were helpful.
One day she hoped to become the first woman in New Zealand to call a full meeting, but, for now, she was happy to bide her time and gain as much experience as she could, and improve with every race.
“Presenting is definitely my passion, but I do enjoy commentating. I love greyhound racing and it’s another string to the bow,” she said.
“I absolutely love my job. I get to talk about my passion.”
Meanwhile, joining Morris in the commentators box on Commentators Day will be a who’s who of New Zealand race calling: Tony Lee, George Simon, Bruce Sherwin, Craig Rail, Justin Evans, Matt Cross, Aaron White and Trevor Wilks.
As there were 13 callers and just 12 races, Mark Rosonowski and Andy McCook would share the calling of a 720m race. Former race callers Brian Martin and Darryl Robson were coming out of retirement to join in.
It was the third edition of Commentators Day, the brainchild of Palmerston North Greyhound Racing Club president Paul Freeman.
As a youngster Freeman remembered attending a similar day at Ascot Park. When he found himself involved in racing administration year later, he was in a good position to fan the flames.
“I took it upon myself to annoy the people I needed to annoy to make it happen,” he said.
Freeman said the club donated all its sponsorship from the meeting to support child cancer fundraiser Kids Can, with good support from businesses involved.
“To be fair, the commentators love it. It’s never difficult asking them. I think people take it for granted but these guys don’t actually get to see each other and socialise very often,” he said.
“It’s a rare catch up.” Commentators Day will be at Manawatu¯ Raceway on March 1.