Soft Tissue is an abstract theater creation from Ella Gilbert.The play claims to be “an affectionate comedy about the absurd performances of the ‘weaker’ sex. It moves between observations and conversations — explores the sexy, the grotesque and the beautiful parts of being human — and laughs at them along the way.” But what was […]
I will always be happy to see queer stories on stage. No matter what shape they take, they are defying the norms of heterosexuality or cisnormativity, and that continues to make me lean in for more. Mating in Captivity had the potential for a beautiful queer story, inside the captivity of Annie and Rob’s heterosexual […]
I sat down with Keegan Bragg and Ben Wilson, the director and the writer of Almost Sober, a new thirteen-person theatre show currently being performed at Club 121 in the CBD. We talked about their show, why theatre shouldn’t just be for theatre people and how Almost Sober is a love letter to Wellington’s nightlife. […]
Almost Sober Interview With Keegan Bragg and Ben Wilson By Emma Maguire I sat down with Keegan Bragg and Ben Wilson, the director and the writer of Almost Sober, a new thirteen-person theatre show currently being performed at Club 121 in the CBD. We talked about their show, why theatre shouldn’t just be for […]
“Everyone has a story” is the catchphrase of this critically acclaimed, one-woman play starring Ali Harper. The show is a tribute to five female musical legends: Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, and Maria Callas. Directed by Ross Gumbley, the production focuses on the storytelling aspect with a minimalist approach to performance. Richard Van […]
Hannah Gadsby’s Netflix special Nanette is something special. The introduction to Gadsby’s set tells the story of a gay woman trying to survive in rural Tasmania, a state where (until 1997) being homosexual was illegal. Gadsby gives her first impressions of identifying as a lesbian with deadpan delivery. She tells a story of when she […]
This tale is one of glowing tussocks and toi toi, Māori legend, tikanga, and karaoke. It takes the audience from their seats and into a tale about whānau and the secrets we keep to protect one another. Trae Te Wiki (25) is joined by her younger sister Tial (11) onstage. Together they make up the […]
Joshua Kingsford’s Comedy Festival show really bugged me. His gangly frame jaunted onto stage, with all the charm and naivety of a newly-born red haired giraffe. His set was full of light-hearted jokes about being a ginger, his dad’s post retirement life being totally subsumed by The Chase, and bumbling Facebook messenger banter with women […]
Still Life with Chickens is a little slice of Mama’s (Goretti Chadwick) life. Set in her garden where she seems most herself and most at peace (i.e. away from Papa, her husband), it’s a one woman show, with interjections from Papa (Ene Petaia) within the house, and also a rebel chicken which she names Moa, […]