Fierce, furious, fabulously unforgiving: from its premiere at Auckland Arts Festival comes the celebrated stage adaptation of Tusiata Avia’s unapologetic poetry collection.
Inspired by the poems of celebrated New Zealand Samoan poet, Tusiata Avia who became the first female Pasifika poet to win the Ockham Book Award for poetry for The Savage Coloniser Book, this show presents a sometimes blistering, sometimes amusing, but always clear-eyed examination of colonisation and the continually thorny subjects of race in Aotearoa.
Following on from the triumphant, internationally acclaimed Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, and again under the artful direction of Anapela Polata’ivao, Avia’s examination of race and racism, the colonised and the coloniser, is full of bold humour, courage and lacerating truths.
Not to be missed!
“a production of unparalleled excellence” - Spinoff
“honest, disruptive, and empowering” - Theatrescenes
ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAMME
The Friday 20th of October performance of The Savage Coloniser Show will be New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) Interpreted. This performance will no longer be Audio Described.
For more information please email [email protected] or call 027 241 4599.
To book reserved seats close to the front of the stage for a good view of the interpreter/performance, call the Theatre Royal or NCMA Box Office on 03 548 9477, or email [email protected].
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Age 14+. The content of this show touches on important but difficult historical societal themes such as colonisation, slavery, genocide, sexual abuse and racism. Contains strong language.
Supported by: Innit Creative
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat – Live on Stage!
Yikes, the school holidays are coming. What to do with YOUR Thing One and Thing Two?! Here’s an idea, bring the whole family to The Cat in the Hat for an experience they’ll never forget. The story has been around for over 50 years and kids still love it, just like you did.
Two bored kids. (This was way before iPads). One rainy day. (We’ve all had a few of those.) And one crazy cat wearing a red-striped hat. (Where was the background check for that babysitter?!) In 1957, Dr Seuss used only 200 words to write his classic tale. More than 50 years later, The Cat in the Hat is a much-loved children’s phenomenon.
The play was adapted for the stage in 2009 by the National Theatre of Britain. The Cat in the Hat interrupts this rainy afternoon with his unexpected visit to Sally and her brother’s cozy home. Their outspoken and outraged pet Fish is astounded and concerned, but this cat will not be deterred. He will teach us all to make our own fun with nothing but a little imagination. “It’s fun to have fun, but you have to know how.” Along with Thing One and Thing Two, the cat will fill the theatre with mischievous humour and madcap style.
Young and old alike will delight in this lively adaptation of a classic book coming to life before your very eyes. Spoiler alert: Things run amuck, and quickly!
The 2023 Gala Concert is the final event in the three-week Nayland College Arts Festival, which includes an Art Exhibition at Greenmeadows, Vast Dance Festival, a Drama production, Solo Performing Arts Competition, and a Contemporary Music showcase.
Join our instrumental groups, choirs, dancers and actors for this wonderful celebration of the Arts, culminating in a fabulous finale showcasing New Zealand Music.
New Zealand's sexiest and most successful comedy of all time is about to get its gear off again, in a nationwide tour this September and October!
This hilarious new production of Ladies Night promises to be this year's funniest night out as these real Kiwi blokes dare each other to put on a male strip show, after falling down on their luck and needing some extra cash. A spur of the moment idea rapidly becomes a reality as the venue is booked and the seats sold.
With the terrifying prospect of actually having to strip in front of the public only moments away, Craig, Barry, Norm, Wes and Gavin set about transforming themselves from beer belly to Six Pack.
Follow them on their journey as they get to grips with the finer points of seduction, stripping and the perfect wax job. Think Magic Mike with a double shot of Kiwi humour.
LADIES NIGHT will feature New Zealand’s hottest actor, Mike Edward (Shortland Street, Power Rangers, The Brokenwood Mysteries, Spartacus) as head stripper Barry and Mark Wright (Shortland Street, Power Rangers) as Bernie the sleazy nightclub owner.
Playing the role of Barry sees Mike come the full circle, his career launching in 1993 with an appearance in Ladies Night 2 – plucked from relative obscurity as a muscle-bound decathlete with an interest in the stage.
Mike, who has headed up the Dust Palace circus theatre for the past 15 years, says he can relate to Barry, feeling a little physically broken after years of stunt and aerial work, including stunts on James Cameron’s Avatar, yet still grafting his way in the world.
Written in 1987 by Anthony McCarten and Stephen Sinclair, Ladies Night was a global theatrical hit. The precursor to stage hits like Magic Mike starring hunky Channing Tatum, LADIES NIGHT has been translated into 16 languages and remains New Zealand’s most commercially successful play of all time.
After eight sell-out tours of Britain, it went on to win The Molière Prize, France’s premiere theatre award for comedy, in 2001.
R16
The outspoken Lizzy Bennet is determined to never marry, despite mounting pressure from society. But can she really resist love, especially when the impossibly aggravating Mr. Darcy keeps popping up at every turn? Literature’s greatest tale of latent love has never felt so theatrical, or so full of life than it does in this hilarious adaptation. Because what turns us into greater fools than the high-stakes game of love?
This delightful, hilarious, and audacious adaptation has something for everyone, whether you're a die-hard Austen fan or experiencing the story for the first time. With humor, heart, and a whole lot of romance, this effervescent adaptation is sure to leave you swooning!
Nelson Youth Theatre presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat!
Joseph is a bright, fun and musically entertaining take on the biblical life of Joseph, his father Jacob and his brothers, featuring many favourites, including Pharaoh’s ‘Song of the King’, ‘Joseph’s Coat’, ‘Go, Go Go Joseph’, ‘Close Every Door’ and ‘Any Dream Will Do’. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will surely have you smiling ear to ear!
Be entertained by Funn Youth, the local talent of youth improvisers from around the Nelson and Tasman region. Each school/college will perform improvised scenes, full of spontaneaty and on the spot wit.
You the audience get to be part of the fun by giving suggestions of where the scene is set, or who the scenes are about. You will wonder how they came up with those characters and engaging story lines on the spot! The scenes performed will be completely made up and will never be seen again, so don't miss out and come support your family and friends who are brave and fearless!
Jo and Tom Macbeth are experienced professional actors who have a reputation as Shakespearean specialists. It is the opening night of a production of Macbeth, 30 minutes before curtain up. In the dressing room, something major has happened. Not great timing.
Crisp, sharp dialogue, revelations and discoveries on both sides provide moments of emotion, accusations and crackling synergy. With a crisis just before the interval, disaster seems imminent. The second half is filled with every actor's nightmare - being in the wrong play at the wrong time, especially when Taika Waititi is in the house casting for his Amazon-funded film version of the Shakespearian tragedy.
Enjoy a rollercoaster ride of comedy, drama, poignancy and explosive conflict, as these two stage dynamos reveal the highs and lows of partnerships, on and off the stage. Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Dodson Valley Road will appeal to all, including people who hated Shakespeare at school.
The award-winning Barden Party is coming back to the Theatre Royal for a special performance of its hilarious brand of family-friendly musical Shakespeare.
This time around it is a ‘rockabilly retelling’ of Much Ado About Nothing - the Bard’s tale of love, mischief and mistaken identity - featuring music from Dave Dobbyn, Billy Joel and Outkast.
Born in Laura Irish’s Nelson backyard during the Covid traffic light system, as a way to bring entertainment to local audiences, the Barden Party went on to tour Aotearoa, and pick up awards and accolades along the way. Then they embarked on an epic 5-state tour of the United States, building support and audiences as they went. This season, its performance of Much Ado About Nothing expanded with sell-out tours to Auckland, Rotorua, Taranaki, Invercargill and the West Coast.
This is a Nelson success story - giving incredible emerging performers the support to work on their craft while delighting audiences who thought Shakespeare might not be for them. And this is only the beginning, with further plans for international expansion!
So come and celebrate the final show of season two of The Barden Party, with a special showing of Much Ado featuring all company members performing on stage for the first time ever!
Seussical is a fantastical, magical, musical extravaganza!
Our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, The Cat in the Hat, Gertrude McFuzz, lazy Mayzie and a little girl with a big imagination - Jojo, transport us from the Jungle of Nool to the Circus McGurkus to the invisible world of the Whos.
The Cat in the Hat tells the story of Horton, an elephant who discovers a speck of dust that contains the Whos, including Jojo, a Who child sent off to military school for thinking too many "thinks". Horton faces a double challenge: not only must he protect the Whos from a world of naysayers and dangers, but he must guard an abandoned egg, left in his care by the irresponsible Mayzie La Bird. Although Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately, the powers of friendship, loyalty, family and community are challenged and emerge triumphant.
Seussical is fun for the whole family!
SPECIAL SATURDAY FAMILY MATINEE. Children (AND ADULTS) are invited to dress up as their favourite Seuss character and come on stage for a photo with the cast!
Musicians will be accompanying the show from the Orchestra Pit.
Show duration: approx. 75 minutes, no interval
