Review: FA’AAFA and Big J Stylez
These were possibly my most anticipated shows of this year’s Fringe. FA’AAFA is presented by FAFSWAG, an Auckland based collective of artists who celebrate LGBTQ Pacific Islander culture. I’ve seen the photos, watched the interactive documentary, and read about their work so I was excited to see them in this year’s Fringe. Big J Stylez […]
Review: My Best Dead Friend
This is a story from a summer in Dunedin in 1998 when the possibilities were endless for Anya and her best friends. They have jobs at a cafe. They have their own space to share. The Backstreet Boys are at their peak. Enriched with exquisite details about Dunedin and intercut with asides about the state […]
Review: Future Playground
Future Playground is a series of booths in Shed 6 which explore digital artistry. There are VR videos, games and experiences along with augmented art*, light sculptures, and even a musical meditation to try. (Sadly I didn’t have time to try SUBPAC Sound Meditation. Everyone trying it looked very peaceful.) There are a limited number […]
Preview: Fringe shows to 11 March 2018
The Fringe Festival has officially started (YAY) and here is some publicity for shows that sent us their publicity. (Also check out the following – u can heal my life, Big J stylez, FA’AAFA , Sound and Fury: Live Art party. ) Pardon me Alan Turing on at BATS Theatre to 4 March 2018 Thousands of gay […]
Review: Rushes
Circa Theatre has been transformed into a series of performances areas featuring music, video, and contemporary dance. The audience follows the performers as they move through different spaces until we all end up at the same stage. Rushes is a fascinating and contradictory experience. It’s exciting to see Circa opened up even though it’s hidden […]
It’s Festivals time!
It’s almost that glorious point in Wellington’s calendar when the New Zealand Festival (23 February – 18 March), the Performance Arcade (23-25 Feb, 1-4 March) the Pride Festival (24 February – 10 March) and the NZ Fringe Festival Wellington (2-24 March) are all on at the same time. I love it for the exciting mix […]
Review: Aunty
AUNTY is billed as a family BBQ, and it certainly delivers. Half the opening night crowd was clearly back again after the first season, which adds to the ‘new partner at family Christmas’ vibe for first timers. Who hasn’t met a boisterous relation and silently wondered, ‘can I laugh? Am I going to be next?’ […]
Review: Body Double
Female desire, that most elusive of quarries. We should be chaste, but not prudish. Experienced, but not too slutty. Up for anything. Well, not that. Or that. Maybe just don’t talk about it? It’s enough to make a girl want to take a vow of celibacy and retire to a cave with a half-dozen rescued cats. […]
Review: Zest Food Tours
An eating tour of Wellington? That’s basically every weekend in my life, but it hadn’t occurred to me to try a structured one. Enter Zest Food Tours, who run eating extravaganzas masquerading as walking tours. Get your culture and history while also stuffing your face? Yes please. We took a condensed sampler version of the […]
Sacha Lees
Wellington artist Sacha Lees began her career working on The Lord of the Rings trilogy as an illustrator, airbrush artist and creature designer. These days Lees, originally from the West Coast, is a leading artist. She developed her painting technique in Florence and now specialises in the “fantastic” genre – a movement specialising in mythical creatures and […]