Julz Burgisser Mental Illness. Those words conjure images of black holes and dark thoughts. Well attempts to shed some light on a subject that is deep and personal to many people. A devised theatre piece made from the interviews of over 30 volunteers that speaks to the fears of those with mental illness and the misconceptions of those without.
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 Laura FergusonMOM - Meet Our Mum is performed and devised by the Third Year students of Applied Arts at Whitireia and it is a challenging and thought-provoking performance. It covers a plethora of main issues we have in our world today, using interesting and unique ways to discuss them.
Courtney Rose Brown Dust Pilgrim is a devised work with a focus on interweaving physical performance and theatrical magic. Presented by Red Leap Theatre and directed by Julie Nolan and Kate Parker, it is a simple story of a young woman named Panuelo’s fight for freedom. Dust Pilgrim is an enchanting production which is devised by Alison Bruce, Ella Becroft and Tom Eason. The creative team weave magic with their craft and the audience is captivated.
Courtney Rose Brown Power Plays, directed by Leo Gene Peters, is part of the Ensemble Impacts 2016 school tour. The team of four performers: Katrina Wesseling, Calvin Petersen, Johanna Cosgrove and Shane Murphy have helped devised a structure around five of Arthur Meek’s plays to give bite sized servings of The Cottage, Charles Darwin: Collapsing Creation, On the Upside Down of the World, Mando the Goatherd, and Sheep. The cast present a satirical spin on the works, framing the extracts within the familiar form of a self improvement seminar as the audience is cast as students studying NCEA standards.
Courtney Rose Brown SolOTHELLO is part of the 2016 Kia Mau Festival that is taking Wellington by storm this Matariki. Presented by Te Rēhia Theatre Company alongside the British Council, SolOTHELLO is a one man show performed by Regan Taylor and directed by Craig Geenty. As the name suggests, the show is William Shakespeare’s Othello, performed as a solo. However, Geenty and Taylor transform what could have easily been an ego trip, (tackling one of Shakespeare’s most ambitious plays solo) into something that is beautiful in the simplicity of deft storytelling. With the use of Te Mata Kokako o Rehia (traditional Maori mask) Taylor reclaims the story of Othello into the lands of Aotearoa, in telling the audience that William Shakespeare is a thief. SolOTHELLO is one man’s retelling of the jealousies and manipulation from Othello in a new and innovative way which brings an exhilarating life force to the text.
Julz Burgisser With expectations of Sex Dungeons, and stories of lust and sadism; I attended De Sade with great excitement and trepidation. I wasn’t disappointed. The start of the show full of imagery of decadence and pleasure despite his imprisonment. De Sade is written by, directed by and performed by Alexander Sparrow, who appears in full nakedness with riding crop in hand, beginning the show with a visceral introduction to what awaits.
Matt Loveranes Presented by InSite (THEA 311 students of Victoria University)
Directed by Kerryn Palmer As we take shelter from the erratic Wellington weather on Sunday evening, we are greeted with a warmth that reverberates within the walls of the famed Thistle Inn, New Zealand’s oldest surviving tavern. This warmth comes not only from the lights and heaters but from the friendly faces of the THEA 311 students who welcome us with smiles, drinks, song and laughter. The Cheers theme is playing on the piano and a distinct feeling overcomes me: comfort. It is a feeling that would only grow stronger as the show progressed, with the company taking us on a journey of how this historic establishment has provided hope, solace and comfort over many a strife in the course of its one hundred seventy-six-year history. Julz Burgisser I went to a comedy show tonight that not only made me laugh big snorting laughs, but also made me question my life, made me cry as I remembered my mother, and reignited my desire to do something more than just what I do everyday until I retire or die. Though I was a complete stranger, I hugged that comic hard. That comic was Alice Fraser and her show is Savage.
Courtney Rose Brown  Nelson’s Refinery warmly welcomes one of the last shows from Pat-A-Cake Productions tour of Where the Wild Woman Is, with a fully packed out theatre, as extra chairs are hastily added to already long rows. Where the Wild Woman Is, is a One woman show that is devised and performed by Ingrid Saker. Winner of ‘Best Actress’ and ‘Edgiest Show’ in Nelson Fringe 2016. We enter into a pre-show of Saker interacting with the crowd, adopting a monkey like physicality, with clowning behaviour. At times, pre-shows can be jarring, creating confusion about whether or not the show has already started, or if as an audience member, you really have to pay attention to what is happening or not. Saker’s interactions however, create a relaxed atmosphere, where before the show has already begun she has introduced the idea of audience interaction, where everyone is game to participate. As the house lights dim, she has the audience leaning forward on their seats, fully engaged, as she is enchanting to watch. Julz Burgisser When we think of the idiom The Wild Blue Yonder I think of heading off somewhere and never coming back, the internet describes it as when you go somewhere far away that seems exciting because it is not known. Heading into Brendhan Lovegrove’s show it explains pretty well how I felt. I’d heard a lot about his comedy and was excited to see the unknown for myself. He didn’t disappoint, he went some crazy places with his comedy but what a good time!
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