Sunny Amey (born 1928) is a theatre director and educator born in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. She worked at the National Theatre of England during its formative years alongside

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

, as artistic director of

Downstage Theatre Downstage Theatre was a professional theatre company in Wellington, New Zealand, that ran from 1964 to 2013. For many years it occupied the purpose-built Hannah Playhouse building. Former directors include Sunny Amey, Mervyn Thompson, and Coli ...

in the 1970s and the director of New Zealand's national drama school Toi Whakaari in the late 1980s.

Background

Amey was born in 1928 and grew up in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. She attended Seatoun School and

Wellington East Girls' College Wellington East Girls' College (WEGC, Maori name: Te Kura Kōhine o te Rāwhiti o Te Upoko o Te Ika) is a state single-sex girls' secondary school which sits directly above Mount Victoria Tunnel, Wellington, New Zealand. Serving Years 9 to 13 ( ...

and then trained as a teacher at

Wellington Teachers College Wellington College of Education (formerly Wellington Teachers' Training College) was established in 1888 with the purpose of educating teachers in New Zealand. It became the Faculty of Education of Victoria University of Wellington, formed from th ...

Career

Amey was a member of Wellington's Unity Theatre in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Other members included

Bruce Mason Bruce Edward George Mason (28 September 1921 – 31 December 1982) was a significant playwright in New Zealand who wrote 34 plays and influenced the cultural landscape of the country through his contribution to theatre. In 1980, he was appo ...

, Nola Millar, Richard Campion and Edith Campion, George Webby,

Grant Tilly Grant Leonard Ridgway Tilly (12 December 1937 – 10 April 2012) was a New Zealand stage, movie and television actor, set designer, teacher and artist. Life and career Grant Tilly was educated in Wellington, taking art at Wellington Tech ...

, and Ann Flannery. Early on in her career Amey travelled from New Zealand to England twice. Her first trip in the early 1950s included her taking courses in London with

Brian Way Brian Francis Way (September 12, 1923February 23, 2006), was a British theatre practitioner who established Theatre Centre in London, England, in 1953. The company originated the modern concept of theatre for children in an educational context. Bri ...

in children's theatre. On the second trip, which was funded on a New Zealand Internal Affairs bursary, she ended up working with Laurence Olivier as production assistant on his newly formed Chichester Festival Theatre. She then followed him when he formed the National Theatre Company and worked there in a variety of jobs including assistant director to Olivier, she was repertory manager prior to her departure and she was at the National Theatre for five and half years. Amey was the director of

in Wellington from 1970 - 1974, this included the transition from a temporary venue at the Star Boating Club to Downstage's bespoke dinner theatre building the

Hannah Playhouse The Hannah Playhouse is a theatre venue situated on the corner of Courtenay Place and Cambridge Terrace in central Wellington, New Zealand. The Hannah Playhouse was given by Sheilah Winn (first cousin of Edith Campion, mother of Jane Campion) an ...

. In her tenure as director Amey programmed a large number of New Zealand plays, something that was not common in New Zealand at the time, with most theatre productions being from English or American playwrights. After Downstage, Amey took a position of Curriculum Officer for Drama at the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. She was there from 1975 to 1988. During this time in 1984 the New Zealand Association of Drama in Education, now known as Drama New Zealand was formed. In 1989 Amey became an interim director of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School and was there until 1991. Part of Amey's work in theatre was her input, guidance and support of Taki Rua Theatre as it went from a New Zealand focused theatre in the 1980s to a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

theatre company at the end of the 1990s. She was named as a

kaumātua A kaumātua is a respected tribal elder of either sex in a Māori community who has been involved with their whānau for a number of years. They are appointed by their people who believe the chosen elders have the capacity to teach and guide both ...

/ elder of Taki Rua alongside

Tungia Baker Tungia Dorothea Gloria Baker (8 October 1939 – 25 July 2005) was a New Zealand actor, weaver, and administrator. Her notable acting roles included Ngahuia in the 1980s television drama ''Open House'' and Hira in the 1993 film ''The Piano''. ...

, John Tahuparae,

Wi Kuki Kaa Wi Kuki Kaa (16 December 1938 – 19 February 2006) was a New Zealand actor in film, theatre and television. He was from the Māori iwi of Ngati Porou and Ngati Kahungunu. Family Kaa was born in Rangitukia on New Zealand's East Cape. His fa ...

, Bob Wiki,

Rona Bailey Rona Bailey (née Stephenson; 24 December 1914 – 7 September 2005) was a New Zealand drama and dance practitioner, educationalist and activist. Bailey was influential in emerging contemporary dance and professional theatre in New Zealand. She ...

and Keri Kaa.

Notable work

* ''Takitoru (1995).'' Directors / choreographers: Sunny Amey, Jan Bolwell and Keri Kaa. A combination of haka and the highland fling. Won Production of the Year in the

Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards The Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards were the main theatre awards in New Zealand's capital city, Wellington, from 1992–2014, and have been succeeded by the Wellington Theatre Awards. Established in 1992 and sponsored by law firm Chapman Tripp, ...

. * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

(1973).'' Director. This was the premier production in the new Hannah Playhouse for

. Set and costume design by Raymond Boyce.

References

External links

Radio interview with Sunny Amey:https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/saturday/audio/2574211/playing-favorites-with-sunny-amey {{DEFAULTSORT:Amey, Sunny 20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights 1928 births Living people New Zealand theatre directors Women theatre directors New Zealand women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century New Zealand women writers