May 26, 2014

MIDWINTER READINGS AT THE COURT THEATRE  

Sunday 1, 8 & 15 June 2014  

MIDWINTER READINGS SHOWCASE NEW ZEALAND WRITERS  

Come in from the cold, purchase a mulled wine and take part in The Court Theatre’s annual series of new theatrical works. Over three consecutive Sunday afternoons, plays will be presented as ‘works-in-progress’. Following each performance, audiences will be invited to provide feedback and engage in discussion about the work.  

“This is an exciting opportunity for audiences to see a script performed in a raw state as it evolves into a fully-fledged theatrical production” Artistic Director, Ross Gumbley explains. “Engaging with the audience is a critical and thrilling stage in the script development process.”  

Winston’s Birthday, by Paul Baker, directed by Lara Macgregor, is set in 1962 England. Sir Winston Churchill is a fading force and there is unfinished business in his loving but dysfunctional family. Secrets are revealed, resentments released and new understandings formed, in this fresh and funny perspective on an iconic and larger-than-life family.

MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra), by Gregory Cooper, directed by Ross Gumbley, is a new one man show performed by one of New Zealand’s finest actors Mark Hadlow. It’s an hilarious tour-de-force of Tour de France proportions. WARNING: Contains mature themes.

Mule, by Pip Hall, directed by Elsie Edgerton-Till, explores the lives of Anna and Danny, who meet via an internet dating site. On opposite sides of the world, one is the hunter and one is the hunted. She is vulnerable, looking for distraction. He is in trouble, looking for drug trafficers.

Philip Aldridge, Chief Executive of The Court Theatre, is very passionate about initiatives like Midwinter Readings. “It is essential to The Court’s work to promote and foster new New Zealand writing. Any mature theatre with the ability, resources and capacity has a duty to represent the contemporary voice of the New Zealand.”

Show Times: 4.00pm Sunday 1, 8 & 15 June 2014.
Tickets from $10
at www.courttheatre.org.nz or 963 0870.