O TEPOTI ROUNDUP

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Random Acts of Art, Wow! Productions and Theatreworks Ltd, Dunedin. Image: Craig McNaughton. Dear Boobs On Stage, Suitcase Theatre, Regent Theatre. Image: Nick Beadle. The End of the Golden Weather by Bruce Mason, Wow! Productions, Dunedin. Image: Martyn Roberts. The whanau of the National Māori Theatre Hui, Puketeraki Marae, Karitane. Image: Juanita Hepi.

HEPETEMA 9-19

Te Rotorua-nui-a-kahumatamomoe 2021

O TEPOTI 2020

BY EMILY DUNCAN

The year kicked off in community-centred spirit with Summer Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In hindsight, the faith in an outdoors production was a portentous bellwether of what was to come with Covid. The first to rise triumphantly from the lockdown ashes in September was Suitcase Theatre’s Dear Boobs, originally scheduled for Fringe. Directed and adapted by Laura Wells, Dear Boobs is based on the 2018 book compiled by breast cancer survivor Emily Searle. The season shifted to the Regent’s main stage playing to sell-out audiences and raising almost $3500 supporting breast cancer communities. Arcade Theatre Company presented a season of works at the Mary Hopewell Theatre: Dayboy by Harrison Kennedy and Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit directed by Shaun Swain. Working within level 2, Dayboy was performed to a limited, invited audience, but has since had a full season in Fringe 2021. Ōtepoti Theatre Lab’s Playwrights Programme returned for its second year, pairing Alison Cowan (Passing Through) with dramaturg Allison Horsley, Tunui Wano (Street Lights) with Erina Daniels, and Meg ParryHartigan (The Many Deaths of Jeff Goldblum) with Victor Rodger. Following a 10-week development process, rehearsed readings were staged in September to capacity audiences at the Swan Café. 2019 ŌTL playwright Isaac Martyn developed Partially Furnished into full-length, produced by AI Productions at Allen Hall in October. In direct response to Covid, Cindy Diver launched a series of performance events, RAA (Random Acts of Art) in August in coproduction with Wow! These were free varied multi-disciplinary pieces – often interactive, surprising, and always uplifting – staged around the CBD. RAA reminded us all to stay kind, whilst engaging approximately 60 artists. Wow! had planned a June run of The End of the Golden Weather. Instead, a first-half version was taken into schools for NCEA exams in September. Following this, a radically – but no less impressive – paredback production toured the full script in November. Directed by Lisa Warrington, Matt Wilson performed at local halls in Dunedin, Waitati, and Oamaru to capacity houses. The production and koha admission were possible due to the flexible commitment of the team and support from Creative NZ and Otago Community Trust. West-End hit Di and Viv and Rose (Fusion Productions) saw the return of more standard traditional theatre fare and title-role actors Lara Macgregor, Jodie Dorday, and Julie Edwards stomping and dancing the Mayfair boards in November. Originally to have premiered in Dunedin, the first season was at Circa Theatre, Wellington where it was one of the first full professional productions in Aotearoa post-lockdown. Significantly the biennial National Māori Theatre Hui was held for the first time in Ōtepoti at Puketeraki Marae. Jessica Latton (Ake Ake Theatre Company) and Katrina Chandra led the planning, along with Matua John Broughton, Fran Kewene and Julie Edwards. As the year turned from the challenges of Covid, it was more than fitting that the hui was based around the kaupapa of ‘activating space’ and a programme anchored in hauora.