Evelyn Mann
Evelyn Mann presented by Drama New Zealand President Emma Bishop at 'All Aboard' - 2017 National Conference, Otago Boys High School, DUNEDIN.
Evelyn is an incredibly insightful, passionate and dynamic woman. Her vibrancy and positivity are infectious and she inspires all those with whom she works, to strive for, and deliver, their very best. Evelyn empowers others to go forward through her generosity of spirit and the giving of her gifts. She is a “hands on” practitioner who is not afraid to explore new pathways and take people on a gentle journey of discovery. Evelyn is a treasure and her skills and talents have enriched the lives of many, no matter their age or ability. Her company is aptly named “Dramaworkz” and, in Evelyn’s expert hands, it does!
Her interest in drama came from her work in Early Years education and developed through years with Playcentre then in formal study. She has worked with researchers, teachers, students, in advisory roles to champion the arts and continues to this day. /br One local teacher in Evelyn's drama workshops stated she was always impressed with how she was able to help people who were nervous about drama in education comfortable with it and receptive. She is skilled at connecting with people in a way that makes drama accessible. Within her work with Dramaworx she has continued this work with individual schools. Her work with ATCO and Sexwise has taken her into creating social justice and improving children's health, relationships and wellbeing through applied drama. She has gained accolades within Applied Theatre circles and also within the sexual health sphere.
Evelyn spent many years delivering the “Everyday Theatre” programme for Applied Theatre Consultants Ltd under the ownership of Peter and Briar O’Connor. She was instrumental in the development of this programme which has received international acclaim and talked about in many a research article. Peter O’Connor was thrilled when she joined the Everyday Theatre team, who toured the length of the country working on the issues of family violence and child abuse. He says,
Evelyn is a wonderful teacher. If you want to see an expert in teacher in role, Evelyn is a star. And she is a pretty good boogie board surfer too after a few summers working in the Far North. She is a passionate advocate for drama education and even more importantly for young people. I am so delighted that her life long devotion to our art form has been recognised.
Kia kaha, kia manawanui, nga mihi aroha a koe Southern Mann.
Another Everyday theatre colleague, Stephen Dallow, described her as one of the hardest working practioners he has ever had the pleasure of working with. Evelyn, he says, lived and breathed applied theatre and was always refining and evaluating her practice. But his fondest memories are outside of the classroom, on tour for months on end in the motels and B&b’s in the most beautiful parts of New Zealand, sharing a glass of wine at the end of the day, re capping on the school of the day and laughing at the characters they had met on their journey. Stephen is delighted to hear of this award today and sends a huge “Terminator Tane” hug to her!
Gareth McMillan worked extensively with Evelyn on Sexwise, a health promotion programme for rangatahi/youth throughout Aotearoa. Evelyn became the Artistic Director of Sexwise in 2011, and was responsible for transforming the programme in accordance with the pedagogy she mastered while working for the Applied Theatre Consultants Ltd (ATCo), and her own company Dramaworkz. McMillan explains:
The transformation was stark; Evelyn's Sexwise is recognised by the health promotion sector, and the hundreds of education providers that have hosted the programme, as a catalyst supporting young people to experience healthier sexuality. 'Infotainment' and any message based methods of previous Sexwiseprogrammes were replaced with a narrative designed to enable student lead discussion of the sexuality issues they face. Evelyn is a passionate advocate for a wellbeing approach and avoids the deficit model sometimes presented to students.
Through her work with Sexwise she has not only made a positive impact on the lives of thousands of young people but enabled Teachers, student whānau, and school communities to experience the transformative possibilities of applied theatre. Following professional external review, cultural advisory groups and extensive networking, Sexwise under Evelyn has become a pivotal cog in the field of sexual health promotion in New Zealand and highly regarded by the Ministry of Health. She is a cutting edge leader not just in the field of applied theatre but also in the health sector, working for the Southern DHB and serving on professional bodies including Promoters Advocating Sexual Health Aotearoa New Zealand (PASHANZ), and The New Zealand Sexual Health Society (NZSHS).
Evelyn has also contributed greatly to drama in the South Otago community as a director, actor, writer and committee member for South Otago Theatrical Society and Taieri Dramatic Society. A strong advocate for NZ theatre in small community theatres, she also contributed to community events, such as organising a street parade in Balclutha with up to 1000 school children on the road moving large artworks/masks etc celebrating the history of the region in order to commemorate the 150th (I think) of Otago. She also created, directed and championed wearable arts shows for Rural Women's Week in South Otago. Evelyn took drama to local schools as a private contractor with “Millie“ which was a Teacher In Role to explore bullying and other social development needs for schools.
