The
New Zealand Lightweight Theatre Co-op, on tour 1977.The
New Zealand Lightweight Theatre Co-op, on tour 1977.Monologue
. . . . Harold Pinter
Pinter's plays are like Chinese puzzles. The questions raised here deal with the hairlines between love and hate, sanity and insanity.
The Zoo Story . . . . Edward Albee
A clash of opposites qualified by curiosity, compassion and fear. A sacrifice is required in resolving the conflict.
Eh Joe . . . . Samuel Beckett
Joe is tormented by voices. He has succeeded in exorcising all but one, the woman's voice in this play. The play is a struggle for supremacy between the two.
The New Zealand Lightweight Theatre Co-op was founded in 1977 by three actors from Nelson and Christchurch. All three shared a strong commitment to drama as well as having professional experience in other fields - education, journalism, law and business.
The Lightweight Theatre presented challenging plays by internationally renowned contemporary dramatists to audiences wherever they could be found - in the Suter Theatre Gallery, schools, hospitals, prisons, mental institutions, church halls and established theatres. The selection of plays required a small cast and a minimum of scenery and effects, which suited our small mobile company.Amusingly, we also managed to get banned from the Nelson Ladies Academy for producing a play which had the temerity to mention the word "Homosexual" (The Zoo Story) - how times have moved on!
The plays were new to many audiences, which would not be so if we had chosen "Waiting for Godot", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" or "The Caretaker" by the same authors. They also have striking theatrical and literary qualities, and the electricity and subtlety of great drama.
Between November and December 1977 we toured Nelson, Christchurch, and other South Island venues.
Robert
McKay:Age 23, born in Leeds, England.
Educated Sheffield University, BA (Hons) English Literature. Occupations: teacher, musician,
Ever on the move, in 1978 Rob moved north to work for two months at the Mercury theatre in Aukland
Gill
Samuel:Age 25, Born in Wellington. Educated Nelson and Wellington, Dip. Journalism, Wellington Poly. Studied Journalism.
Favourite play: Long Day's Journey into Night Eugene O'Neill. Interests: Collecting turtles, Art deco.
Gill moved to Auckland in early 1978, working mainly in fashion design.
Lauren
Mathieu:Age 27. Born Dannevirke
Studied Law at Christchurch
Laurens subsequent movements are shrouded in mystery!
Acknowledgements |
The Nelson Provincial Arts Council |
|
The Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council |
|
The Nelson Community Education Centre |
|
The Troupe Theatre - properties |
|
Mike Collins - photography |
|
Richard Coburn - graphics |
|
Julie Tiplady - bookings and comfort to the troops |
|
Bradley Smith - lighting |
|
Snoods Hairdressing Salon |
|
Donald the Truck |
|
Nelson Post Office for inadvertent sponsorship |
Thursday, 14 September 2006, 10:48 am
Press Release: Nelson Arts Festival
Stuffed dog found for festival
The Nelson Arts Festival has found the stuffed dog needed as a prop in the
Australian dance show Blue Love that stages at the Suter Theatre next month.
The call went out for a stuffed German Shepherd earlier this week - in an appeal
that got legs - the story went nationwide, featured on TV and was widely read on
the internet.
Arts Festival technical director Antony Hodgson says he heard about a stuffed
police dog in a museum, came close to tracking one at the Blenheim dump and
followed a lead from a taxidermist who had stuffed a dog 12 years ago - but
found the owners had dumped it when it became fly blown.
"Then I got a call from Pauleen Wilkinson, a Nelsonian living in Rotorua, who
had shown the story about the stuffed dog hunt to 89 year old Mrs Winifred
Flood," he said. "Mrs Flood had a pet Alsatian called Norman that she brought
out from England after he had died and been stuffed - she's very excited about
Norman going on stage in the Nelson Arts Festival."
Norman will travel to Nelson by courier in time for the first performance of
Blue Love in late October, and will be returned to Mrs Flood accompanied by
flowers and a box of chocolates.
Cosmic late night footnote - Annabel Norman, the director of the Nelson Arts
Festival claims not to be related to the stuffed dog, but in Nelson, this should
not be ruled out of the range of possibilities.
www.nelsonartsfestival.co.nz
ENDS