SEASON OF
TWO LADIES BY
NANCY HARRIS
PA R T N E R
UNIVERSITY
MEDIA
PA R T N E R
2021
B E N E FAC TO RS
S U P P O R T I N G PA R T N E R S PA R T N E R S
FUNDER
CORE
PRESENTING
MAJOR SUPPORTERS
FUNDERS
P R I N C I PA L
THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS OF AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY
A fresh approach to ICT managed services
ATC PATRONS AND SUPPORTING ACTS
“All of the women here should know
that, in this modern age, the world is your oyster. And you definitely do not need a man in that oyster.” — Pearl
CAST Pearl — Kat Tsz Hung Zoe — Xana Tang Mei — Bridget Wong Paul — Zak Enayat Katie — Olivia Parker Lana — Holly Stokes
CREATIVE Playwright — Michelle Law Director — Cassandra Tse Set Designer — Rachael Walker Lighting Designer — Rachel Marlow Sound Designer — Sean Lynch Costume Designer — Alison Reid Audio Visual Designer — Harley Campbell
PRODUCTION Director, Production — Jess Leslie Company Manager — Elaine Walsh Interim Company Manager — Eliza Josephson-Rutter Props Manager — Kathryn Aucamp Technical Manager — Ellis Thorpe Stage Manager — Maddy Powell Assistant Stage Manager — Chiara Niccolini 2
Technical Operator (Sound) — Matt Eller Technical Operator (Light & Audio Visual) — Tayla Brittliff Technical Operator Mentor (Light & Audio Visual) — Spencer Earwaker Direction Mentor — Benjamin Henson Proudly Asian Theatre — Alyssa Medel, Chye-Ling Huang & Márianne Infante Intimacy Coordinator — Jennifer Ward-Lealand Marketing Intern — Teresa Lee Audio Description — Nicola Owen NZSL Translation — Kelly Hodgins Originally commissioned and first produced at The Roundhouse Theatre by La Boite Theatre Company 2017. This production of Single Asian Female is made in collaboration with Proudly Asian Theatre.
AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR HELP WITH THIS PRODUCTION: Tony Downing, Catherine Boddy, Boddy Part, Katie Melody Rogers, Oscar Perress, Search and Destroy, Penny Sage, Scotties Boutique, Tau at Zambesi, Lynnie & Michaela. Single Asian Female is the third Auckland Theatre Company mainstage production of 2021 and opened on 29 April at ASB Waterfront Theatre. Advisory: contains strong language, depictions of sex, mild violence and panic attacks, and references to racism, sexual assault, domestic abuse and abortion. The production is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes long, including an interval. Please remember to switch off all mobile phones and noise-emitting devices. 3
Colin McColl Creative Director 2021 Season
Kia ora! Ni hao! Lei ho! Welcome to the New Zealand premiere of Single Asian Female, Michelle Law’s bawdy blissful new comedy that has been a resounding success with audiences throughout Australia. Now it’s our turn on this side of the ditch! Auckland Theatre Company’s kaupapa is to present “big-hearted stories that matter to the people of Tāmaki Makaurau” and, while our Chinese Aucklanders contribute so much to the cultural, social and economic well-being of this city, the Chinese voice and perspective has been woefully scarce on our mainstages. So, all power to
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Chye-Ling Huang and Márianne Infante from PAT (Proudly Asian Theatre) for their active advocacy for Asian writers, directors and actors. Single Asian Female is a play for anyone who has struggled to fit in or hold a family together through tough times. Our cast of talented, exciting young performers and director Cassandra Tse have all been able to bring their collective life experiences to this new Kiwi setting of the play. Huge thanks to them all, to our wonderful creative team and to everyone at ATC who has contributed to the creation of this production. Enjoy!
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Cassandra Tse Director of Single Asian Female
Single Asian Female is a comedy. It’s also a family drama, a romance, a coming-of-age story and a searing indictment of the way that Chinese women are typically depicted in Western media. In theatre, film and television, Asian women are often monolithic: submissive side characters, exotic eye candy, sexualised props. Pearl, Zoe and Mei Wong are so much more; as brought into being with Michelle Law’s perceptive words, they are fully realised human beings with desires, dreams, insecurities and flaws. This is the first time that Auckland Theatre Company has presented a show featuring three New Zealand Chinese lead performers, and the need to showcase this story on a mainstage has never felt more urgent. We began rehearsing Single Asian Female less than a week after six Asian-American 6
women were massacred in a racially motivated mass killing in Atlanta, Georgia. In the aftermath, those of us in the Asian diaspora around the world grappled with our own experiences of racism, grieved and raised our voices in solidarity with our American whānau. Such violence begins with dehumanisation and I believe that sharing our stories – as varied, nuanced and complex as they are – is a powerful remedy to that. I would like to thank: my cast, for their ingenuity and bravery; the design team, the production crew, Ben, and the staff at ATC for their unwavering support; Michelle, for her eagerness to help me reshape Single Asian Female from an Australian to a thoroughly New Zealand story; and my partner and family for holding down the fort in Wellington as I gallivanted off up north for this production.
7 Image credit: Teresa Lee
Michelle Law Writer of Single Asian Female
Whenever I see theatre in Australia, I like to watch the people in the audience. They sigh, laugh and cry with recognition as the story unfolding on stage touches them, connects them, and validates their existence something I rarely experience and that makes me deeply envious. Who knew that being made to feel unwelcome and invisible in my own country was something that also extended to the art I consumed? I would leave shows feeling very alone.
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Since 2017, Single Asian Female has been staged four times in Australia. Many people who had never set foot in a theatre came to see the show. People of colour. Migrants. Outliers. The Other. This show has always been a love letter to them – people who have been previously excluded from the theatre by virtue of the stories being told. And people in positions of relative privilege came too, turning up to gain essential and uncomfortable insights – namely that Asian people have been watching and listening, and now it was their turn to speak. But above all, and most excitingly, people came to be entertained. (These are difficult issues to dissect but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a lot of fun unpacking them along the way.) Single Asian Female is full of the things I love: Doraemon, 1990s' hits and social politics. It shines a spotlight on labels: those we assign ourselves and others. It reveals the ways in which we
struggle against the limitations imposed by those labels in order to lead authentic lives. The Wong family women are real to me because they were inspired by people I know: generous, assertive, resilient women who hold the world on their shoulders. And I have been blessed to meet more of these incredible women in the process of adapting this show for New Zealand. Collaborating with director Cassandra Tse has been a wonderfully fulfilling and enlightening process, which has highlighted the historical anti-Asian racism in both of our countries. And, in the wake of heightened anti-Asian attacks around the world, the significance of staging a play like Single Asian Female, in which Asian women are foregrounded and heard on their own terms, is not lost on me. From afar, I’ve watched the team of cast and creatives, assembled by Cassandra, form the most beautiful
family and it fills me with gratitude that this work continues to bring big-hearted storytellers together. This play would not have been possible without Lotus, a series of workshops led by Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP) and Playwriting Australia, which fosters Asian-Australian playwrights. It’s targeted programmes like these that have created a shift in the Australian theatre industry. Without these initiatives, I would not have been able to write my first play. Without them, that play would have never made it to New Zealand. Community is everything. Thank you for seeing Single Asian Female. Whether you’re single, Asian or female, or none of those things, you’ve made a choice to see work from a new and challenging perspective. It’s exciting. It’s also exciting that you’ll be joining us for karaoke during the show. It’s too late – the doors are already locked. 9
Cast
KAT TSZ HUNG
XANA TANG
KAT TSZ HUNG Pearl Born in Hong Kong and raised in Auckland, Kat Tsz Hung has worked on various theatre works including The Mooncake and the Kūmara and Man in a Suitcase with The Court Theatre which travelled to Beijing, and Auckland Theatre Company’s The Wife Who Spoke Japanese in Her Sleep and The Good Soul of Szechuan. A graduate of Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, Kat trained in devising theatre and did an internship with New Earth Theatre in the UK. Screen credits include Roseanne Liang’s award-winning short film Take 3 and feature film My Wedding and Other Secrets. She won Best Actress festival award for the short film Wait. Her recent works include The Pact web series, The Gulf and BBC/New Zealand co-production Mystic. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with such talented cast and crew members to share this dynamic female-led Chinese family story on the mainstage.”
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BRIDGET WONG
XANA TANG Zoe Xana Tang is a Chinese-Vietnamese actor born and raised in the heart of South Auckland, New Zealand. At 16 years old, Xana made her film debut as ‘Spit’ in the award-winning New Zealand feature film Matariki. In 2017, she made her Australian screen debut on Netflix’s The Letdown and SBS Crime Thriller Dead Lucky. Xana was invited to the International Film Festival and Awards Macao in late 2018, during which she won Variety’s 'Asian Stars: Up Next’ award and accepted it on stage. Xana can currently be seen in Disney’s live action film Mulan, as the title role’s sister, Xiu. Xana is mostly known for her on-screen work, and this will be her stage debut with ATC. Xana is dynamic in every sense and her seemingly boundless energy easily transcends her diminutive stature.
ZAK ENAYAT
OLIVIA PARKER
BRIDGET WONG Mei Born in Miri, Malaysia, Bridget Wong moved to New Zealand in 2007. She holds a film degree from The University of Auckland and has been studying acting for the past five years. She is also a musician, singer and lover of martial arts. She made her TV debut on Shortland Street and has been in a number of musicals over the years. She is looking forward very much to seeing and amplifying Asian stories on the New Zealand stage and screen. Her comfort movie is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Something about seeing Michelle Yeoh on the big screen, when she was little, sparked a flame inside her. She aspires to be just as badass and truthful in her work. ZAK ENAYAT Paul Born in Wellington and of Afghan descent, Zak Enayat graduated from the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art in 2014 and has since snowballed over the stage and screen across New Zealand and Australia. Zak is mostly known for his performances in Dynamotion shows DISCO, Monster Mash and Top Town, while his theatrical highlights include: The Importance of Being Earnest, The Wizard of Oz, Sicko, Infectious, Status, Pool (No Water) and his solo show There She Is, which he wrote and produced with mentoring from Tom Sainsbury. Screen highlights include: TVNZ web series I Date Rejects, 2019 48HR Runner-Up Like Nobody's Watching, 2018 48 Hours Winner PepTok, and 2020 New Zealand feature film Dead. This year, Q Theatre
HOLLY STOKES
and the Auckland Pride Festival saw Zak feature in his Kylie Minogue-inspired black-comedy Let's Get Loco!, which he co-produced and cowrote with Liam Coleman, as well as the return season of ‘cult classic‘ Gays In Space. OLIVIA PARKER Katie Olivia Parker is a young actress who made her on-screen debut in the 2013 docu-series Hope and Wire, based on the events of the Christchurch earthquakes. Her other television credits include appearances in Taika Watiti’s mockumentary series Wellington Paranormal, post-apocalyptic drama Creamerie and true crime series Black Hands. Olivia has acted in both seasons of web series Educators, as well as feature film Millie Lies Low. She has just starred in the short film Canary in the Cradle, set to premiere internationally soon. No stranger to the theatre, Olivia is excited to be on stage once again in her first performance for ATC. HOLLY STOKES Lana Born and raised in the Wild West of Auckland, Holly Stokes is a graduate of Unitec’s Performing and Screen Arts programme (2015). Since her graduation, her performance highlights have included: The Court Theatre’s Legally Blonde the Musical (2016/2017), Whoa! Studio’s Mission Control Kids (2018/2019) and Tim Bray Theatre Company’s The Santa Claus Show (2019). She also recently appeared in TVNZ’s Black Hands as a cousin of the Bain family. Holly is thrilled to be working with such a wonderful cast and creative team, telling such an important story. 11
Creative MICHELLE LAW Playwright Michelle Law is a writer with experience in journalism, screenwriting and playwriting. She wrote the highly – acclaimed play Single Asian Female – commissioned by La Boite Theatre – which earned a five-star Guardian review before transferring to a sold-out season at Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney, in 2018. The show has since returned to La Boite, with Michelle in the lead role, and toured to Melbourne. Michelle co-created, co-wrote and starred in the series Homecoming Queens, the first web series commissioned by SBS On Demand. It won Best Screenplay at Melbourne WebFest in 2018 as well as an AWGIE Award. It also won Best Performance in a Comedy Series at the Equity Ensemble Awards in 2019. In 2018, she was a writer for the television series Rosehaven S3 (Guesswork TV and ABC TV), as well as Get Krack!n (Katering Productions, Guesswork TV and ABC), which won an AWGIE for Best Comedy, and The Bureau of Magical Things (Jonathan M. Shiff Productions and Network Ten), which won an AACTA for Best Children’s Television Series. Other television includes the multi-platform content for FlashForward (ABC) and the story and interactive media for SLiDE (FOX8), for which she won an AWGIE. Her poignant short documentary, Suicide and Me (which screened on ABC2), centres around three young suicide survivors who confront the stigma surrounding the subject matter and, ultimately, inspire hope. She has presented a TEDx talk and is a prolific speaker about issues concerning female and cultural identity, as well as youth 12
issues. Beyond writing for television and film, Michelle is also a successfully published author. Most recently, she contributed her short story Bu Liao Qing to the anthology After Australia, which was published through Affirm Press. Sh*t Asian Mothers Say, a comedy book co-written with her brother Benjamin Law, was published in 2014. She has also contributed to the collections Destroying the Joint, Women of Letters in Best Australian Comedy Writing and Growing Up Asian in Australia. In 2016, Michelle won the Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award. She is currently working on several theatre commissions, as well as feature and television projects. CASSANDRA TSE Director Cassandra Tse is a director, playwright and performer, and the artistic director of the Wellington-based Red Scare Theatre Company. Previous directorial work includes: the New Zealand premieres of The Aliens (2019), Gutenberg! The Musical! (2018), A New Brain (2017), Yellow Face (2017) and Ordinary Days (2016), as well as the world premiere of Four Nights in the Green Barrow Pub (2019). As a playwright, her most recent work includes the musicals The Bone Thief (2018) and M’Lady (2017), straight plays Under (2017) and Long Ago, Long Ago (2015) and audio drama Apocalypse Songs (2020). In 2020, she also wrote and starred in the musical theatre cabaret That’s All She Wrote. In her spare time, Cassandra plays a lot of Stardew Valley, and recently learned how to make cha siu bao from scratch.
MICHELLE LAW
CASSANDRA TSE
RACHAEL WALKER Set Designer Despite Covid-19 challenges and with continued optimism and passion for theatrical set and prop design, Rachael Walker has amassed more than 100 projects as a professional designer over 20 years. She has collaborated with New Zealand Opera, Silo Theatre, The New Zealand Dance Company, The Court Theatre, Tim Bray Productions, Auckland Festival, NZ International Comedy Festival, Unitec School of Performing and Screen Arts, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Canterbury Opera, The Actors’ Program, and many independent production companies. For Auckland Theatre Company, her works include: Two Ladies, Black Lover, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (which won an Excellence in Design award at the 2019 Auckland Theatre Awards), HERE & NOW – The Gangster’s Paradise, The Daylight Atheist and Joan, Under the Mountain, Last Legs, Nell Gwynn, Venus in Fur, That Bloody Woman, You Can Always Hand Them Back, Lysistrata, The Ladykillers, The Lollywitch of Mumuland, Other Desert Cities, Polly Hood in Mumuland, Anne Boleyn, Kings of the Gym, The Gift, In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), Calendar Girls, God of Carnage, Who Needs Sleep Anyway?, End of the Rainbow, The Tutor, The Bach, The Vagina Monologues, Play 2 and Play 2.03. She also won Excellence at the Auckland Theatre Awards in 2017 for Nell Gwynn, in 2016 for ATC/The Court Theatre’s production of That Bloody Woman and in 2014 for Silo Theatre’s production of Angels in America. Rachael was named the 2008 URBIS Best Stage Designer.
RACHAEL WALKER
RACHEL MARLOW
RACHEL MARLOW Lighting Designer Rachel Marlow is a lighting and production designer, and co-founder (with partner Bradley Gledhill) of design company Filament Eleven 11. Filament Eleven 11 works collaboratively, with designers, directors and companies to create dynamic production designs and lighting environments for live experiences, and to produce work that puts design and technology at the centre of storytelling in an inventive and unique way. The company produces designs for theatre, dance, rock ’n’ roll, corporate events, televised live events and installation art experiences. With lighting at the core of every design, its work expands to video design, projection design, set design, system design and overall production design. Filament Eleven 11 is drawn to work that is pushing boundaries and is led by inspiring creatives. Rachel regularly works with ATC (Black Lover, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, Red Speedo), Silo Theatre (Every Brilliant Thing, Boys Will Be Boys, Mr Burns, Here Lies Love, Peter and the Wolf), and Red Leap Theatre (Dakota of the White Flats, Owls Do Cry, Kororāreka, Dust Pilgrim) as well as a vast array of independent artists. Recent career highlights include: an offBroadway production at the SOHO Playhouse, New York of FCC’s Wild Dogs Under My Skirt (also seen at NZ Arts Festival 2018 and Auckland Arts Festival 2019), and a 2019 Auckland Theatre Award for the design team of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead (ATC). Rachel hails from Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai (Lower Hutt) and studied Theatre at Victoria University of Wellington and Royal Holloway University of London. 13
SEAN LYNCH
ALISON REID
SEAN LYNCH Sound Designer Sean Lynch has been working in New Zealand professional theatre for more than 30 years. He is a musician, actor, and lighting and sound designer. Previous sound designs include Havoc in the Garden, Flintlock Musket, Yours Truly, I Love You Bro, Tribes, The Pitchfork Disney, The Heretic, Polo, Hir, Rendered, The Daylight Atheist, Joan and Six Degrees of Separation. Previous lighting designs include Brel, Speaking in Tongues, Chicago, Angels in America, Belleville, A Streetcar Named Desire, Once on Chunuk Bair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Hudson & Halls Live!, The Book of Everything, Live Live Cinema’s Little Shop of Horrors, Hir, Rendered, The Daylight Atheist, Joan, The Audience and The Wolves. ALISON REID Costume Designer Alison Reid is a designer, collector and curator of vintage and antique objects, textiles and accoutrement. This is her third costume design for Auckland Theatre Company. She created The Cross Street Market and is the Proprietor of Search and Destroy on Ponsonby Road, specialising in vintage denim, rock ’n’ roll, French, Japanese and New Zealand workwear, vintage homewares and pottery. Her inspiration is drawn from annual buying trips to Tokyo and San Francisco. Alison has exhibited her extensive Crown Lynn Colour Glaze collection in Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland, and City Gallery Wellington.
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HARLEY CAMPBELL
HARLEY CAMPBELL Audio Visual Designer Over the course of his 10-year career as a designer and motion graphics artist, Harley Campbell has produced graphics and visual effects for a range of different projects. He has also worked extensively in the events and experiential industry, bringing his creative vision to large-scale conferences, awards shows and interactive multimedia performances. Harley’s first foray into the world of theatre was for the 2018 production of Rendered. Since then, Harley has designed media for the 2019 productions Joan and Astroman and is excited to be involved in this year’s production of Single Asian Female.
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Behind the Scenes
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Image credit: Teresa Lee
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The nuanced experiences of Asian women in Aotearoa by Celine Dam
Aotearoa has some issues to address. Growing up as an Asian woman in Aotearoa feels like being foreign to your own bed. Every time you seek comfort in it, you’re not sure if it will hold you back. My childhood experiences are mirrored within the walls of many other Asian households. My whānau didn’t speak much about their emotions. I had trouble holding onto my mother tongue. I forced assimilation in fear of being bullied. I narrate these experiences like a grocery list because I have reflected on them so many times. Being an Asian woman in Aotearoa is a complex and nuanced identity. It is the inability to belong
wholly in any sense of home. Throughout my childhood, it felt like I was constantly trying to fit a mould: blonde, fair, beautiful. It has been a long time coming but, in the story of Single Asian Female, I finally see myself. Throughout my childhood, I never saw myself on screen. For what seemed so familiar within my community, the media never showcased a coloured family and their experiences. I lived in a household where the kids spoke English to each other but a different language to their parents and where love was expressed through food and not words. But, in Single Asian Female, I see glimpses of myself. 19
Illustration by: Nuanzhi Zheng
I see a lot of myself in the character of Mei – with a burning desire to conform to her society. My older self continues to resonate with the navigations of Zoe. Having outgrown the phase of rejection in my life, I am slowly relearning the culture I once resented. However, my navigation continues to be turbulent. I feel embarrassed relearning a culture I once rejected. Rediscovering food I once told my mother not to pack for me. Going by a name that is not my own. Like many other minority children, I felt it was necessary to change my name. In fact, hearing my Chinese name today still does not sit right with me. I am so accustomed to people mispronouncing it that I barely recognise it when my relatives address me.
20 Image credit: Teresa Lee
I was too young when I was first confronted with racism. In primary school, we used to have cultural dress-up days. My mother would dress me up in a qípáo (旗袍), a cheongsam (长衫) or an áo dài for these occasions. I was only seven when I was told I looked ugly. I was only eight when I was asked why my eyes were so small. I was only nine when I was told I ate dogs. I am 19 now and I still don’t know how to combat racism. For so long, all I’ve known to do was laugh along.
injustice, and it is truly exhausting to fight for the bare minimum. Tokenism remains disturbingly prevalent in this industry. It is draining to be an actor when you know your face does not tell a story but is merely a prop. Unfortunately, the lack of roles for Asian women in the industry does not give us much choice. Because of the over-saturation of actors within our industry, many actors tend to take what they can get, including culturally insensitive roles.
“I was only eight when I was asked why my eyes were so small. I was only nine when I was told I ate dogs.” These days, racism comes in different forms. Romance is easily confused with fetishisation. Society has cultivated a truly degrading perception of Asian women – one where we are rendered subservient voiceless objects. The hyper-sexualisation we face daily is deeply rooted in historical EuroAmerican imperialism and it is still perpetuated today. Alongside this, the media is just as much to blame. They have fostered equally harmful stereotypes of Asian women. As an actor, I have experienced being cast only to add more colour to an image. Many friends and I continue to face these situations of
Thus, it is essential to acknowledge how groundbreaking the staging of Single Asian Female is. In a time when we have seen a high number of Asian hate crimes, authentic representation of Asian women is crucial. It goes without saying that the hate crimes against Asian people must stop. Racism is not our issue to solve but it is an issue of which we bear the brunt. As Asian people, we offer so much of our culture to the world. Through food, entertainment and even methods of wellness, our culture is shared with many. 21
Yet, when our people are in distress, the world is silent. On behalf of the Kiwi-Asian community, I would like to encourage this audience to be active against racism. It is a vulnerable time for the Asian community and your vocalisation informs many. As you will witness in this play, Asian people are more than just society’s scapegoats. We have more substance than the voiceless, submissive women presented on your TV screens. We will not conform to the objectification and exoticisation our society has created. We are what English words cannot articulate.
22 Image credit: Teresa Lee
Our community urges you to reflect on your own racial biases. As Asian people, we are also guilty of this. Our own culture contributes to its fair share of racism towards both ourselves and other minority groups. Both racism and colourism are most definitely alive and well within Asian culture. We recognise that we must hold ourselves accountable in undoing these teachings. We are grateful you have come to this space. It is time we shared our stories with you. As we continue to learn and grow as human beings, we hope you can do so too.
Made for the Moment. Made from New Zealand. 23
What's On AT ASB WATERFRONT THEATRE
Auckland Theatre Company presents
Auckland Theatre Company presents
The Life of Galileo
Things That Matter
22 Jun – 10 Jul
17 – 29 Aug
by Bertolt Brecht, translated by David Hare
Leading the large ensemble, Kiwi acting legend Michael Hurst is well equipped to embody the contradictions, flaws and genius of Galileo: a man who looked to the stars, risked heresy and changed how we see the heavens but, also, a man who was naïve, ambitious, idealistic and capable of petty cruelty. The Life of Galileo promises a night of bold ideas, brilliant theatricality and a full-throated defence of speaking truth to power. New Zealand Opera and Black Grace present a re-imagining of Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, directed by Neil Ieremia.
(m)Orpheus 22 – 26 Sep
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In a dislocated future, a young man struggles to come to terms with his loss. As he did during the rite-of-passage ritual he endured on his journey to manhood, he must once again leave this world behind and escape into the unknown to find his love. Blending rich storytelling traditions with the themes of Greek tragedy, (m)Orpheus tells a story of a man, willing to risk everything for love but unable to find love in himself.
by Gary Henderson, adapted from the memoir by Dr David Galler
New Zealand playwright Gary Henderson brings Dr David Galler’s best-seller to the stage, expertly weaving stories of his work on the frontlines of New Zealand’s health system at Middlemore Hospital and of his Jewish Polish immigrant parents, who survived the Holocaust. With dramatised incidents to immerse us in an insider’s realities of intensive care, Things That Matter explores the most challenging decisions that doctors, families and society face. Auckland Theatre Company presents the Dentons Kensington Swan season of
Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward
9 – 28 Nov
When writer Charles Condomine visits spiritualist Madame Arcati to research his new book, what could possibly go wrong? That is, other than the resulting seance bringing Charles’ dead wife Elvira back to Earth – a development that doesn’t sit well with his new wife Ruth, particularly as Elvira’s attempts to reunite with her husband escalate.
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The ATC Patrons Group acknowledges the recent passing of loyal Patrons Adrian Burr and Peter Jackson and extends condolences to their respective families. ATC PATRONS co-chairs: Lady Dayle Mace MNZM and Hon Justice Anne Hinton QC patrons: Alastair & Margot Acland, Margaret Anderson, John Barnett CNZM, Anne Batley Burton &
Richard Burton, Betsy & Michael Benjamin, Louise & Mark Binns, Gregory Blanchard & Carol Weaver, Patrick Bourke, Barbie & Paul Cook, Mary-Ann & Roger Dickie, Nicole & Guy Domett, Annette & Kim Ellis, Jan & Trevor Farmer, Antonia & Stuart Fisher, Virginia & Stephen Fisher, Ali & Cameron Fleming, Ruth & Rob Foreman, Sir Michael Friedlander KNZM, Andrew Gelonese & Michael Moore, Dame Jenny Gibbs DNZM, Stephanie & Michael Gowan, Josephine & Ross Green, Sue Haigh, Alister Hartstonge & Roy Knill, Anne & Peter Hinton, Ros & Greg Hinton, Dame Rosie Horton DNZM & Michael Horton CNZM, Julie & Rod Inglis, Sally & the late Peter Jackson, Heather & Len Jury, Anita Killeen & Simon Vannini, Paulette & Ross Laidlaw, Philippa & Chris Lambert, Margot & Paul Leigh, Sir Chris & Lady Dayle Mace MNZM, Peter Macky & Yuri Opeshko, Stella McDonald, Jackie & Phillip Mills, Pip Muir & Hon Kit Toogood QC, Christine & Derek Nolan, Matt Olde & Jacqui Cormack, Prue & Denver Olde, Heather Pascual, Barby Pensabene, Maria Renhart, Robyn & Malcolm Reynolds, Geoff & Fran Ricketts, Mark & Catherine Sandelin, Robyn & Jay Stead, Lady Phillipa Tait, Janmarie Thompson & Joanna Smout, Julie & Russell Tills, Susan & Gavin Walker, Jo & Roger Wall, Lynne Webber & Priscilla McGirr, Ian Webster, Dona & Gavin White, Fran Wyborn, Annemarie Yannaghas & Andy Morris.
HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE FRIEDLANDER FOUNDATION FOR ITS GENEROSITY. In 2020, ticket-holders donated 26 percent of the cost of their cancelled tickets back to us. This prompted our Supporting Acts group to increase dramatically, from 23 donors in 2019 to 442 in 2020. We will be forever grateful to these donors, who made being off stage a little brighter during the many months of darkness.
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ASB WATERFRONT THEATRE EVACUATION PROCEDURE
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Each theatre auditorium door at ASB Waterfront Theatre has its own separate emergency exit and route. In the event of an emergency, a staff member wearing a high-vis jacket would guide you to your closest emergency exit. These
routes are mainly through the back-of-house areas and are signposted all the way along with green emergency exit signs. To set your mind at ease, neither the spiral staircase nor the main staircase in the foyer is part of any
emergency evacuation route. Once you are clear of the building, a member of our staff will direct you to our assembly point. If you have any additional questions about this evacuation procedure, please contact us.
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FINANCE Director, Finance: Kerry Tomlin Senior Accountant: Nick Tregerthan Senior Accounts Administrator: Michelle Speir Administration Coordinator: Jade McCann ADMINISTRATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Executive Administrator: Natasha Pearce
Chair: Vivien Bridgwater Karen Fistonich Isaac Hikaka Katie Jacobs Derek McCormack Graeme Pinfold Alison Quigan QSM
Development Coordinator: Natalya Mandich-Dohnt Ticketing Project Manager: Gary Barker ASB WATERFRONT THEATRE Director, ASB Waterfront Theatre: Sharon Byrne Events & Sales Manager: Tracey Rowe Acting Events & Sales Manager: Lucy Gardner
LEADERSHIP
Front of House Manager: Ralph Corke
Chief Executive Officer: Jonathan Bielski
Acting Ticketing Manager: Lexi Clare
Executive Director: Anna Cameron
Ticketing Administrator: Bruce Brown Venue Technical Manager: Johnny Chen
CREATIVE Creative Director 2021 Season: Colin McColl ONZM Associate Director 2021 Season: Lynne Cardy Literary Manager: Philippa Campbell Schools & Youth Coordinator: Billie Staples PRODUCTION Director, Production: Jess Leslie Company Manager: Elaine Walsh Interim Company Manager: Eliza Josephson-Rutter
MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS Acting Director, Marketing: Nicola Brown Graphic Designer: Wanda Tambrin Graphic Designer (April 2021): Nick Lurman Publicist & Content Producer: Vanessa Preston Marketing Executives: Camila Araos Elevancini and Isabella Woods
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Senior Venue Technician: Antonia Richardson Front of House Supervisors: Caoimhe Fidgeon, Lucas Haugh, Gary Hofman, Sofi Issake-Sade and Rachael Yielder Subscriptions Assistants: Joe McCracken, Hannah Diver, Jake Parsons, Evan Phillips, Sophie Roberts, Jacob Siermans and Rachael Yielder CONTACT ATC 487 Dominion Road, Mt Eden PO Box 96002 Balmoral, Auckland 1342 P: 09 309 0390 F: 09 309 0391 atc@atc.co.nz atc.co.nz CONTACT BOX OFFICE ASB Waterfront Theatre 138 Halsey Street, Wynyard Quarter Subscriber Hotline: 09 309 3395 General Box Office: 0800 ATC TIX (282 849) boxoffice@atc.co.nz
GOLD PARTNERS
THE CHARTWELL TRUST LOU & IRIS FISHER CHARITABLE TRUST PUB CHARITY
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TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS
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THANKS TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE
SIR JOHN LOGAN CAMPBELL RESIDUARY ESTATE SKYCITY AUCKLAND COMMUNITY TRUST
FOUNDING BENEFACTORS, PATRONS AND DONORS
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WH ATSON STAGE
“This play about a scientist who changed the world – and suffered the consequences – is shockingly relevant.” TIME OUT
22 JUNE – 10 JULY 30
0800 ATC TIX / atc.co.nz
P RIN CIPAL F U N DE RS :