Auckland ready for the Riot act
Fringe Festival first NZ gig for Russian musical protesters
Pussy Riot, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s least favourite feminist rockers, will visit New Zealand next year. The anarchistic trio make a flying visit to Auckland as part of the city’s annual Fringe Festival in February. It is the first New Zealand show by the musical protesters, who were launched to international attention in 2012 when they were arrested after a performance in Moscow’s Cathedral Square that saw them accused of hooliganism.
All three were sentenced to two years in prison later that year, though Yekaterina Samutsevich was released after an appeal. Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were released in 2013 as part of an amnesty pledge by Putin.
Since then, the group, which has multiple other members, have continued to be a thorn in the Russian Government’s side, protesting about their detainment, as well as other issues, and launching legal proceedings against the Government.
This year, three members and Tolokonnikova’s husband, Pyotr Verzilov, were sentenced to 15 days imprisonment for storming the pitch of the Fifa World Cup final.
While Pussy Riot will be the big Fringe Festival drawcard for many, they are just one of the 91 events during the two-week festival.
NZ actor Jonathan Brugh resurrects his What We Do in the
Shadows film character Deacon in an eponymously titled show described as an “erotic mime/dancing conjuring”.
Local comedians TwoHearts, Donna Brookbanks, David Correos and Brendon Green will debut new shows, as will playwright Sam Brooks and the team behind this year’s Fringe stand-out soap opera parody Mackenzie’s Daughters.
Auckland Fringe Festival runs from February 19 to March 3, with Pussy Riot playing on February 22.