August 21, 2006

CELEBRATING THE EXCELLENT AND THE EXTRA-ORDINARY

The Otago Festival of the Arts [6 – 14 October 2006] again envelops Dunedin in a magical whirlwind of captivating music, thought-provoking theatre, magical dance, side-splitting comedy, literature, visual arts and much, much more.

This major cultural event presents a stellar array of international and New Zealand performers – along with Otago’s finest artists. The Otago Festival promises to be a startling celebration of creative endeavour.

The Festival programme will be rich and varied.  For nine dynamic days and nights, there will be something for everyone, from a French Jazz ensemble to Pacific beats and rhythms; from an evocative Argentinean ballet to award winning New Zealand contemporary dance-films; from side-splitting British comedy to heart wrenching theatre.

Dunedin’s grand performance venues will be infused with Festival fever, and churches and museums transformed to stage everything from lunchtime concerts to late-night cabarets.

Once again, the Otago Festival of the Arts will confirm this region’s passion for the arts.

Full festival programme available on our website www.otagofestival.co.nz – bookings through Ticketek. Below, the theatre and dance content is summarised.

THEATRE

My Heart is Bathed in Blood

The Fortune Theatre presents the première of Michelanne Forster’s new play, My Heart is Bathed in Blood, based on a crime of passion that occurred in Dunedin Hospital in the 1950s. Imagine the horror of knowing you had killed the person you thought you loved best in all the world.

Lines of Fire
The Festival is an opportunity for Otago artists to create and present new work. To celebrate their 10th anniversary local company WOW has commissioned Gary Henderson to write a site specific work. Inspired by – and staged within – one of this city’s finest buildings, they present the world première of Lines of Fire.

The Guys

The Guys is a heart-wrenching play set in the days of turmoil following the destruction of the World Trade Centre. A dialogue between scriptwriter / journalist Anne Nelson and one of the Precinct Fire Chiefs, she must help write eulogies for eight of his vanished firefighters. Presented by Los Angeles based company The Actors’ Gang (Artistic Director Tim Robbins), The Guys is being performed exclusively at the Otago Festival. This is an unforgettable 90 minutes of quiet, direct and honest emotion.

Wheeler’s Luck

Nigel Collins and Toby Leach deliver a dynamic explosion of astounding physicality and vocal dexterity. On a stripped back stage with nothing but a bell, they create not only an entire community, but also a dance routine, pub brawl, shipwreck and, a bareback horse race. Sharp and deliciously silly, at a breathless 80 minutes, there is not an ounce of fat on this hilarious and beautifully honed show.

King & Country

The horror, humour and heartache of war is vividly brought to life in this powerful and evocative drama, King & Country. Based on personal accounts of ordinary New Zealanders during the Great War, a gifted ensemble of singer / actors are accompanied live on stage by Dunedin’s own St. Kilda Brass Band. After seasons throughout New Zealand the Festival is pleased that Dunedin can now experience this critically acclaimed production.

DANCE

Ballet Concierto
Direct from Buenos Aries – the award winning Iñaki Urlezaga and the stunning Ballet Concierto. This will be an evening of evocative theatre, steamy tango and Latin American passion. The exquisite dancers of Ballet Concierto will envelop you in an alluring evening of contemporary dance epitomising everything that is the capital of Argentina.

Athletes of the Imagination
Known around the world with their arresting and lyrical dance films, Dunedin’s own Daniel Belton and Good Company, use a distinctive multi-disciplinary approach to create something surprising and captivating.

Round off every evening of the festival at The Festival Club where audiences and artists converge. Blues, funk, jazz, swing, mellow ballads and driving rhythms make up a cocktail of fine local and international talent.