Theatre

ATC waterfront theatre to fail unless $23m raised

Taken from NZ Herald, by Bernard Orsman.

The curtain is set to fall on a $41 million theatre project unless the Auckland Theatre Company can raise $23 million in three months.

Auckland councillors yesterday gave the theatre company a lifeline to raise the money by May after officers reported it had managed to raise only $460,000 and failed to meet a December deadline to meet a series of conditions.

The city's longest-running professional theatre company is planning a 600-seat theatre alongside the new ASB Bank headquarters at the Wynyard Quarter. It wants to build the theatre in conjunction with the development of the bank's headquarters and use the same contractors, in order to save money.

Read the full article here.

Providence

presented by We Should Practice
AOTEA CENTRE, 24 - 25 February

Quietly deafening, raw and ambiguous with multiple characters deflty played by two actors on a minimal set. The structure of the performance emulates the dysfunction of the characters' lives, all the while playfully undermining traditional script writing conventions. This is not just the recreation of stories, Providence is an investigation of the states of homelessness.

Louise Tu'u skillfully crafted script throws away narrative and concentrates on the nonsensical, self-righteous prejudices that people have of the homeless. Spanning nearly three years, Tu'u went undercover, speaking with the homeless, having meals at drop-in centres and spending time in a shelter in central Auckland to get a sense of what it is to be without a home.

This Auckland indie favourite was hailed as one of the top theatre pieces of the year by NZ Herald when premiered in 2010.

featuring Lara Fischel-Chisholm
direction by Louise Tu'u

for more information and to book tickets visit the New Performance Festival website

Dark Stars

by Arthur Meek
BASEMENT THEATRE, 10 - 11 February

Written and directed by Arthur Meek, one of New Zealand's most celebrated young playwrights, Dark Stars is a solo play starring Jonathan Council, who portrays a version of his own life journey.

In seeking his big acting break, Council is propelled by misfortune to a tiny island in the Pacific where he unearths the forgotten story of Australasia's popular Black Minstrel, Irving Sayles.

Dark Stars weaves together the stories of two African-Americans living a hundred years apart in an examination of racist humour and the price paid for lusting after fame at the expense of dignity.

Sayles was an entertainer with one of the largest minstrel companies in the mid Western US providing audiences with stereotypical presentations of African-American culture. After the Civil War in 1888 and aged just 16, he fled to Australia. He subsequently became a well loved figure on the Australian stage moving to New Zealand to continue his career in vaudeville until his untimely death on a Christchurch street in 1914.

"This work has been a true collaboration with Jonathan," says Meek. "He wanted to bring to life the story of Irving Sayles who was a talented comedic entertainer whose humour was self-deprecating and racist, a product of the segregated world he lived in."

featuring Jonathan Council
directed by Arthur Meek

for more information and to book tickets visit the Basement Theatre website

Setting the scene for a busy year

Taken from NZ Herald, by Dionne Christian.

They've weathered the maelstrom of recession, survived a drop in audience numbers because of the Rugby World Cup and proved we want to see our stories on stage; now Auckland's theatre-makers are back to work after the summer break.

It is going to be a busy year with much available - from light "fair weather" entertainment to more provocative and avant-garde works.

One of the earliest events is the New Performance Festival (NPF), a first for Auckland. Organisers The Edge say the NPF will stage work that "transcends the gaps of artistic convention". It begins on Friday, February 17, and features 12 international and local artists.

The popularity of last year's Auckland Fringe Festival shows there is a market for more experimental art-house theatre, so it seems sensible to maintain the momentum with an event such as the NPF.

The city's biggest theatre companies have planned eclectic programmes which continue to show their willingness to take risks.

Read the full article here.

Love is a Street Fight

presented by I'm Not Content Productions
BASEMENT THEATRE, 14 - 18 February

i'm Not Content Productions present an evening of short theatre; six original plays inspired by the idea that 'Love is a Street Fight', written by, directed by, and featuring local and emerging talent. A mixed bag of comedy, romance and drama.

Featuring:

A Number Sacrificed,  A Name Saved
written by Sophie Fletcher
directed by and featuring Ashton Brown and Tom Kane

Two Blind Men
written by Laurence Dolan
directed by Benjamin Teh
featuring Jeremy Rodmell and David Rumney

All My Dreams Are Nightmares
written and directed by Ashton Brown
featuring Kat Glass and Tom Kane

Solitaire
written by Shane Garnett
directed by Natalie Braid
featuring Daniel Cresswell and Timothy Whale

What We Built
written and directed by Kat Glass
featuring Rachel Longshaw-Park and Jonathan Riley

All My Clients Are Lonely
written by Ashton Brown
directed by Tom Kane
featuring Kat Glass and Ashton Brown

for more information and to book tickets visit the iTICKET website or phone (09) 361 1000

New Performance Festival

presented by THE EDGE
17 - 25 February

Welcome to the New Performance Festival
- Stephen Bain, Curator.

New Performance Festival is a snapshot of new movements in performance from around the country and a sampler box of overseas treats.

All have been invited to take part in this festival based on their likelihood to change your minds as to what live performance can be. This selection celebrates the brave non-conformists who gleefully mix many art forms.

When I first saw Rimini Protokoll's work Call Cutta in a Box a few years ago, played out entirely on the telephone between myself and the person on the other end of the line, I realised I had to rethink what performance is.

Similarly, the New Zealand artists I have selected take the live experience into rich new territory with a fresh playfulness and absolute conviction.

The local programme is complemented by leading artists from Canada. Europe and Australia.

About half of the shows were created last year and made a big impression, the other half are brand new artists whose work I admire. The prices for the new shows are a steal of $10 to encourage you to see something you might not have seen before.

Join us in the festival bar for the Ping Pong Pit action-enhanced conversations with some of the artists, visiting bands for good-time dancing into the night, and three day-time workshops from performance specialists.

Most shows are in the pop-up underground theatre venue (Auckland's best kept secret) just downstairs from the Festival Bar on the ground level of the Aotea Centre, so track me down after the show and tell what you think!

For further information visit the New Performance Festival website

Madeleine Sami on CBC Radio

Listen to Madeleine Sami talk to Laurie Anderson of CBC Radio about her upcoming international tour with No. 2.

Listen to the interview here.

TAPAC 2012

Taken from the TAPAC website.

Theatre / dance / film / cabaret / showcase an album or product launch and studio space for hire. We invite your expressions of interest...

TAPAC sustains a professionally managed centre that inclusively serves the needs and interests of diverse performing arts communities by welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds, providing space for creative activities, supporting excellence, and celebrating the diversity of our place in the Pacific.

TAPAC provides a secure professionally managed, equipped, purpose built fully flexible theatre with a capacity of up to 144 seated, two sprung floor dance studios and two drama studios and free car parking - check out the plans on our website.

In 2012 TAPAC will programme a breadth of works that celebrate New Zealand's diversity and talent. In our programming we will consider works in dance, theatre and music that:

- are engaging
- challenging
- innovative
- a new, New Zealand work
- a re-imagined classic
- quality in design and presentation
- have a strong idea of audience demographic and market reach

For an expression of interest form to be sent to you please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (09) 845 0295

Red Leap Theatre Incubator workshop

Red Leap INCUBATOR is a week long workshop designed to mentor artists interested in making devised physical theatre, and to support the seeding of new work.

This is an opportunity to work alongside Kate Parker, Julie Nolan and your peers to physically challenge and develop your ideas.

We will be inventing new work through strengthening the physical connection and play within the performers, and generating a quantity of material from which quality can be distilled. INCUBATOR allows the artist to let go of the preciousness of making without analysing too hard.

INCUBATOR is designed for actors who like being physical but you don't have to move like an actor to be part of this!

INCUBATOR takes place on Mon 13 - Fri  17 Feb 2012, 10am - 4pm daily at Corban's Arts Estate, 426 Great North Rdm Henderson. $225 per person (two scholarships available).

Three productions seeded at INCUBATOR 2010 have since progressed to full productions at TAPAC and The Basement. All attracted strong reviews.

"I walk away from the workshop with stronger, more enriched vision for the work; a clearer sense of the methods of its making and, of most value, a sense of vindication and excitement about actually making it work" - Robin Kerr, INCUBATOR 2010

"After working with Julie and Kate for the week I have a new confidence in my work and I can see that it is not only achievable but also to a high standard. The workshop was challenging and confronting but also created some of the more impressive work that I have seen in such a short space of time. They provided me with the tools with which I can now continue" - Chris Neels, INCUBATOR 2010

For more information or an application form contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 021 222 5682

Silo Theatre 2012 Season

Silo are changing it up in 2012, performing in a number of different venues across Auckland. The narrative strands of Silo's story are many and varied - and we want to keep you engaged with our work, long after you've left the theatre.

SILO THEATRE programme 2012

24 Feb - 17 March: TOP GIRLS. Cast includes Bronwyn Bradley, Danielle Cormack and Sophie Hambleton. Direction by Shane Bosher.

8 June - 30 June: TRIBES. Cast includes Peter Elliot, Fern Sutherland and Matt Whelan. Direction by Shane Bosher.

10 Aug - 1 Sept: THE PRIDE. Cast includes Kip Chapman. Direction by Sophie Roberts.

7 Sept - 29 Sept: PRIVATE LIVES. Cast includes Mia Blake. Direction by Shane Bosher.

2 Nov - 24 Nov: BREL. Cast includes Tama Waipara and Jennifer Ward-Lealand. Direction by Kip Chapman.

For further information visit the Silo Theatre website.