Everyone's favourite ogre is back in an hilarious tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey, alongside a wise-cracking donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy and a fire breathing dragon and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero.
Luckily there's one on hand and his name is Shrek!
Nayland College’s diverse Performing Arts programme brings Dance, Drama and Music to the Theatre Royal stage in the annual showcase of exceptional performance talent. The school takes part in several annual activities including Smokefree Rockquest, The NZCF Big Sing Choral competition, the MEFA Band and Orchestra Festival (Wellington), the Vast Dance Festival and numerous other Arts activities.
This evening gives the Nayland and Nelson Communities the opportunity to support youth performance and have an enjoyable night out at this celebration of creativity, talent and hard work!
India’s skies once teemed with vultures. Now they’ve vanished - and Kutisar needs one to guide him to paradise.
Award-winning Jacob Rajan delivers a dazzling performance, complete with puppetry, a dash of Bollywood disco and serious laughter.
This true-life mystery will blow your mind and melt your heart faster than an ice-cream in the Bombay sun.
“Sheer theatrical joy” - Australian Stage
Get Ready to Be Amazed and Laugh: Hilarious Comedy Hypnosis Show in Nelson!
Looking for a night full of laughter, jaw-dropping moments, and a touch of eerie fun? Don’t miss Haiming Jiang’s Comedy Hypnosis Show in Nelson! As seen on TV1’s Seven Sharp and viral on TikTok, Haiming delivers a high-energy, one-of-a-kind show that blends comedy, hypnosis, and just the right amount of creepy excitement.
Get ready for endless laughs, surprises, and a little chill as Haiming combines traditional Chinese Qigong with hypnosis to create truly wild moments. Volunteers will take the stage for unforgettable and hilarious challenges that will leave you amazed! As a life coach, Haiming also shares powerful insights to help shift your mindset, making this show not only fun but also life-changing!
This family-friendly show is fun for all ages! Kids will love the silly, slightly creepy moments, and adults will be captivated by the hypnotic feats and wild comedy. Whether you're new to hypnosis or a seasoned fan, Haiming’s show will keep you laughing and amazed!
RQP presents Showquest - a night to celebrate creative rangatahi.
Showquest is a nationwide performing arts programme and a platform for youth voices to be heard. Be amazed by original stage performances combining Art, Music, Dance, Drama, Culture and Technology. Students design, produce and perform their stories in a powerful night of celebration with the community.
Young designers will follow the performances with the TOI wearable art showcase - prepare to be WOWed! Watch friendly inter-school rivalries heat up as ākonga explore the issues that are important to them. Join friends and whānau in supporting local emerging talent on the big stage!
Showquest and TOI are proudly presented by RQP, champions for young creators and producers of Smokefreerockquest, Smokefree Tangata Beats, Rockshop Bandquest, OnScreen and Stills.
The Glow Show is an extraordinary experience that educates as it entertains, delivering an utterly original event for the whole family.
The magical Matariki Glow Show will tour New Zealand from May 2025, through the school terms and holidays! The Glow Show is an extraordinary experience that educates as it entertains, delivering an utterly original event for all the family.
This year, the Glow Show tells the story of te kāhui whetū o Matariki (the star cluster/whānau of Matariki) as they gather to light up the skies for te tau hou Māori (Māori New Year). But where is the smallest star, Waipuna-a-rangi? Could the little one be lost in the moana?
The Glow Show brings the beautiful Matariki myths to life with its unique puppets, intriguing tamariki wherever it goes.
Delightfully told in te reo Māori and English, the Matariki Glow Show shares themes of whakawhanaungatanga, friendship and togetherness. It offers a truly memorable experience with positive and uplifting messages for tamariki.
Toitū Te Tiriti. From 10 to 19 November 2024, thousands of New Zealanders walked together from Te Heringa Wairua Cape Reinga to parliament.
Hikoi Āwhiowhio is an anthology of stories told by those from Te Tauihu who joined the Hikoi in 2024 to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand. These stories are woven together with poetry by Donna McLeod.
The journey starts at Kaiteretere beach with karakia acknowledging the Nelson Tenths and unresolved grief, following the ferry trip and plane flights across Te Moana o raukawa - Cook Strait, followed by marching and to standing before the Beehive.
These are the voices of pēpē, tamariki, rangitahi, pakeke, kaumatua, and whānau. Through waiata, haka, karakia, whiti and kōrero in Te Reo Māori, English and other languages, and taonga pūoro, their stories are told.
This is intergenerational, this is bicultural, this is multicultural, this is Aotearoa.
Presented in partnership with Nelson Festivals Trust.
Coal Miner’s Daughter celebrates the incredible life of the late great Loretta Lynn, from her early days in the hills of Kentucky to her tempestuous marriage, tragic losses and enduring bonds with such luminaries as Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, across a stellar career, till her final send off to country music heaven in October 2022.
Amber Joy Poulton (Loretta Lynn), Lizzie Moore (Patsy Cline) and The Preacher Denis Surmon (Conway Twitty & Willie Nelson), along with kickin' band The Holy Men, will sing the story of and celebrate Loretta Lynn. In floor length gowns adorned with tassels and rhinestones, with hair as close to country music heaven as possible, where country music started and still should be, in the theatre, just like the Grand Ole Opry, and it's coming to New Zealand!
This inspiring show was a smash hit at the 2025 Tamworth Country Music Festival and has played to packed theatres across Australia since its debut in 2017, but it's New Zealand that has been screaming out for a tour and the cast couldn't be more excited for their first New Zealand tour in October 2025. They will have you tappin' your toes, tilting your head and falling in love with country music all over again with hits like 'Coal Miner's Daughter', 'You Ain't Woman Enough To Take My Man', 'Crazy', 'You're Lookin' At Country', 'Walkin' After Midnight', 'One's On The Way', 'Stand By Your Man', 'Faded Love' and more.
On their return to the stage post covid for their 2022 tour, Amber Joy Poulton and the cast of Coal Miner’s Daughter played to more than 10,000 people across Australia and in an eerie twist of fate, were performing opening night at the very moment of Loretta’s sad passing in Tennessee in 2022.
This is a show not to be missed and with the passing of the great Loretta Lynn, there is no better time to celebrate her music.
"Loretta Lynn paved the way for women like me in country music to take centre stage" - Amber Joy Poulton star of Coal Miner's Daughter
When the Theatre Royal is not in use, we can take small groups on a tour around the building.
Learn about the history and the major refurbishment, look at 19th century artefacts, and see the technical side of the theatre, with backstage and on stage access.
Please note, there are quite a few stairs to negotiate.
Maximum 10 people.
Additional tour dates will be added.
Alternative days may be available upon request.
Nelson Repertory Theatre presents the beloved Broadway classic musical.
Step into the enchanting world of My Fair Lady and the story of Eliza Doolittle, a spirited Cockney flower girl with big dreams, and Henry Higgins, a brilliant but arrogant phonetics professor. Higgins bets he can transform Eliza into a proper lady of society through speech and manners alone; their unlikely journey of self-discovery, romance and transformation begins.
With charming and witty songs like 'I Could Have Danced All Night' and 'Wouldn't It Be Loverly', you are in for a real musical treat; featuring the creme de la creme of Nelson’s acting and singing talent.
Director - Lynley Bradshaw
Musical Director - Chris Lukies
Book and Lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner
Music by Frederick Loewe
