We have a busy season ahead at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School
Along with perennial favourites, Cabaret and Classic Cuts, the 2008 Graduation Season of four productions provides a hugely stimulating variety of theatre.
Please make your bookings for up-coming shows through the automated line: (04) 381 9253.
Classic Cuts
Thursday 9 - Saturday 11 October 2008
This studio showing of scenes from Shakespeare and his contemporaries is the first public performance for Toi Whakaari’s first year actors.
WHERE: Drama 1 , Te Whaea, 11 Hutchison Rd, Newtown
TIMES: Thu – Sat 7pm, Matinee Sat 11 Oct, 2pm
TICKETS: $5
BOOK: 04 381 9253 (automated line)
Monday 13 – Sunday 19 October 2008
Seats will sell extremely quickly for this light and ‘swelligant’ evening of music from Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin.
Second year actors showcase an all-singing all-dancing spectacle of songs costumed by second year costumiers and supported by Arts Management and Design students.
Musical Director: Laughton Pattrick, Director: Lyndee-Jane Rutherford, Choreographer:Lyne Pringle.
WHERE: Museum Hotel, Wakefield Street, Wellington
TIMES: Mon – Sun 7pm, plus late night shows Fri & Sat 10pm
TICKETS: $15 (no concessions)
GRADUATION SEASON OPENS 1 OCTOBER 2008
Blasted
By Sarah Kane
Wednesday 1 – Saturday 4 October 2008
Cruelty and compassion strangely collide in Sarah Kane's profound and horrific first work.
It looks at a world literally blowing up in our faces. Kane is part of the ‘in-yer-face’ generation of young British playwrights whose experiential work has challenged and shocked the British stage.
Recommended for mature audiences only. Contains offensive material.
WHERE: Basement Theatre, Te Whaea, 11 Hutchison Rd, Newtown
TIMES: Wed – Sat 8.30pm
TICKETS: $15/$10
BOOK: 04 381 9253 (automated line)
See our website www.toiwhakaari.ac.nz for more information on the other Graduation Season productions:
Unity (1918)
by Kevin Kerr
Thu 23 October – Sat 1 November 2008
No Show Monday 27 October
Aoterroroa
By Jo Randerson and Company
Tue 28 October – Thu 6 November 2008
The Pillowman
By Martin McDonagh
NZ SCHOOL OF DANCE ANNOUNCES GRADUATION SEASON 2008 PROGRAMME
The New Zealand School of Dance’s thrilling new programme of dance works is set to delight audiences this spring. The Graduation Season promises to be a magical evening of classical ballet and contemporary dance performed by students of the New Zealand School of Dance.
The programme comprises seven contrasting works, taking the audience on a tour around the world and through the history of dance.
Among the season highlights are world premieres by Ross McCormack and Sarah Foster, two New Zealand contemporary choreographers sustaining highly successful careers internationally. Foster and McCormack are NZSD graduates and their creations reflect the School’s ongoing commitment to commissioning fresh New Zealand choreography.
Rich in nuance and sensuality, Un Ballo is choreographed by Czech dance world genius, Jiri Kylian and is set to sublime music by Maurice Ravel. Un Ballo (meaning ‘a dance’ or ‘a ball’) is an exercise in musicality and sensitivity between male and female partners.
Jabula,
choreographed by Natalie Weir, is a highly theatrical and explosive display of athleticism. This piece is set to a syncopated choral and percussive score originally composed for the film ‘The Power of One’. Jabula is an African word meaning ‘joy’ and the work is a celebration of the dancers’ energy and spirit.Graduation Season audiences will get the rare opportunity to see the soft classical grace of Flower Festival in Genzano; originally choreographed for the Royal Danish Ballet in 1858 by the company’s choreographer and Ballet Master, August Bournonville. The piece is considered one of Bournonville's most perfect compositions, a charming love duet between two young people where the steps express both their joy and their teasing playfulness.
This piece sits in contrast to the architectural beauty of the Pas de Dix from Raymonda, in which the dancers put on a sparkling display of technical virtuosity with a strong Hungarian flavour. The story, a medieval tale set in Hungary during the crusades, tells of the battle between a Christian knight and a Saracen warrior to win the heart of the noble maiden Raymonda. The Pas de Dix is a rich divertissement from the marriage celebration at the end of the ballet, and is hailed as Petipa’s last true masterpiece.
“We have been extraordinarily fortunate to host several international guest artists this year. The wealth of knowledge that these luminaries bring is a gift, both to the students and also our audience,” says Garry Trinder, Director of the New Zealand School of Dance. “This is a great opportunity for New Zealand to see a new generation of dance artists imbuing this wonderful choreography with fresh dynamic energy.”
These performances represent the culmination of the students’ studies – either a two-year Certificate or three-year Diploma in Dance Performance – at one of the leading dance conservatoires in the Southern Hemisphere. NZSD is based at Te Whaea: National Dance & Drama Centre, and its students regularly progress to full time employment as professional dancers and choreographers.
NZSD Graduation Season will be at Te Whaea Theatre from 19 – 29 November 2008 at 7.30pm, with a matinee on Sunday 23 November at 2.00pm. There will be no show on Monday 24 November.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and $10 for children age 12 and under. To order tickets, call 04 381 9254.
Ends.