Honour welcomed as recognition of the arts
Playwright and dance theatre leader Jan Bolwell says her Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit award has given a welcome boost to the public profile of people in the arts.
Entertainment
Dunedin theatrical recharge
Dunedin theatrical recharge
A renaissance of theatre is set to flourish in Dunedin after two of the city’s top theatre companies received major funding grants.
Pre-Christmas tradition at town hall — hallelujah!
Pre-Christmas tradition at town hall — hallelujah!
On Tuesday evening, the Dunedin Town Hall resounded with music of one of the best-known oratorios, Messiah by George Frederik Handel.
Empty theatre awaiting fate
Empty theatre awaiting fate
The Fortune Theatre building in Dunedin will remain unused for the immediate future.
Play makes the most of its cathedral setting
Play makes the most of its cathedral setting
Murder in the Cathedral isn’t always performed in cathedrals, but the free scenery is an obvious advantage, and Jonathan Cweorth’s production makes the most of all St. Paul’s has to offer, write Barbara Frame.
Hanover Hall to host theatre awards
Hanover Hall to host theatre awards
Dunedin’s theatre community will celebrate the year’s achievements and most exciting moments at Monday’s 10th annual Dunedin Theatre Awards.
Ballet to tell Grimm tale anew
Ballet to tell Grimm tale anew
Loughlan Prior and Claire Cowan let their imaginations run wild when creating Hansel and Gretel for the Royal New Zealand Ballet. They tell Rebecca Fox about ticking off a few firsts.
Making the most of every word
Making the most of every word
Having to think about each word you say or risk breaching a draconian word limit law raises some interesting questions in Arcade Theatre’s latest production. Rebecca Fox talks to the actors faced...
Show 'reeks as great theatre'
Show 'reeks as great theatre'
Emmett Hardie has taken on a complicated family saga steeped in Dunedin history for his directorial debut. Rebecca Fox reports.
Universal appeal
Universal appeal
Erina Daniels is bringing a play about her family home for her ‘‘southern’’ family to see. She tells Rebecca Fox about discovering stories about aunts, uncles and cousins are universal.
Pie shop story offers many quirky moments
Pie shop story offers many quirky moments
Mr Red Light is the author of his own inept plot.
A beacon of truth
A beacon of truth
As a former University of Otago drama student, Ben Crowder is looking forward to bringing his latest production to Dunedin. Rebecca Fox talks to Crowder and actress Jennifer Ludlam about Mr Red Light.
Pair added to festival line-up
Pair added to festival line-up
After an extensive search for hot new writing talent across New Zealand, the fifth New Zealand Young Writers Festival will start in Dunedin next week.
Igniting imaginations
Igniting imaginations
For the first time, Janet Frame’s first full-length work, Owls Do Cry, will be brought to life on stage. Red Leap artistic director Julie Nolan tells Rebecca Fox about the pressure of premiering...
All the world's a stage
All the world's a stage
Actors from Heidelberg, Germany (from left) Dennis Massman, Paul Hopkins, Sophie Ziegler and Johanna Englebrecht prepare a scene from The Getaway, by German playwright Paul Liedvogel.
Girl's polar adventure effectively presented
Girl's polar adventure effectively presented
Barbara Frame reviews A Hundred Words for Snow at the New Athenaeum.
Final moments of 'A Doll's House' 'genuinely shocking'
Final moments of 'A Doll's House' 'genuinely shocking'
Emily Perkins’ adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 original moves the setting to present-day New Zealand, and the home of builder Theo and his resourceful, impulsive, generous wife Nora.
Challenging the audience
Challenging the audience
Chicago-based producer and director Tanya Palmer will have some advice for young playwrights when she visits Dunedin for next week’s Unesco Cities of Literature Short Play Festival. She tells...
Same but different
Same but different
Ophelia Thinks Harder turns Shakespeare on its head and gives local actors a chance to see his work in a different light, Lynne Keen and Helen Fearnley tell Rebecca Fox.
Students prepare for Short Play Festival
Students prepare for Short Play Festival
Jacobean farce, comic murder mystery, and the intersection of technology and romantic love.