Review: The First Time – on at BATS theatre

I often look at awkward, self-conscious teens and want to tell them that life is going to be OK. Those years of experiencing things for the first time can strike you down with a plethora of feelings from ecstasy to misery. ‘The First Time’ explores all of those feelings as five talented women take to […]

Review: Dank Comedy: The National Average

Dank Presents is a series of experimental comedy shows created by Wellington comedians and producers. Hosted by Fringe Bar this Fringe, every show is different. I saw The National Average, based on an award winning routine in BATS Theatre’s Late Night Knife Fight. Jonny Potts and Matt Powell are brothers Cosmo and Carl, left a whisky/whiskey […]

More Fringe Festival: The Institute of Refuge in Art

Black Coffee in Newtown is hosting the Institute of Refuge in Art exhibition. Each piece has been created using discarded artworks. All recreated artwork will be up for sale over the week with 50% of the proceeds going towards Vinnies Wellington social services. Have a chat with Carmel from Black Coffee if you’re interested in any […]

Preview: Māoriland Film Festival 15-19 March 2017

The Māoriland Film Festival 2017 programme includes multi-award winning features, documentaries and short films. Of the award winning feature films, there are eight New Zealand premieres. “Indigenous filmmakers are very keen to screen at Māoriland as they consider it to be the most important festival in the Southern hemisphere,” said Māoriland Charitable Trust chair Tainui […]

On now: Pūtahi Festival

Tawata Productions in association with Victoria University of Wellington and Wellington City Council proudly presents Pūtahi Festival, 2017. The Festival is a presentation of works in development (and is a darn good time). Everything is showing at Studio 77, 77 Fairlie Terrace, Kelburn, Wellington. Most shows are koha but it pays to book a ticket so […]

Review: Faovale Imperium

This is an experimental spoken word/poetry event. James Nokise explores Captain James Cook’s voyage through the Pacific. It’s presented from several different points of view – Cook, his wife, an outside narrator. Some of the pieces are funny. Some are more reflective. Some, I think, are supposed to be funny, but we don’t laugh. There’s […]

Review of Paying for it and Easy living

Paying for it: an insider’s guide to the NZ sex industry The Prostitution Reform Act was passed in 2003 but apparently sex work is still a controversial job choice. As one of the speakers says “It seems like never is a good time to talk about sex work. “ So it’s really neat that several […]

Review: Ze: queer as fuck!

A monologue of self discovery from a genderqueer, kinky, femmesexual, polyminded, gay-divorcee. From the opening sequence through to the end, this well constructed show fulfills the programme promise that “by the end of this show you will know more about me than most people care to learn and hopefully something about yourself.” Through seven pivotal […]

Review: Manifesto 2083

On July 22, 2011, Anders Behring Breivik killed 77 people and injured more than 200 in Norway. Before he attacked his fellow citizens he sent out a 1500 page manifesto containing racist propaganda, philosophical reflections, bomb manuals, interviews he conducted with himself and diary entries. Danish theatre makers Christian Lollike, Olaf Højgaard and Tanja Diers […]

Review: Out of Darkness

Every year millions of women and children around the world are trafficked and trapped in sexual exploitation. Using stories of real survivors, Out of Darkness presented by the Just Be Collective, follows the emotional journey of Alice as she is trafficked into sexual exploitation and then rescued and restored to find her way back to […]