Hip-hop/jazz project headed by rapper Tom Scott, with an enviable cast of musicians — “a huge learned journey borne of lived experience”.
In a debut performance for the region, Tom Scott brings his hip-hop/jazz project, Avantdale Bowling Club, to the Theatre Royal, having won the Taite Music Prize, the Album of the Year and Hip-hop Artist at the 2019 Music Awards, a No. 1 album and a Silver Scroll song-writing nomination.
In Tom’s typically irreverent own words, the Spotify profile for the project says “Irrelevant jazz from an island nation off the coast of Antarctica.” The concert features an enviable cast of musicians – Tonga Vaea (vocals/keys/trumpet), Guy Harrison (keys/trumpet), JY Lee (saxophone), Ben Turua (upright bass/bass guitar) and Julien Dyne (drums).
For a sneak preview, visit https://www.nelsonartsfestival.nz/
“The album’s about home and its inhabitants, with all their inadequacies and complexities. It’s about finding peace in the little piece of land you stand on” Tom says.
Scott first emerged in 2007 with Home Brew, a band that still performs live. His other projects – Average Rap Band, @Peace, a new Average Man collaboration and his new label ‘Years Gone By’ – ensure that he continues to influence a generation of young rappers and push boundaries across genres.
R18
The Howard Morrison Quartet Take Two led by Howard Morrison Jnr take to the road in February with a two hour show to celebrate and recreate the magic of the New Zealand entertainment phenomenon that was the original Howard Morrison Quartet with superb vocals, entertainment, and first hand family stories.
The Howard Morrison Quartet is considered this country’s’ most successful show band who helped to create the New Zealand entertainment industry. Merging family-friendly music with unique New Zealand humour, they toured constantly during the 50’s and 60’s but reformed regularly throughout the subsequent decades to remain hugely popular. Its charismatic lead singer, the iconic Sir Howard Morrison also enjoyed a stellar solo career over many decades plus the love and respect of his country for the huge amount he gave back to the community.
Howard Morrison Jnr and his new Quartet, also featuring Russell Harrison, Chris Powley and Jack Grace (instead of Andre King who recently suffered a serious injury), will faithfully recreate a trip down memory lane for the followers of the original showband plus add new songs and magic of their own. Thanks to Covid these busy performers have been able to take time out from their international commitment to organise this long-awaited national tour in honour of Howie’s Dad and his much loved quartet. Even those not old enough to remember the original icons will be impressed by this super-group of award-winning New Zealand talent. Suitable for all ages.
Nayland College proudly presents a showcase of performing arts featuring the very best of Music, Dance and Drama. We welcome you to sit back and enjoy our 2020 students performing as spotlight soloists and as part of our talented ensembles.
The evening will celebrate a broad spectrum of performances from Concert Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, Broadgreen Intermediate Concert Band, our three choirs, Vast Dance, and the Drama Company.
The programme will appeal to a variety of artistic tastes with our all-encompassing talented students.
Nelson Youth Theatre Company presents the irrepressible comic strip heroine in one of the world's best-loved, award-winning musicals.
Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, Annie JR. features everyone’s favourite little redhead in her very first adventure.
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930's New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan's plans for her, and finds a new home and family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.
At only an hour long, Annie JR is the perfect show to introduce young children to the world of theatre!
Note - Very limited season, 6 performances over 3 days only.
It's 1955, and into a square little American town rides a guitar-playin' motorcycle ridin' roustabout who changes everything and everyone he meets in this hip-swivelling, lip-curling musical comedy.
Featuring the music of Elvis Presley and a script that's packed to the seams with comic one liners, Nelson Youth Theatre Company will have you jumpin' out of your blue suede shoes with such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel", "Jailhouse Rock", "Teddy Bear", "Hound Dog", "It's Now or Never", "Devil in Disguise", "One Night With You", "Don't Be Cruel" and of course the title song "All Shook Up".
Saddle up the family and come along for a trip back in time to the very beginnings of classic Rock 'n' Roll and celebrate the magic of the music of "The King".
Note: Limited season, 6 performances at 7pm only.
Dust off those musical theatre cobwebs and return to your seats to indulge in the magic of the very best songs from stage and screen.
Showcasing an all-star cast of New Zealand voices from the international stage, this glittering concert of musical theatre showstoppers is not one to miss. The Shows Must Go On features a spectacular song list of your favourite toe-tapping numbers from the world’s greatest musicals including The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables, Hairspray, Dreamgirls, The Greatest Showman, We Will Rock You and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
With stunning backdrops and theatrical staging, The Shows Must Go On is a night set to delight. Featuring an exquisite cast of some of our best international performers, The Shows Must Go On will be an experience you will never forget.
See www.theshows.co.nz for more info.
Imperfect Offering presents the music of the great singer-songwriter-poet Leonard Cohen. This acclaimed nine-piece band have sold-out concerts and created a huge audience following all over the North Island: “Utterly blown away, wow, just wow”… “Sometimes better than the originals”… This is their first visit to the South Island, catch them for ONE NIGHT ONLY.
Imperfect Offering have been performing around NZ for five years with the full range of Cohen’s best-loved songs including Hallelujah, Bird on a Wire, So Long Marianne as well as songs from Cohen’s intensely touching last albums with a full band line-up including five vocalists and acclaimed violinist Nick Jones.
The focus will be on Cohen’s life journey through his music on his first album Songs of Leonard Cohen in 1967 to his last album You Want it Darker released just weeks before his death in 2016. With a story that spans from a Jewish upbringing in Montreal, through Greek Island life with his muse Marianne to New York’s artist hang-out Chelsea Hotel to a Zen Buddhist sanctuary on Mount Baldy, Imperfect Offering will present the best songs from this journey.
“Cohen’s music was captured perfectly with the incredible talent of the whole band “ Radio13 2019
“Truly a special concert performed for the memory of a very special man.” Radio13 2018
NELSON! Are you ready to Drag up your Life once again?! Kelly Fornia is bringing her drag lip-sync extravaganza all around the country this 2020 and you better believe we're stepping foot in Nelson again! You took our breath away with your energy last year and we're coming at you with even more this time!
Drag up your Life features a fabulous selection of Wellington's finest Drag Queens & Kings as we bring you lip-syncs and Drag stage challenge realness honey that'll leave you GAGGED and your wigs SNATCHED. Thanks to such amazing shows as RuPaul's Drag Race, Drag has now been brought into the mainstream limelight and we're here to show that New Zealand Drag talent is not to be overlooked because we can sashay, shantay, twirl and kick as hard as the rest of the world! Oh and did we mention our show is PG! Which means you can bring the whole family along and enjoy a night full of wonderful Dragtastic performances!
Our fabulous cast consists of:
Kelly Fornia - Mx Capital Drag 2018 & TVNZ on Demand's House of Drag Season 2
Robin Yablind - Mister Burlesque Aotearoa 2018 & Supreme Grand Tease 2019
Harlie Lux - Mx Capital Drag 2017 & Miss Pinup New Zealand People's Choice 2018
Yonic K - Wellington's favourite Aunty
Selina Simone - Talk show hostess & Member of Haus of Sin
Unforutnately this event has been cancelled.
This show has been cancelled
Sri Lanka, an island nation in the Indian Ocean boasts about a documented history of over 2,500 years. Being a key trading post over several centuries connecting east and west of the ancient trade routes, the influence of Theravada Buddhism and the colonisation which began in 1500s with the arrival of the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and finally the British have mainly influenced Sri Lankan Cultural heritage to be so diverse and vibrant.
You'd be able to experience an authentic Sri Lankan cuisine which has close ties with South and Southeast Asian cuisines, and the notable influence of middle eastern and Dutch cuisines. A cultural performance, range of local games with a stall displaying key elements of the Sri Lankan heritage and adaptation of modern technology will be presented.
Event schedule:
11 15 AM: Cultural performance (Music, dance and performing arts)
12 30 - 2 PM: Lunch (enjoy an authentic Sri Lankan meal)
2 30 PM: Local games with prizes to be won (Indoor and outdoor activities)
11 AM - 4 PM: A stall displaying key elements of Sri Lankan heritage (including a unique opportunity to see how locals embrace technology at cultural/religious events)
Access to all of the above items is included in your 'General Admission' ticket.
