Wings by Jess Sayer

A dark room in Palmerston North

The dark room is the ‘other space’ - The Dark Room - at Palmerston North’s Centrepoint Theatre. The RNZ Drama Department was there in early September 2015 to record, live on stage, some of the newest plays from New Zealand writers and actors. It’s all part of  RNZ Drama's Live on Stage Now! initiative aimed at reconnecting with, and actively supporting, New Zealand writing and performance.

Wings, the play recorded on that wet and windy day in Palmy North is by multi-award-winning actor/playwright Jess Sayer.  Sayer performs in this production as does Darlene Mohekey, the director.  The trio of performers is completed with the addition of Naomi Cohen.

Wings is a dark, sibling-relationship, road-trip play. A trio of sisters, separated for the past decade, take to the road together with all their personal baggage. They are heading to their mother’s funeral, heading for home – the source of their individual nightmares. Their mother is dead, but not mourned. Their father is in absentia, but not missed. The sisters know what it’s like to be forgotten.

Sometimes, when you’re driving through hell, it’s better to keep going ...

 

 

 

  • Wings by Jess Sayer

    30 Sep 2015

    WARNING - Contains medium level offensive language

    A dark road play. Three sisters travel together in a car to their mother's funeral in the country. They have not seen one another for ten years… Audio

    This audio is not downloadable due to copyright restrictions.

Shots from the technical run in The Dark Room before recording

Pass the bag without moving your mouth from the mic

And to think you drove this here to Palmy North

Darlene and Naomi in full flight in rehearsal

Darlene as Quinn

Flashy car interior

Jess as Bambi

Jess Adam Darlene and Naomi in mic rehearsal

Naomi as Mo

 

wings poster minus all text
Image - Andi Crown Photography

Jess Sayer cueing up the music for the start of a tech run pix wide

About the author

Actor and playwright Jess Sayer  won the Playmarket b425 award three times, and has been shortlisted for the Adam NZ award twice. She founded Junket Theatre company in 2012 and has since staged four of her own works - Elevator, Wings, Crunchy Silk and Fix to sell out seasons at The Basement in Auckland. 

Jess is a proud member of the NZ Actors Equity National Performers Committee and is an inaugural graduate actor of The Actors Program class of 2012.

Credits

Recorded live at The Dark Room, Centrepoint Theatre Palmerston North, September 2015

Featuring Jess Sayer as Bambi, Darlene Mohekey as Quinn and Naomi Cohen as Mo

Stage direction by Darlene Mohekey

Recording direction for RNZ by Adam Macaulay

Recording Assistant Francesca Emms

Recording engineer Phil Benge

 

Feedback about Wings on RNZ

"A most magnificent heart wrenching drama.Thanks" - Jenny

"Brilliant drama!! Well done! Your nightly programme is superb." - Rod D

"I started listening just to see what it was like.  I wanted to do something else but got hooked." - D.S.

"Just listened to the Wings play. Great to hear something that sounds new and 'now'. Great energy and chilling finish.  Go Mo! Just didn't see that coming!"  - J.M (Sydney)