THE JOKES ARE ON IN 2022: NZ COMEDY TRUST PARTNERS WITH DISCOVERY’S THREE AND NZ ON AIR TO BRING MORE LOCAL LAUGHS TO OUR SCREENS
The New Zealand Comedy Trust is proud to announce that their new partnership with Discovery’s Three has landed funding from NZ On Air to produce four televised comedy events during the 2022 NZ International Comedy Festival.
TAURITE – HAKA DANCE THEATRE FORGING FORWARD WITH PERFORMANCES IN 2022
Celebrated Māori performance company Hawaiki TŪ return to the stage in 2022 with their award-winning work Taurite. Following delays presented by Aotearoa New Zealand’s recent lockdowns, Hawaiki TŪ and Auckland Live are delighted to announce that Taurite will return to the stage in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland in February 2022. This exciting evolution of Taurite premieres at the Aotea Centre’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre from 16 - 17 February, before playing at the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts in Wellington on 11 March.
NZTRIO TRIUMPHANTLY RETURN TO LIVE PERFORMANCES THIS DECEMBER
NZTrio are thrilled to close out a tumultuous 2021 with the final concert in the series Dramatic Skies 3: Cirrus, taking them to Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington from 12 December.
2021 PORTAGE CERAMIC AWARDS TO PICK AOTEAROA’S TOP POTTER
The finalists for the 2021 Portage Ceramic Awards have been announced, with a shortlist reflecting the creativity and ingenuity of Aotearoa’s top artists working with clay. 33 works by 30 ceramicists are up for this year’s award, which provides a vital platform to showcase the diversity of contemporary ceramic practice. With finalists from across the motu, media are invited to interview artists ahead of the Premier Award announcement on 3 December 2021.
THE LITTLE KIWI SHOW THAT HAS GONE GLOBAL GANGBUSTERS DROPS NEW EPISODES
Following their deal with global kids’ platform Da Vinci Kids earlier this year, the much-loved animated series Darwin and Newts drops 24 new episodes available free to view on TVNZ2 each weekday morning at 8:10am and on TVNZ OnDemand from 30 November. In addition, the te reo version of season 2 is currently being produced and will land on Māori Television in early 2022.
SAVE THE DATE: AUCKLAND PRIDE ANNOUNCES KEY DATES FOR 2022 FESTIVAL
Auckland Pride are pleased to announce the dates for the 2022 Festival’s landmark annual offerings, all taking place across the month-long celebration from 1 – 27 February throughout Tāmaki Makaurau.
ULTIMATE COLLISION OF FORM BRINGS ZOMBIES AND CINEMA TO SILO
Silo Theatre is bringing an exhilarating collision of cinema, theatre, and music to the iconic Hollywood Avondale, teaming up with Jumpboard Productions to present their most ambitious Live Live Cinema project yet - an immersive live experience of cult classic Night of the Living Dead, playing September 9-18.
THE PERFECT MARRIAGE OF COMMUNITY AND ARTS: TAKAPUNA’S BRUCE MASON CENTRE CELEBRATES A QUARTER CENTURY!
Takapuna landmark, the Bruce Mason Centre, celebrates 25 years as the heart of the North Shore’s performing arts community this August.
TAURITE – HAKA DANCE THEATRE FORGING NEW PATHWAYS FOR PERFORMING ARTS IN TE AO MĀORI
Celebrated Māori performance company Hawaiki TŪ return to the stage this September with their award-winning work Taurite. Following the runaway success of the secondary school’s performances of ‘Autaia’ - Haka Theatre, twenty performers are set to fill the stage with a stunning fusion of dance, ngā taonga tuku iho (treasures of traditional heritage steeped in ancestral roots), mesmeric soundscapes and harmonious waiata set against an epic-scale set complete with 3D projection mapping. The next exciting evolution of Taurite plays at the Aotea Centre’s Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre from 1 - 3 September.
ALL YOUR FAVOURITE GAYS TAKING UP SPACE IN THE CAPITAL
Two of NZ’s most famous homosexuals, Tom Sainsbury and Chris Parker, lead a gaggle of gays hellbent on exposing Wellingtonians to festival favourite GAYS IN SPACE, playing at BATS Theatre from 10-18 August.
MASSIVE COMPANY RETURN WITH WORK EXPLORING THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
After a hugely successful season in 2019, Massive Company return with Half of the Sky, a heart-warming and tender tale of three sisters and of whānau dynamics. Performed by an impressive cast, this show was written by BAFTA award winning actor and playwright Lennie James, best known for his work on hit TV show Fear The Walking Dead, Save Me and Save Me Too. This poignant production will play at Q Theatre’s Loft 7 - 11 September and at Whangārei’s ONEONESIX 15 - 18 September, as part of Massive Company’s 30th year celebrations.
9 WORKSHOPS. 6 AWESOME TUTORS. 4 GUEST SPEAKERS. 3 COFFEE BREAKS. 1 SPECIAL PANEL DISCUSSION: WRITEFEST 2021
Announcing the inaugural WRITEFEST- a craft-focused writing event for established and aspiring writers. 2021 will be the first outing of this new initiative, which offers writers of all experience levels a chance to hear from writing professionals on a range of topics, coming to Ponsonby’s St. Columba Centre on 14 August.
CONTEMPORARY THEATRE LEGENDS PAY HOMAGE TO NZ’S GREATEST PLAYWRIGHT
Marking the centennial of the birth of Bruce Mason - arguably the most significant playwright in our country’s history - two contemporary legends of Aotearoa theatre have created a brilliant homage to his enduring legacy in Every Kind of Weather, coming to Wellington’s Circa Theatre (August 19 – September 11) and Auckland Live’s Herald Theatre (October 6–24). Director Shane Bosher and actor Stephen Lovatt offer audiences the chance to see two of Mason’s most beloved solo works - The End of the Golden Weather and Not Christmas, but Guy Fawkes - performed in repertory.
BACH MUSICA NZ RETURNS IN SPRING, TO SPELLBIND AUDIENCES
After a triumphant sold-out Auckland Town Hall concert in June, Bach Musica NZ returns once more to the iconic Great Hall on 12 September for their third performance of the year. The combined choir and orchestra will transport audiences with another astounding programme.
NZTRIO CONTINUE ON THEIR EXPANSIVE JOURNEY THROUGH THE CLOUDS
NZTrio is set to embark on the second journey through the atmosphere in their Dramatic Skies series, bringing Cumulus to four centres from August 22. Having spent much of 2021 collaborating with clarinettists, ballet dancers, and pop musicians, Ashley Brown (cello), Amalia Hall (violin), and Somi Kim (piano) are excited to perform in full flight as a three-piece with this new programme which conveys both catharsis and hope, featuring a new commission from celebrated Kiwi composer Jenny McLeod.