TAHI SHOWS 2022

Presented by The Magnificent Weirdos

Agents Provocateurs is a theatrical cabaret about some of history's greatest female spies.

Celebrating history, subterfuge and the women who did it all - performer Jo Marsh will brilliantly showcase the importance of telling women’s stories using an arsenal of storytelling, comedy, dance and song.

Exploring he lives and tragedies of six infamous femme spies throughout the ages: Mata Hari (WW1), Yokisho Kawashima (Sino/Japanese War), Nacy Wake (WW2), Mary Bowser (American Civil War), Mademoiselle Le Chevalier D’Eon de Beaumont (French/Spanish War 1700s), Noor Inayat Khan (WW2), Agent Provocateurs welcomes you to celebrate and relish in women’s achievements in history while being thoroughly entertained by a thrilling and polished performance.

By Anders Falstie-Jensen

Presented by The Rebel Alliance

The Rebel Alliance invites you into 95-year-old Inga’s living room in Denmark as she reaches out through space and time to her grandson in New Zealand. Inga has seen world wars, cold wars, and civil wars. In real life and on TV. And when you’re close to 100 you know a thing or two about a thing or two. Sometimes all you need is an old lady to set you straight.

It's theatre, but only just!

"a beautifully simple piece of theatre, with warmth and heart and a sweet surprise at the end."- The Waikato Independent

"I can’t recall the last time I left a theatre with such a lightness of heart."- Ross' Reviews (Hamilton)

"Back to Square One? left the audience in a sublime state of sonder and camaraderie. It concluded with an unexpected invitation. In the name of Thor, I urge you to see this outstanding play." - Write On for the Arts

Presented by Pea-Knuckle Productions

Join award-winning kiwi family entertainer Captain Festus McBoyle for an unforgettable whānau comedy theatre experience laced with songs, poems, stories and epic fun.

Now stripped bare of his motley crew, The Prose and Con offers a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with this loveable rogue of the sea as he flies solo by the seat of his pants and offers a fabulously fun show that is both raw and incredibly honest.

Filled to the brim with well-crafted songs, extremely clever lyrical content, awe-inspiring tales of the sea (some tall, some true) and plenty of the usual cheek we’ve learnt to expect from this one-of-a-kind ‘Punk Rock’ Pirate, this event promises to be more fun than a squirrel up ya jumper!

Caution: Special guests may well appear - they generally do!

By Bea Lee Smith

Presented by Fab Cabaret

Upper Hutt, 1984. Bust out your shoulder pads and join Cecily as she discovers her true self, through the wonderful world of fashion and style guide, Colour Me Beautiful.

Cecily has escaped to New Zealand from London, following her divorce. She befriends an eccentric group of women, intent on living life to the fullest, and finds fulfilment in ways she never expected. Cecily's journey takes some hilarious twists and turns as she navigates her way through the minefield that is 1980s Upper Hutt.

Rich with nostalgia and the joy of self-discovery, come let Cecily colour your world….

By Helen Vivienne Fletcher

A sniper just shot a bullet through Briar’s window. Or… Briar had a nightmare and went crashing into a solid wooden door. Maybe the MRI machine can tell her which.

Briar’s always been a sleepwalker, but when a new relationship sends her sleep disorder into overdrive, it’s not just her REM cycle that suffers. Briar’s grip on reality is slipping, and her life is coming apart with it. The possibility of an assistance dog offers hope, but with injuries a nightly occurrence and her girlfriend’s patience wearing thin, Briar’s finding love might not be as unconditional as promised.

Based on the true story of a series of things that didn’t really happen, playwright Helen Vivienne Fletcher, winner of the Peter Harcourt Outstanding New Playwright award 2015, draws on her lifetime of sleep misadventures in this new solo play. Falling asleep, or falling in love – which one is about to crash?

NZSL Access

Confessions of a Sleepwalking Insomniac features integrated NZSL interpretation by Nicola Clements for all three performances of the show this TAHI Festival. There will be a short briefing at 6pm every night so please leave enough time for you to arrive, collect your tickets and enter the theatre.

Presented By Birdlife Productions

Using the enduring delights of Mask and Puppetry, Effy is a poignant, nonverbal work in development that portrays the human condition with its many imperfections and the yearning to belong.

Whilst quietly carrying out her job in the park, surrounded by bustling commuters, mums with prams, joggers and intimidating waterfowl, Effy secretly believes Maria from the Sound of Music is her guiding light, and she can’t help wondering; My heart should be wildly rejoicing. Oh, what's the matter with me?

It is common in our society to feel alienated, separate and disconnected from others, and even more common to believe we are the only one who feels this way. Effy bravely unpacks her own sense of alienation, taking it to absurd levels, as discomfort spills over into playfulness, terror into ecstasy, grief into joy.

Performer & Mask Maker: Bridget Sanders | Mask Director & Mentor: Beth Twentyman | Creative Director: Roger Sanders

By Elliot Vaughan

Circle in for an experimental evening of music and poetry about death, capitalism and ornithology.

A setlist of poetic texts are subjected to transformative compositional processes, gutting them of meaning or stumbling through the banal into the sublime. The raw material of the poems is musicalised through cassette loops and digital looper, song, screen, cunning use of microphones, and Elliot’s dynamic, embodied delivery.

Stylistically, the show draws on 70’s sound poetry like Canada’s Four Horsemen, 60’s minimalist composition such as Steve Reich’s phase pieces, the immediacy of punk and stand-up comedy, and the sprawling romance of the natural

Presented by Hugo Grrrl

Rachel Atlas has a complicated relationship with danger. From teenage stripper to sword swallower, from accidental dominatrix to knife-thrower’s assistant, she’s never been able to resist living on the edge. In this riotous tell-all debut solo show, expect to be thrilled by world-class stunts, raw humour and the heart-warming journey of a dangerous woman finally finding safety.

Rachel Atlas is an internationally renowned circus performer and a veteran of the vaudeville and Fringe Festival circuits the world over. Gag Reflex will be her first autobiographical work: lifting the curtain on her fascinating life of salacious sexual exploits, bad trips, worse men, and, of course, death-defying misadventures.

A thrilling, titillating, tear-jerking theatre full of world-class stunts and winner of the 2022 NZ Fringe Festival Best in Fringe Award, Gag Reflex is a heart-warming feminist story not to be missed!

Originally produced by George Fowler/Hugo Grrrl

By TAHI Festival

TAs Aotearoa’s only dedicated solo performance festival, TAHI Festival is a supportive platform for new talent to showcase and develop their work. Key parts of our kaupapa include valuing and fostering emerging artists.

We at HATCH, work with students of acting programmes from Te Auaha, Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, and Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, providing them opportunities to develop their craft through personalised workshops with industry professionals. Creating connections, during this time especially, is vital.

HATCH is a great opportunity for these eight students to gain experience, skills and networking opportunities. Come support these beautiful emerging voices.

By Isaac Martyn

What does it mean to reclaim Māoritanga from a Pākehā upbringing?

Returning to BATS after a sold-out first season, Isaac Martyn will lead the audience on a journey from total confusion to partial understanding - weaving together elements of stand-up comedy, waiata, and theatrical performance to explore the doubt, celebration, and the complicated nature of identity.

He aha? He Māori? Is he? Maybe - it depends.

By TAHI Festival

Joy - "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness" - is what the world needs more of right now. But joy is a shifting creature - what constitutes joy? How do you define something so nebulous?

Our Joy is a collection of five new monologues by female and non-binary writers especially commissioned for TAHI 2022.

Writers Henrietta Bollinger, Mel Dodge, Stevie Greeks, Indigo Paul and Elspeth Tilley explore what joy means to them through the highs and lows of menopause, childbirth, freedom, whānau, whakapapa, and acceptance.

Joy follows the success of TAHI's collection of monologues Batch and Whānau.

“The mark of a successful theatre production is that you’re left wanting more. I could have happily watched this group of talented actors telling their uniquely Kiwi stories with genuine pathos and humour well into the night.” – Tanya Piejus, Regional News (Whānau, 2021)

Presented by Indian Ink Theatre Company

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see one of New Zealand’s most loved plays. Krishnan’s Dairy is a cultural phenomenon that sells out every time.

Take a look behind the counter of the corner dairy and discover a love story as wondrous as the Taj Mahal.

Jacob Rajan is utterly captivating as he juggles multiple characters in a career-defining performance that shows why he’s won numerous best actor awards.

Laughter, live music and exquisite masks make this a magical evening like no other.

Winner of the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe First Award and two Production of the Year Awards in New Zealand, this iconic play is fun for all.

By Little Dog Barking Theatre Company

Surprise – it’s one little piggy’s birthday!

Party Pigs! is a delightful puppetry story set around the excitement and anticipation of a child’s birthday party – piggy style!

After accidentally spoiling one little piggy’s birthday, nine little piggies decide to throw a surprise party for their friend. Working together, the excitement builds until they just can’t wait any longer. This joyous family-friendly play reflects a world of fun and games, whether real or imaginary, and reminds us as adults not to take life too seriously.

Brought to you by New Zealand’s own internationally acclaimed Little Dog Barking Theatre Company, this piggie party is perfect for children aged 2–7 years old.

By arrangement with Playmarket.

The performance of Party Pigs! at 1pm on Saturday 11 September will be a relaxed performance. Everyone is welcome to come along to this show but relaxed performances are especially suitable for those with intellectual disabilities and those who are on the autism spectrum. The show will be adapted to create a more relaxed sensory environment. The lights and sound effects will be less intense, the house lights will be kept on, people can move around and come and go from the theatre as needed, people are allowed to talk and fidget if they want, and there will be a pre-show walkthrough of the theatre at 12:30pm on the day. You can find the Party Pigs! Social Story here which has some useful information about arriving at the theatre and attending the show.

A monologue by Will Eno. Performed by Steven Ray.

Behold the newest nobody of the funniest century yet. He'll speak to you directly about the notion of home, the world, delivered with the authority that is the special province of the unsure and the un-homed, a word he made up accidentally, all in roughly one hour!

With previous success in Edinburgh, New York, and Australia, Actor/Director Steven Ray is bringing this acclaimed monologue to Aotearoa for the first time. Title and Deed is a provocative, engaging new work by Will Eno, whom the New York Times called “a Samuel Beckett for the Jon Stewart generation.”

Some people travel only to look, while others come to see - Sherpa to Edmund Hilary on the slopes of Everest.

By Michael Metzger

Growing up gay is not for sissies. Especially in 1970s rural Otago. In this energetic and thoughtful autobiographical work, Michael Metzger weaves together his childhood memories with his present-day experience of training for and running a marathon, because sometimes we find a sense of community in unexpected places.

The Changing Shed is a play about overcoming the long-term effects of bullying while offering a heartfelt message of hope and solidarity. It formed the creative component of Michael’s PhD at Deakin University in Melbourne (2020) and it won the award for Best Theatre at Dunedin Fringe 2021 and Best Script at the 2021 Dunedin Theatre Awards. Michael's PhD also won the Australasian Drama Studies Association's 2021 Philip Parsons Prize for performance as research. Proudly adding to the small canon of New Zealand gay plays, The Changing Shed is the first to specifically address queer identity in a rural context.

By Sacha Copland

You're invited to The Emperor’s New Clothes to see the world’s most amazing outfits.

See 40 year-old choreographer Sacha Copland dance in the lushest, richest, most sumptuous fabrics in the world. But there is just one catch. These divine clothes, created by the best fashion designers in the world, are completely invisible to anyone who has a high level of acceptance of the current economic system. It’s a high-risk proposition.

Come and be amazed by the splendour of the costumes or come and see absolutely nothing. This is a show for people who like risk, profit and loss statements, outrageous dancing, the cardiovascular system and the deconstruction of power. This is a show for people who love the human body.

Don’t worry, I’m sure you will be able to see the amazing costumes in all their glory.

They really are beautiful.

By Sarah Harpur

Sibling rivalry, Olympic ambition. Mark Todd fever-dreams. A very sexy horse. A one-person play about one mediocre person. Shortlisted for the 2022 Adam NZ Play Award.

There's a 'shit kid' in every family. In Sharni's family, it's her. While twin brother Nige is off winning Olympic medals, Sharni teaches rich kids to ride horses while dealing pony poo on the side. But Sharni has a plan. She's going to buy the sexiest horse in town and get to the Olympics herself. The only thing standing in her way is her baby, a lack of intergenerational wealth, and one bad temper.

From award-winning writer and performer of Dead Dads Club, The Shit Kid explores the collision between parenthood and ambition—featuring a $600 hobby horse.

Presented by Kenny King

Led by senior puppeteer Kenny King from the internationally-renown Little Dog Barking Theatre Company, this interactive workshop will explore some of the tools and techniques of basic puppeteering. Working as individuals, then in groups, participants will use experimentation and play to work with simple materials to discover and develop new characters.

Kenny King is an award-winning puppeteer and actor. Trained at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, Kenny has been a professional performer for over 15 years. He began his puppetry career at Capital E National Theatre for Children under the tutelage of Peter Wilson and in 2010 won the inaugural Chapman Tripp Critics Choice Award for his puppetry in Capital E’s “End Game”. Kenny has worked for Little Dog Barking Theatre Company since 2011 and is now their senior puppeteer. He is also an accomplished improviser, having worked for The Improvisors, Wellington’s longest running professional improv troupe since 2005.

Presented By Elliot Vaughan

SOUNDSCAPE is a workshop exploring the organic noises of the city and the natural environment, and the designed and composed noises of music and performance.

Join Elliot Vaughan in a wordless soundwalk through the neighbourhood, listening to it as if composed, the trajectory through the streets shaping the musicality. What sounds are there, what do they mean, how do they coexist?

Heading back into the created environment of theatre, makers take responsibility for that soundscape. Pages flicking, chairs scraping, voices, and corduroy ffft fffts become materials to construct a symphony.

Drawing on the fields of acoustics and psycho-acoustics, sound ecology, music, and getting silly, SOUNDSCAPE is a hands-on experiment in listening and soundmaking.

Elliot Vaughan is an experimental composer and performer. He studied and freelanced for fifteen years in Vancouver with some of the academics and artists who founded soundscape studies and soundscape composition.

Presented by Sacha Copland

Join award winning choreographer Sacha Copland for a workshop exploring the connection between the body and honesty. The workshop will gently invite you into a world where speaking and dancing/moving collide. Multi-task until your body and mind let go of control. Recondition your internal censor, search for your own truth and let your body lead you into areas you usually avoid.

Sacha has created more than 21 full length dance theatre works over the past 19 years as the artistic director of Java Dance Theatre. She has toured all over the world. Now she wants to be honest and she wants to invite you to join her. Open to all and any artists with a desire to risk, fail, flail and dive into new open- hearted territory.

The workshop is inspired by Sacha’s ‘An Honest Conversation’ performance series. This series was research for her TAHI festival show ‘Emperor’s New Clothes’.

Presented by Michael Metzger

How well do we know ourselves? Autobiographical performance can be a straightforward, often linear retelling of memories. It can also be a way to explore ideas and make discoveries.

This workshop draws on Michael’s PhD research which explored rural masculinity and gay identity using autoethnography – a research method which uses the self as a source of data. Throughout his research, Michael used the concept of bricolage as a way of articulating and understanding his practice.

Generally, bricolage refers to something made from bits and pieces – a sort of ‘no. 8 wire’ approach that emphasises repurposing material. This workshop will appeal to theatre makers who are looking for new strategies to create autobiographical performance and researchers interested in autoethnography. Participants will learn strategies to delay creative choices and meaning making. Doing so paves the way for a kind of transformative self-writing where new insights and understanding arise from juxtaposing the bric-à-brac of lived experience.