Hana (Awhimai Fraser) was sent away from the club in disgrace by owner Mr Sir (Tanemahuta Gray). She promises boyfriend, Ihia (Manuel Solomon), that she will return on a particular night if he dances from dawn to dusk. But she is frightened by his father Sir Sir, (Nathan Gray) and unsure as to how she […]
Celebrating Matariki with the best of Maori theatre and dance, the inaugural Ahi Kaa Festival officially opens tonight. In a city where some theatre practitioners think it’s okay to use blackface on stage because ‘it’s what the audience of the theatre form would have expected’ it is welcome. This festival will show off truly innovative work […]
The lights go up on a mostly bare stage. In the back half of the stage there is a sheet of plastic being used as a curtain. It’s snagged on a table. As it rises a figure becomes visible over a miniature cityscape. The light brightens to reveal not a cityscape but a mess of […]
The New Zealand Fringe Festival is coming at you with their 25th year of exciting, frightening, amazing, and puzzling works. As well as local artists there are 39 out-of-town acts bringing their stuff to Wellington. Prices are mostly under the $25 mark but the smart choice is to buy an Addict card. It’s only $15 […]
I’ve heard the complaints; World of Wearable Arts – WOW is for women of a certain age and is far too expensive. I’d not been to the show before so I couldn’t confirm or deny, but oh wow are those people wrong. To start with WOW to me was two experiences seamless melded together, and also […]
The New Zealand Fringe Festival has been going for a week and it’s got just over two more weeks to run. Sadly, I’ve only made it to two shows so far (because moving house) a pathetic effort really, because there are HEAPS. Cabaret, circus, comedy, dance, music, theatre, visual art – there are a lot of […]
This is part of Footnote’s Forte series which “has a specific objective to bring New Zealanders who have excelled off shore home to make work here.” Berlin based choreographer Lisa Densem has created a work set to music by Andrew Thomas. In the programme she writes the performance aim is “to create a structure that […]
Contact improvisation is a dance form in which the points where bodies touch provide a start for physical improvisation. Sometimes it’s the basis for set choreography, and sometimes, as in this case, the improvisation is the performance. This performance also included artists, musicians, singers, a photographer, and spoken word. We get to the performance space […]
There isn’t much of a description for this show on either the Fringe or the BATS website. It rather enigmatically says “”Fatu na toto” (The Planted Seeds). Expressed through the Language of Siva Samoa. “The sand at our feet will remain, we take pride moving forward with every grain”.” Thankfully the programme explains that “A […]