Final Post + Thoughts on Theatre and Community

There haven't been any posts up on this site for a while and I thought it was time to pop up a notice that the blog is closing down indefinitely.  There are a few reasons for this, one being that my lifestyle has changed significantly in the last three years and I'd like to move into writing more creatively and personally; it would take me several hours to put together each post as I checked sites for upcoming shows and auditions and I just don't have the time to do that right now.  I had recently also found that I was getting a lot of requests from commercial and semi-professional ventures and while I wish to support artists who have found a way to make a living doing what they love, the purpose of this site was never free advertising but a kind of central community noticeboard for the theatre world.

The biggest reason however, is that I don't think this blog is necessary any more.

When I first started this blog there was a need for it.  I often found myself talking to people who said they would love to get involved in theatre clubs but didn't know where to start looking, or who were involved with just one club and wanted to branch out but didn't know who else was around. We were reeling from the big earthquakes, many of the theatre clubs lost venues and the community was still fractured.  We've come a long way since then, and I've found I have been getting less and less feedback as the site isn't needed anymore. The Christchurch theatre community has become a lot closer and there is more collaboration between clubs now.  Art and creation were powerful means to recovery in a post-trauma city and I know that the sense of community and family that theatre provide meant a lot to many of us during this time.

At the end of 2010 I was involved in Musoc's production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.  The rehearsal and pre-production period took place in the void between the September 4 2010 earthquake and the big shake on February 22.  It was my first musical since 2005 and the first show I'd performed with the university.  I don't know if it's the vulnerability of singing or the large cast or the intense rehearsals, maybe its something magical about music itself, but being in a musical is a very different experience, socially, to being involved in any other kind of performance art I've experienced.  The cast becomes very close and you feel like you have this temporary second family, reeling together in the adrenaline rush of a perfect run-through and leaning on each other when you are over-rehearsed and exhausted.

'Whorehouse had a two week run in the Ngaio Marsh Theatre from 18-26th Feb.  February 22 2011 was the day after our final show of the first week.  One of the first people I found on campus in the post-quake chaos was the show's producer.  We were both in shock and wearing our show t-shirts, upset that our show might not "go on", unaware of the extent of the damage and naively assuming this was the worst possible side effect.  While I wish we had been right, we stuck together listening to my car radio for the next hour or so, discovering how bad it really was.  We bonded in those moments, and she is still one of my absolute best friends.
In the weeks that followed, the university's campus became populated with propped-up tents as buildings were assessed.  The UCSA building in which the Ngaio Marsh Theatre resided was found to be on unstable ground and was deemed off-limits.  Either way the concept of completing our two week run seemed obsolete with so many bigger things going on.  Members of the cast and crew teamed up with the SVA to shovel silt from people's homes while studying by correspondence and foolishly trying to get back a feeling of normalcy. Despite everything, we couldn't help lose the feeling that we were lacking closure, that our show that we'd worked for months on was surely something an earthquake shouldn't stop us from completing.
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: Tent Edition! took place about a month after the February shake, in the temporary offices of the UCSA that had been set up in a large tent in the car park 100 metres or so from the original venue.  With most of the costumes locked away, a make-do technical set up and the backstage area just being "outside the tent", not to mention one of the lead actresses having already moved to another city, the tent version of the show was never going to live up to its predecessor.  But it was never about that.  We put on a musical, in a tent, in what felt like a post-apocalyptic world because we had to. We were all floating strangely in a state of shock and we needed to start again.  We had to prove that our little theatre family was still going strong, that we were still going strong and it seemed the only way.  We were picking up where we left off. Not only did we have something to prove when it came to these earthquakes, we also missed performing with our friends and the collective conscience of being on stage together.  For many of us it was the start of the healing process, and the ritual of the final night performance and after match were a small win for moving forward.

My experience with re-booting our musical isn't the only tale of theatre vs nature to come out of the Christchurch earthquakes.  Clubs began sharing resources and new and exciting performance opportunities came about.  In its early days, the Christchurch Pops Choir was a(n albeit auditioned) musical community for those left theatrically "homeless" and needing a place to sing again. The Riccarton Players lost their home, The Mill Theatre, but other school and community halls became available as venues for performance.  The Rangiora Players had already begun work on their own Little Theatre but without the Rangiora Town Hall it is now their exclusive venue and it has completely changed their annual program, from two performances a year to a constant turnaround of plays and pantomimes.

For those of us involved in theatre, it is our life, it is something we live and breathe and it is something we miss when we can't get access.  While we began to bring theatre back into our lives, the community became stronger and closer out of both practical and social necessity and is now better than ever before. And that is why I can't keep up any more!  We are spoilt for choice and there are always a multitude of shows on at any time or auditions for a play or musical.  It' time for this wee site to hang up its hat and for me to move on to a new project.  I've loved updating this blog, however sporadic it has been at times and I thank everyone who has contributed in any way.  I'd also like to thank everyone who has been involved in the extended community of theatre and art in Christchurch, who has let theatre be their therapy during these last three years as we have picked up the pieces of our normal lives again.

AUDITIONS & SHOWS! 27-SEP-13

Cas'n'Ova Productions presents the NZ premier of Manic to Madness

You may remember a call for a director back in January for Manic to Madness, a semi-autobiographical play, set in Hilmorton hospital.  Well, that show is now on the road!  The writers found their director, production crew and cast and the show is set to hit the stage from the 3rd of October.  Described as a "window into the unwell mind", Manic to Madness follows Nero, a "colourful" ex-salesman who is affected by bipolar disorder.  The show promises to take you on a journey that sees you laugh, cry and feel all that’s in-between.

 

Performances are 7.30 pm, 3-5 October, and 8-12 October, tickets are $25.  Tickets are available from the Cas'n'Ova Productions' booking page. Venue is The Theatre at Rangiruru Girls school on Merivale Lane.  Written by Karl Hitchcock and Nic Farra, directed by Craig Hutchison.  For further information, see the Cas'n'Ova website.

 

NCMS Chicago Auditions

The North Canterbury Musical Society has announced auditions for their upcoming summer musical, Chicago.  Auditions will be held in the NCMS clubrooms in Rangiora on October 5th and 13th.  Chicago will be directed by Ravil Atlas with Leanne O'Mahony as MD and Annette Searle as choreographer; show dates are 1-17 May 2014.
Musoc had a great success with this show in 2012, with a sell-out season, proving that 38 years after its original debut in 1975, this hit musical about a couple of gin-swilling, jazz-dancing murderesses can still capture the imagination of a modern audience.  This is a brilliant show to be involved in and if you're keen to audition, email auditions@ncms.org.nz to book a time and get your audition pack.  I'd recommend getting in ASAP - although there's no specific information available online, the NCMS often have a requested song list for auditions and there's no harm in allowing yourself extra time to prepare if you need to learn something new.  You can find out more from the official Facebook event.

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I'm back!

I'm back and ready to start blogging again!

Life was getting in the way so I hadn't posted anything since May(!) yet when I checked my stats, I saw that this place has been averaging 50 hits a day. I'm so happy and proud - this is just little ol' me writing from my house, after all!  I think what this has shown me is that the original idea I had for the site - a wee hub where all of the audition and show information could be pooled together into one community was not only needed but is also greatly appreciated.  I want to take this chance to say a big thank you to everyone who reads, shares and helps keep me up to date! 
I was keen to get back into writing as it was but now I'm seriously amped. The theatre scene has grown and grown since I started this blog, and of course since we've rebuilt our network and community since the Earthquakes and there are so may exciting events and opportunities coming up in the near future.
I'm hearing lots of murmurs about upcoming shows with rehearsals well under way; and then there's the summer musical season, which sounds far away, but in theatre terms of course is just around the corner!

If you have a show or audition notice or if you're looking for personnel for your production let me know via email - aimeerhiannon@gmail.com - so I can share the news.

Hiatus

Hi everyone

This site is on a temporary hiatus for the time being, but we should be back up and running within a month's time.  In the meantime, keep up to date with the latest theatre goings-on by checking in with the official websites of some of our community theatre groups:

Canterbury Children's Theatre
Elmwood Players
Harlequin Players
Musoc
North Canterbury Musical Theatre Society
Rangiora Players
Riccarton Players

UPCOMING SHOWS IN AUTUMN

There is some really brilliant theatre coming to Christchurch this season, and tickets for these shows are selling fast: Rangiora Players' upcoming production of April Phillips' comedy Stiff already has less than 100 seats remaining with a full month to go to until opening night so get in quick!
For more information about the shows below, check out the links provided.


Dramasoc presents a 1930s adaptation of Oscar Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan

Whilst preparing for her 18th birthday celebrations, Lady Windermere discovers that her husband of one year may be having an affair with a much older woman whom she has never met. Over the course of 24 hours Lady Windermere learns that not everything is as it seems.

Shows are Wed 13th - Sat 16th and Wed 20th - Sat 23rd March in the Jack Mann Auditorium on the Univeristy of Canterbury's Dovedale campus.  All shows start at 7.30, tickets are $15/$12.  Tickets are available from the on-campus ticket booth on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and can otherwise be purchased through the Court Theatre or via Dash Tickets (booking fees may apply).  Adapted and directed by Michael Jamieson.  For more information contact producer@dramasoc.org.nz or see the event page on Facebook.



Rangiora Players' Production of Stiff

Angel Delight is the illegitimate daughter of a funeral director, and inherits the undertaker's premises when he dies. Before she can sell the business and the land, she is required to keep the funeral parlour open for a further five years.

Unfortunately, she knows absolutely nothing about the funeral business... but rather a lot about prostitution.

Shows are Wed 10th - Sat 13th and Wed 17 - Sat 20th April in The Rangiora Players Little Theatre at Northbrook studios.  Performance starts at 7.30pm.
Tickets $20 for all and can be ordered online through the Rangiora Player's bookings page or from the Kaiapoi ISite Visitor Centre.  Directed by Dimitri Gibara.  For more information about the show, see the Player's site or contact Julie on 03 313 3721.



Elmwood Players presents Cosi

Lewis is a young, inexperienced university student, hired by a psychiatric institute to direct a play as part of the hospital's therapeutic program. The venue is a theatre that smells of "burnt wood and mould", the cast are patients with very diverse needs and the play is Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte. Roy, a patient, demands the Mozart work, but his fellow inmates are neither opera singers nor Italian speakers and Lewis' problems don't end there

Shows are Wed 24th - Sat 27th April and Wed 1st - Sat 4th May in the Elmwood Auditorium.  Performance starts at 7.30pm.
Tickets $20/$15 and can be booked online through the Elmwood Players booking form, or by calling 03 355 8874.  Directed by Garry Thomas.  For more information about the show, see the Elmwood Player's website.


Showbiz brings Broadway to Christchurch with Avenue Q

AVENUE Q is a colourful musical journey where both puppets and people tell the story of Princeton, a new college Grad who is anxious to discover his purpose in life...The musical is 'Sesame Street’ meets ‘South Park’ for grownups.

Shows are Wed 24th - Sat 27th April and Tues 30th April - Sat 4th May at the Aurora Centre at Burnside High School.  Performances start at 7.30pm with a 2pm matinee on 27th April and an early-start 6pm show on Thursday 25th.

Tickets are from $30 and can be ordered online through the Showbiz website.  Music & Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, book by Jeff Whitty, based on an original concept by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx.
This show is R13 and contains sexual content that may offend some people, parental guidance is highly recommended.  For more information see Showbiz.org.nz.

AUDITIONS 21-FEB-12

Auditions: Cas'n'Ova Productions - Motel

Next month, Cas'n'Ova Productions are holding auditions for the premier performance of April Phillips' drama Motel.  Auditions are Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 March from 5.30-8.00pm

Roles Available:
JENNY: Smart business woman (early 30s)

BEN: An attractive young male (early 20s)
HARRY: A salt of the earth working class man (late 60s)
PEARL: A meek warm-hearted woman (late 60s)
ELVIS: An affable genuine chap (late 30s/early 40s)
ANNABEL: A confident, outspoken, slightly abrasive business woman (30s)
JANET: A wealthy, well spoken and presented woman (50s)



The play premieres in June of this year on the Open Stage at Hagley.  Applicants need to provide a profile photo or head-shot and contact details including a phone number.  To book an audition time or to find out more about the play, contact Cas'n'Ova here through their website.