State of the arts
Changeover begins
Filming begins tomorrow on the husband and wife directed – Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt – movie The Changeover. Set in post earthquake Christchurch and based on the young adult novel by Margaret Mahy, The Changeover will feature a stellar international and local cast including Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, Mr Turner), Nick Galitzine (High Strung, The Beat Beneath my Feet), Melanie Lynskey (Heavenly Creatures, Two and a Half Men), Lucy Lawless (Xena, Ash vs Evil Dead), Dame Kate Harcourt (Hope and Wire, Separation City) and newcomers Erana James, pictured, and Benji Purchase. ‘‘I fell in love with this story in 1984,’’ Harcourt says. ‘‘I was lucky enough to narrate it on the radio when it was first published. Now nearly 30 years later we are making it as a movie. The magic of Margaret’s classic novel has brought some very special talent together.’’
On the Tempo
Choreographer Malia Johnston presents two shows at the Tempo Dance Festival at Q Theatre in Auckland from October 4 to 16. Miniatures was first performed in 2004 and later toured New Zealand. Designed and created by Johnston with music by Eden Mulholland, Miniatures has been reworked by New Zealand School of Dance students. They’ve re-investigated the same provocations as the original cast, bringing their own movement research and interpretations to the ideas. Johnston is also directing Meremere, the performance autobiography of integrated dancer Rodney Bell. Bell, of Ngati Maniapoto descent, layers mediums with dance to tell his story, which has seen him pursuing an integrated dance career on the international stage.
Laneway change
The 2017 edition of St Jerome’s Laneway Festival has been moved to the organisers’ dream location, the Albert Park precinct. Festival co-promoter Mark Kneebone says he is ecstatic that Laneway will be held at the location organisers had their eye on when first bringing the festival to Auckland in 2010. ‘‘Laneway Festival is as much about the environment as it is about the music and this new site allows us to deliver everything we know our guests need for a great festival experience – much more space, four individual stages in the park and on the surrounding streets, a bigger range of bespoke food and bar options, and of course the abundant grass and shade that Albert Park offers,’’ Kneebone says. ‘‘The new site is 70 per cent bigger, but despite the increase and for comfort’s sake we are keeping the crowd capacity the same.’’
Kimbra on Pandora
Kiwi singer Kimbra made her debut on Pandora’s new weekly music show Questlove Supreme, which is being hosted by four-time Grammy-winning roots drummer Questlove. Billed as a raw and ingenious three-hour show, Questlove Supreme promises a ride through the global musical landscape with an adventurous music selection and engaging interviews and discussions from all corners of the entertainment industry. Kimbra joins Maya Rudolph and Grammy-nominated producer and engineer Bob Power as a regular guest on the show. Music featured each week is themed to the topics up for discussion.