Theatre productions
View the wide range of theatre productions that our staff collaborate on.
ONO (2023)
A brand new polylogue by six Māori and Pasifika playwrights.
Co-directed by Nicola Hyland (Te Atihaunui-a-Pāpārangi and Ngāti Hauiti) & Sally Richards, at Circa Theatre.
ONO is a collection of six new monologues of Māori and Pasifika writers especially commissioned for TAHI New Zealand Festival of Solo Performance 2023. Six unique voices from Aotearoa.
These six stories weave together concepts of aroha/alofa, in a myriad of ways: as both tūingoa (noun) and tūmahi (verb). From learning to love our tīnana, to the mysteries of sisters; from lost and loveless fathers to a whānau bound by struggl; from a cautionary tale of inherited power to the love stories which thread through a whakapapa - ONO will take you to the heart of humanity itself. Starring Erina Daniels, Robert Ringiao-Llyod and Kaisa Fa'atui.
About the Director: Nicola Hyland
Dr. Drama Makes A Musical (2023)
Written and performed by James Wenley, at BATS Theatre.
Musicals are one of the world’s most popular art forms. They are also one of the world’s most misunderstood.
Growing up obsessed with musicals, Dr Drama (theatre lecturer James Wenley) knows what it is like to feel misunderstood. In this toe tapping meta-musical, Dr Drama spills all the secrets about how musicals are made whilst exploring what his own love for musicals reveals about his values, asexuality and life decisions.
Whether you’re a musical fan or foe, you’ll learn something new from Dr Drama’s musical masterclass.
A show about what we value and why, Dr Drama asks: what’s really worth making a song and dance about?
Featuring an original score of seven brand new songs composed by Phoebe Caldeiro (When Booty Calls, Cocked and Loaded).
About the Writer/Performer: James Wenley
The Lost Art of Letter Writing (2023)
Created by Joel Baxendale, Freya Daly Sadgrove, Ralph Upton and Lucas Neal. Design by Lucas Neal
Love notes and travel stories, heartbreak and haiku – signed, sealed and delivered by you. The Lost Art of Letter Writing is a chance for you to send letters to, and receive them from, strangers. Find the custom-designed bureaus on the ground floor of Tūranga to address, write, send and/or receive your letter. The bureaus include everything you need, from ink to inspiration. Our WORD posties will be delivering mail across the various festival sites, including Tūranga, New Regent Street, The Piano and the Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora.
About the Designer: Lucas Neal
Wonderkind (2023)
Directed by Kerryn Palmer for Capital E Bite Size Treats, Soundings Theatre, Te Papa.
Join fledgling friends, Tim and Em, as they set off on a journey around the world and beyond. Everyday objects transform and come to life as they explore the depths of the ocean and the plains of the Savanna before turning their eyes towards the stars…
Wonderkind is a brand-new, magical theatre experience for children that explores the endless possibilities for wonder and joy that lie in true friendship.
Combining puppetry, live performance, stunning visual design, a delightful original music score and the epic power of imagination, Wonderkind will take you and your ākonga on a journey of a lifetime.
About the Director: Kerryn Palmer
The Tempest (2023)
Directed by Megan Evans for Summer Shakespeare.
Enough? What does 'enough' look, sound, feel, taste, and smell like? In The Tempest, Shakespeare's Prospero is an occupier, an enslaver, and a revenge-seeker, Shakespeare's Prospero often speaks for others, even about their own experiences. In developing this production, we have looked for opportunities to let characters speak more for themselves. We have also worked hard to unsettle Prospero's settled assumption: that he has earned his 'supernatural' powers; that he is entitled to direct these powers as he sees fit; and that he can afford to ignore the mounting costs of his actions.
Humans need to change many things about the ways we live - both for future (human) generations and for the sake of the myriad of other beings and systems with which we share this beautiful planet. As Prospero achieves many of his goals, he also begins to see evidence of unintended burdens and consequences. By the end of the play, he voluntarily sets down his 'rough magic,' accepts his own flawed humanity as 'enough,' and opens space for healing to begin. To change everything, we need everyone. We need climate scientists and sociologists and engineers. But we also need actors and artists and audiences to help imagine new ways - wide, faire, co-creative ways of preparing together for the tempests to come.
About the Director: Megan Evans
Hamlet (2019)
By William Shakespeare, directed by David O’Donnell.
The 2019 Summer Shakespeare production of Hamlet in the Dell, Wellington Botanical Gardens was a resounding success, with over 3,000 tickets sold for the two and a half week season. The production featured 26 VUW students, staff and alumni in the cast and crew. These included SEFTMS graduates Stevie Hancox-Monk, Mitch Tawhi Thomas and Maggie White in the central roles of Hamlet, Claudius and Gertrude. Three graduates from the first cohort of the new MFA (CP) in Theatre took key roles in the production : Sam Tippet (stage manager), Lucas Neal (Lead Designer) and Joel Rudolph (Sound designer).The production was directed by VUW staff member David O’Donnell working closely with Theatre Programme Director Lori Leigh as assistant director and dramaturg.
Lori’s research expertise in Shakespeare and gender was central to the production concept of a female Hamlet, which was greeted enthusiastically by reviewers. Emma Maguire wrote: ‘Hancox-Monk’s performance as Hamlet is excellent – bringing a very visceral energy to a well-hewn character. It’s very rare that we get to see mad women – or at least, mad women who aren’t fringed in favor of masculine narratives – and it was a pleasure to watch. She captivates the audience, playing Hamlet with a welcome self-awareness.’ Emilie Hope commented ‘Why do we need a female Hamlet? It’s more reflective of our world today: women are taking centre stage in social justice spaces, the political circuit, and art fields, and if art is reflective of society, it makes sense to see women centre stage (literally!) at The Dell.’ Veteran critic John Smythe wrote, ‘It’s fascinating how enjoyable a well-wrought tragedy can be...this Hamlet marks a high point for Wellington Summer Shakespeare.’
About the Director: David O'Donnell
Photo: Gertrude (Maggie White) and Hamlet (Stevie-Hancox-Monk)
Look Mum...No Hands!!! (2018)
Devised by the indelabilityarts ensemble with script support from Emma Workman, directed by Catarina Hebbard and Rebecca Alexander, production managed by Sarah Thomasson.
Are you a fan of Trivia? Stand-up? Karaoke? Then this is the show for you! Get set for a wild night of side-splitting antics, glorious music and heart-warming stories as the indelabilityarts cast prepare to take to the stage at their local annual open-mic night. No two shows are ever the same. This is not a bar where you can take a back seat, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. Remember when you enter the Legless Bar, anything can happen and probably will. This performance is Auslan interpreted and suitable for people aged 15+.
LOOK MUM...NO HANDS!!! [The Legless Bar Years] is Indelabilityarts’ first mainstage show. A night filled with fun, laughter, karaoke, drinks, trivia & more drinks. With sold out seasons @ RPAC, Brisbane Powerhouse, The Arts Centre Gold Coast & a successful season @ Adelaide Fringe Fest in February 2018! Look Mum...No Hands!!! has been proudly supported by Brisbane City Council's Community Development and Capacity Building Grants, Redland Performing Arts Centre, Brisbane Powerhouse, The Arts Centre Gold Coast and the Adelaide Fringe Artist Fund.
About the Production Manager: Sarah Thomasson
Photo credits: Nick Morrissey
Under Milk Wood (2017)
By Dylan Thomas, directed by Nicola Hyland.
The students of THEA 302 and THEA 308 present Under Milk Wood: a ‘hip-hopera’. Combining the kaupapa of hip-hop with the flair of doo-wop, this is a contemporary and localised take on Dylan Thomas’ iconic 1954 radio play. Drawing on the moral panic against kiwi youth in the aftermath of the Mazengarb report, this version recasts young people as the spokespeople, rather than scapegoats, for a diverse community. Music! Dancing! Rapping! Watch this cast of talented young performers transform Thomas’ Welsh fishing village into a seaside town in 1950s New Zealand. Purists may not approve, but we think the great Rock Star Poet would be all over this!
About the Director: Nicola Hyland
Two Belles in Love: A Romance (2017)
Directed by Megan Evans. Presented by Victoria University of Wellington Theatre Programme.
Adapted from a 350-year-old lesbian romantic comedy by Li Yu, with new music by Ailise Beales.
Two intelligent and beautiful young women meet by chance, exchange poems, fall in love, and pledge to reunite in their next lives as a heterosexual couple. They then devise a clever plan that will allow them to 'sleep on the same pillow' as wife and wife in this life. Because it is one woman’s exquisite fragrance that sparks the initial attraction, the play was also known as The Fragrant Companion. A team of Fragrance Gods assists the women in overcoming the many obstacles set by a conventional society. Singing and laughter accompany them along the difficult path to a happy ending.
About the Director: Megan Evans
My Name is Gary Cooper (2015)
By Victor Rodger, directed by David O'Donnell at Kumu Kahua Theatre, Honolulu
A young Samoan man visits a Los Angeles family to deal with some unsettled issues.
Rodger, a playwright of Samoan ancestry, deals with themes of race, racism and identity. In My Name is Gary Cooper, he combines knowledge of classic Hollywood films about the South Pacific with a determination to bring Pacific Island characters to the foreground. He says, “[In] Hollywood’s…South Pacific films…white characters entered the brown world and stirred things up. What if, I wondered, a brown character entered the white world instead, and stirred things up? What would it look like?” This play answers the question.
About the Director: David O'Donnell