Courtney Rose Brown and Bethany Miller Invaders From Mars is a devised show designed to question the role of fear. It is inspired and told through the lense of 50s American sci-fi films. Presented by Long Cloud Youth Theatre and directed by Brett Adam, Invaders From Mars is a strange and enjoyable show.
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Courtney Rose Brown Lungs written by Duncan Macmillan is a two-hander play that focuses on the journey of a relationship. It follows the complexities and excitements of the couple figuring out their stance on having children and how to combat global warming at the same time. Presented by Show Pony and directed by Dean Hewison, Lungs opened last night at Circa Theatre and is of the most moving and insightful shows I have ever seen.
Corey Spence  After its highly successful Wellington debut in 2015, the Short+Sweet Festival returns to Wellington this year for an equally hyped season. Short+Sweet comprises of several ten-minute pieces (either standalone or part of something larger) in an effort to showcase current projects. The roster this year features eight unique pieces, all of which were highly entertaining to view—well done to all the creatives involved in putting the season and its respective performances together.
Zoe Joblin In Circle of Sound and Story, performers share story and song through a rotating rhythm of open scenes and a capella music making. It begins it’s journey as the whole cast barrel onstage with their excitement in hot pursuit. Their Melbourne-based Director, Linda Calgaro, gives a brief welcome and the cycle begins almost immediately.
Courtney Rose Brown The Gaps Between is a collaboration between creators Sebastian Morgan-Lynch and Tim Henwood. The Gaps Between packs the combination of original compositions, cello, short stories and projection into a ninety minute show presented at Circa Theatre this week.
Morgan-Lynch’s musical movements look effortless making him enchanting to watch as he sits on a small black raised platform and plays the cello. Tim Henwood’s design is beautiful and each component of his design complements each other as well as the music. There are subtleties in his lighting design that join the composition of his abstract imagery, photography of Wellington and blurs of colour. His operation is also excellent for timing with the music. Aimee Smith Finding purpose, making connections, and letting go - the matter at the heart of musical Ordinary Days is, yes, ordinary. However Backyard Theatre’s production proves these simple matters are the most important. This musical strips back any paint and gaud to tell us several simple stories over one intimate hour, with a delicate sparseness that leaves a strong mark.
Courtney Rose Brown  The Museum of Broken Relationships is a showcase show at BATS Theatre this year as part of the New Zealand Improv Festival. Directed by Christine Brooks, the cast comprises of six festival participants. The premise is simple. Each scene features relationships with a focus on their downfall. In the foyer the audience are asked to write down an object that they’ve kept after a relationship has ended, these are placed into a box downstage. The show begins with a voiceover of a curator welcoming us into the museum.
Zoe Joblin True to it's title, In Bed starts in a very ordinary double bed, with a blue checkered duvet and an excess of pillows. Seasoned Improviser, MC and Director Brendon Bennetts welcomes the audience to the makeshift bedroom on BATS theatre’s second floor, with warmth and confidence. In his intro, Bennetts tells us why he wanted to stage a show in a bed, explaining that we spend most of our time in bed yet rarely see it accounted for on-stage. In Bed aims to shine a little light on the intimate, moving, sexy and funny moments that can occur between the sheets.
 Jessie CooperAt 6:25pm last night, the doors opened to the start of the New Zealand Improv Festival season. Beginning the season was a new feature in their program ‘Improdome’, the battle royale of improv. The premise: across the space of an hour, four teams of four would battle it out in a series of challenges and games, in hopes of winning the audience’s affections and top marks, to win.
Aimee Smith The Wellington Footlights Societies production of Heathers the Musical hits all the classic hallmarks of an eighties teen banger. I laughed knowingly at the familiar flags of nostalgia for an idyllic past I never actually experienced. However Heathers still manages to provide some truly shocking twists. The result is literally twisted, in ways that make for some spectacular hits and some uncertain misses.
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