THE ASSIGNMENT
. A Tawa Intermediate School Production  -  13-15 September 2005 .

The setting is Nocash High School. The nasty Mr McTavish has forged a plan to get rid of his class. The unlucky students are Jimmy, the leader of the group; Sheila, who loves her social life; Amanda (the Panda), an angry young woman with an alternative lifestyle; Tony (or 'Herbal T'), a wannabe 'gangsta' with very little in the brains department; Marley, laidback and loves reggae; Sharon (the Baron), bossy and opinionated; Reggie (the Veggie), a student whose learning difficulties defeat everyone, veterinarians included. They are the 'Dream Team'.

Mr McTavish sets them what he sees as an impossible social studies assignment. They are to complete an oral assignment on time, continuity and change showing how 'pop culture' has evolved over the years.

With the help of 'Super Teacher' our heroes travel back through time where they are shown aspects of 'pop culture' from the 1940s until the present day.

And does our Dream Team learn anything? Do they pass the assignment or do they fail miserably and get kicked out of school? Well, if you saw the show you'll know the answer to that. If you didn't see it, you missed out on a great occasion. The pics on this page are a reminder of what it was all about. Bear in mind that we didn't manage to photograph every 'scene' which featured on the night, such as the All Blacks' World Cup win in the 1980s. Only those which we did capture are included in the lists below.


Mr McTavish with his class before 'Super Teacher' arrives on the scene
1940s: overshadowed by World War II
1950s: rock 'n' roll; Hillary's ascent of Everest; coronation of Queen Elizabeth II;
Elvis Presley; Pele, footballing legend; Marilyn Monroe
1960s: 'Rock around the Clock'; Ray Charles, blind singer; Muhammed Ali, boxing legend; the Beatles
1970s: 'Bohemian Rapsody'; movies like 'The Godfather' and 'Star Wars';
John Travolta, disco legend; 'The Love Boat' TV series
1980s: Flashdance; innovations like the first cellphone; Michael Jackson; renaissance of Maori culture;
Mike Tyson; movie star E.T.; TV shows like Magnum P.I., Hill Street Blues, Married with Children
1990s: Spice Girls; Barney is a Dinosaur (early childhood viewing for most of these kids);
Billy Ray Cyrus; 'Silence of the Lambs' movie
Mr McTavish returns to assess how much the students have learned with the help of 'Super Teacher' (three of them, in fact!)