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 13-SEPT-12

There's so much going on at the moment, I'll be posting twice today (there's a brilliant season of theatre ahead of us!)

Auditions: Musoc's Show Choir"If you want to see yourself under the spotlight, join a fun, social group and get to learn sweet songs under expert musical direction, this is a golden opportunity."
Musoc is seeking male voices to complete their show choir. Auditions will be held all day on the 23rd September on campus. Auditionees will be required to perform a song of their own choosing and may have their musical ability assessed with some simple sight-reading exercises.

Email Sam at events@musoc.org.nz now to book an audition time & find out more or see the event of Facebook.

Auditions: Rangiora Players' summer youth production
Rangiora Players are holding auditions next weekend for a gothic, supernatural pantomime: Pantostein.

Auditions are open for 12-17 year olds and will be held on the 22nd September in Rangiora.
Roles required include:
OPHELIA
DR FRANK N STEIN
DAME BLOODENGUTZ
IGOR
BORIS VAN RENTAL
BERTHA TIDFYL
DRACULA
THE BRIDE OF DRACULA
THE WEREWOLF
THE MONSTER
CHORUS (zombies/villagers)

More information about the characters, the play and the audition process is available on the Rangiora Players website. To book an audition time call David on (03) 312 1660. 

Show Announcements 26-JULY-12

This week, Elmwood Players presents its Winter Season of short plays, Triple Treat.

“The Imaginary Friend” By Neil Troost; Directed by Alexandra Le Cocq

A comedy about the dysfunctional relationship between Karen and Roger.  Karen is struggling to cope with Roger’s increasingly erratic mental illness, while Roger’s imaginary friend Bob is reeking havoc with his attempts at a normal life.

“No Clues at Tudor Close” By Tim Barcode; Directed by Sam Fisher

Imagine waking up in an English country house after a murder has been committed with no memory of who you are, who they were or even of the house or people around you.

Colonel Mustard has exactly this experience one autumn day as he tries to piece together how he got to Tudor Close ….

Performances are Wed-Sat, July 26th to August 4th.  Shows start at 7.30pm at the Elmwood Auditorium.  All tickets $12. To book tickets call 03 355 8874 or use the online booking form


This August, the Rangiora Players' are bringing us the NZ premiere of Louise Roche's musical play Girls' Night.

"A Girls Night this is, for sure. Louise Roche's emotive and witty script cuts straight to the hearts of all those who spent their teens dancing around their handbags.
Sharon, a feisty disco gal who died in a moped accident and now returns, years later, as an angel to oversee the antics of her ageing friends.
And what a bunch of misfits they are; all recognisable caricatures of femininity. Amongst them is Anita, a Prozac dependent nutcase, there is boring Kate, who is tolerated because she does the driving and Lisa who tries to conceal her problems behind one big party.
It soon becomes evident that there is much more to these ladies than first impressions. Amidst the laughs and songs, some profound observations are made about all kinds of issues.
In Girls' Night, the girls replay their lives in flashbacks, in-between giving stirring renditions of seventies favourites."
Extracted from a review of the UK 2006 tour by Mike Martin in The Stage Reviews link to original review.

Performances are Wed-Sat, August 15-25.  Shows start at 7.30pm at the Rangiora Little Theatre.  All tickets $20. To book tickets, see the Rangiora Players' website. Note that this show is selling extremely quickly, with the final Thursday and Friday performances already sold out, so don't delay in booking tickets!

Calls For Cast & Crew 24-JULY-12

Auditions: Rangiora Players' October Production

The Rangiora Players will be presenting Roger Hall's "Market Forces", an immensely popular sequel to Hall's breakthrough play "Glide Time". The production is being directed by Dimitri Gibara.
Auditions will be held this weekend on the 28th July at the Rangiora Players Little Theatre at Northbrook Studios.
Roles available are as follows:
BERYL Female, Mid 40s
BRIAN Male, Late 30s/Early 40s
HUGH Male, Mid 50s
JIM Male, Pushing 60
JOHN Male, 50 years old
JULIE Female, Early 30s
RAEWYN Female, Worn down, late 30s

Perfomances: October 18^th, 19^th, 20^th, 25^th, 26^th, 27^th. Weekday performances are in the evenings (6:30pm call) and there may be matinee performances on the Saturdays.
For more information see their website or call as per below.
To book an audition time call Margaret (03) 313-8592
If you are interested in crewing this show, please get in touch with the Rangiora Players via the contact form on their website.

Auditions: Riccarton Players' Summer Musical Riccarton Players are also producing a Roger Hall classic this year, the very kiwi musical, Footrot Flats, based on Murray Ball's beloved comic strip. Auditions will be held on August 11th at West Spreydon School.
There are many lead, featured and chorus roles available, for a full list of required cast, please see the Riccarton Players' website.
Performance dates are November 20th - 24th at the Rudolf Steiner School Theatre.
For more information and to book an audition time please contact Doug Clarke on 021-252-1722 or doug.clarke@clear.net.nz.

The Vicar of Dibley Hits The Stage

The BBC’s hit comedy series The Vicar of Dibley takes to the Rangiora Town Hall this summer in a fantastic theatrical adaptation, and I had the lucky opportunity to get a sneak preview.

The play takes the form of three acts, each containing one of the most-loved of the series’ episodes.  The first is “The Arrival” where we, and the members of Dibley parish, get to meet Ang Reeves’ humourous incarnation of Dawn French’s classic character, the Reverend Geraldine Granger, “a babe with a bob cut and a magnificent bosom”. 

The Vicar of Dibley with The Rangiora Players

The Rangiora Players will be presenting the theatrical version of the British comedy classic, "The Vicar of Dibley" this November.  The play takes the form of three acts, each containing a much-loved episode from the television series:

AUDITION NOTICE

The Rangiora Players will be holding auditions for their November season of The Vicar of Dibley.