SCENE BY JAMES: 2019 – A Theatrical Year in Review

December 30, 2019

[What could we do with sustainable practice?] The challenges of making a living out of the performing and screen arts are well known to the industry, but there is something about seeing the facts in black and white that throws the problem into stark relief. I’m talking about research commissioned by Creative New Zealand and NZ on Air released in […]

REVIEW: The WonderWombs (The Dust Palace)

December 20, 2019

Wonder No More Created by Auckland-based cirque-theatre company the Dust Palace, The Wonderwombs is a tantalising performance of aerial acrobatics, challenging our perceptions of womanhood.   Curiosity begins as soon as we take out seats. Hanging from the ceiling of Q theatre are various innocuous pastel pink objects – a rubber glove, a child’s fortune-teller game – and items move towards […]

SCENE BY NATHAN: Ōtautahi Tiny Performance Festival

December 5, 2019

Size Isn’t Everything This past Saturday (30th Nov 2019), over the course of 14 hours, Christchurch audiences were treated to a lineup of live performance at CoCA art gallery. The Ōtautahi Tiny Performance Festival is a first-ever event, presented by Movement Arts Practice (curated by artistic director Julia Harvie).  Appropriately nicknamed Tiny Fest, reflecting its short-lived existence and the intimate scale […]

CHRISTCHURCH REVIEW: The Wind in The Willows (Court Theatre)

November 27, 2019

[Forest-dwelling Fantasia] The Court Theatre’s The Wind in The Willows follows the ever-loved classical tale of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Toad of Toad Hall. The script was adapted from Kenneth Grahame’s story by Alan Bennett in 1991, bringing a renewed lens to the original tale, now nearly thirty years established in theatre. Director Ross Gumbley has taken the show to […]

REVIEW: My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak (Silo Theatre)

November 26, 2019

A Giggleful Expedition to mid-1970s Bombay Inspired by the decade of disco in the city where dreams come true, My Heart Goes Thadak Thadak is a sweeping tribute to the power of fusion in what was to become the world’s largest film industry. Set in 1975 on a film set, the play reveals a tense amalgamation between the Hollywood Western […]

REVIEW: A Frickin Dangerous Space-mas (Basement Theatre)

November 24, 2019

Spoofnik Written by comedy troupe Frickin Dangerous Bro (Pax Assadi, James Roque and Jamaine Ross) and directed by Jane Yonge, A Frickin Dangerous Space-mas chronicles the intrepid crew of the International Space Station as they prepare to celebrate Christmas and welcome the arrival of a new crew-mate, whilst warily awaiting the Captain’s (Sam Snedden) decision as to who will succeed him in his role. […]

Student Drama: Do the Rules Apply?

November 19, 2019

In this guest post, Murray Edmond reports on three recent student productions in Auckland and wonders what rules apply when we think about student work.  Peer Gynt, by Henrik Ibsen, a version by Colin Teevan, University of Auckland 2nd year drama production, directed by Sara Brodie, at The Drama Studio, University of Auckland, 19-22 Sept. 2019. Animal, by Arlo Green, an […]

REVIEW: Les Misérables (Auckland Music Theatre)

November 12, 2019

C’est Magnifique Les Misérables at the Civic is nothing short of spectacular. So often Kiwi audiences flock to touring overseas shows, based on the premise that “it’s come from New York, London or Sydney –  it must be amazing”. Consequently, it’s thrilling and heartening to see Boublil and Schönberg’s Les Misérables done with such flair, panache and extravagance on our […]

REVIEW: Welcome to Thebes (The Actors’ Program)

November 9, 2019

Ambitious Push to Marry Myth to Modernity It is no easy task to choose a capstone play for the conclusion of an intensive actor’s training program. In pursuit of an elusive equilibrium between adapting a compelling dramatic script and putting on display the diverse talents of a gifted group of emerging actors, for the 2019 cohort The Actors’ Program have […]

TOURING: Hansel & Gretel (Royal New Zealand Ballet)

November 7, 2019

That Freshly Baked Taste Staging a brand new, full-length ballet is a milestone for any company and a relatively rare occasion for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. This world premiere of Hansel & Gretel is a significantly larger undertaking, therefore, than reproducing a classic, or reimagining a ballet with an existing score and cast of characters. Every aspect of this […]

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