Where did the immigrants come from? Why did they leave their native countries? What was it like ‘tween decks on an immigrant ship? What happened after they got to New Zealand? Was it worth it?

Margaret Copland says …

“I can put your class in touch with the pioneers. I can come in character to your school with a meticulously presented, well-researched story of a real pioneer woman. Students are always fascinated by their own New Zealand heritage. They love to meet a woman who might have been their ancestor, one that relates to the old photos, the old china and the stories they already know. The difficult and musical names of the Polish immigrants strike a chord and remind us of our multi-cultural heritage. The 19th century clothes and the regional accents are not totally unfamiliar, family names and place names are recognized. Afterwards they can check out the records. Often they can visit the graves…”

“I can give your senior students a professional model of a living history presentation – a living example of how to turn that research into a performance story and an accessible character. The stories get their power, their humour, their entertainment value from the characters and the characters humanize the history and make it real.
It is all relevant to social studies, history, drama and English students …”

Choose a one-woman show from my extensive repertoire, built up over ten years of heritage storytelling. Using that material I can create a programme customized to meet your students’ needs.

Follow up with a Workshop

• Speaking and Storytelling Skills for Forms 1 to 4
• Creating and presenting a character from research for seniors