Events for all at Winter Fest
Comedy, music and literary celebration among features
Megan Brown is confident she won’t be sitting on her couch in June this year. Brown, festival director for Taranaki Arts Festival Trust (TAFT), welcomed a large crowd of theatre lovers and supporters to the launch of Winter Fest on Thursday, March 4, telling them the line-up for this year’s Winter Fest would give everyone plenty of reasons to go out into the winter air in the name of entertainment.
Described as being a winter wonderland of ideas, words and stories, this year’s Winter Fest includes comedy, music, theatre as well as the return of Speakeasy, a literary celebration for writers and readers alike.
Joining the previously announced shows Back to Black, Subtle Dances and
Prima Facie are 15 other shows, the Speakeasy section featuring 10 authors, an app-powered free exploration of New Plymouth, a curator talk about the Rita Angus exhibition at Stratford’s Percy Thomson gallery with Lizzie Bisley of Te Papa, an afternoon poetry slam, a singer songwriter night and a school’s programme offering performances as well as dance workshops.
Performing at the launch was Sonic Delusion, one half of the world’s first, and only, looping supergroup — Doppellooper, one of the acts to feature in June’s line-up. Describing Thursday night’s performance as being “a premiere of a premiere”, Sonic Delusion said June’s performance
would be a world premiere for the duo, featuring a range of instruments and, according to the festival programme, “beautifully improvised chaos”.
More improvisation is featured in the festival line-up with An Honest
Conversation — a dance performance from Java Dance Company. Conceptualised by Sacha Copland, the founder and artistic director of Java Dance Company, the performance will be intimate — with the audience seated on the TSB Theatre Stage as artists talk and dancers dance, with each conversation only happening once.
Fans of 80s music are in for a treat, with James Tito, Matariki Whatarau, Maaka Pohatu and Francis Kora of Modern Ma¯ori Quartet bringing their music show Nga¯ 80s to the Theatre Royal stage as well as the Urenui Community Centre for the festival. Described as being a musical joyride through an 80s mixtape, the show will feature hit songs from Bon Jovi, UB40, Dave Dobbyn and more.
Hysterical, an award-winning show that got rave reviews at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, will play at 4th Wall Theatre as part of the festival, with poets Carrie Rudzinski and Olivia Hall teaming up to deliver a show described as being a rallying call for every woman who’s ever been told they are too emotional.
The line-up also includes Mansfield in her Own Words, a concert of selected poems by Katherine Mansfield set to contemporary music, curated by Charlotte Yates and narrated by Michele A’Court. Yates and A’Court also feature in the Speakeasy part of the festival, when Virginia Winder will talk with them, exploring how the legacy of Mansfield shapes their work today.
Also forming part of the Speakeasy line-up will be Taranaki-raised author Josie Shapiro, talking about her award-winning novel, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, as well as Steven Joyce, one of the most senior ministers in the Key National Government, talking about his book
On The Record.
Tamariki aren’t excluded from the Winter Fest excitement, with Secrets in the City, a free event using the PickPath app. Suitable for children aged 4 to 10 with adult supervision, it takes them on an adventure around New Plymouth, going back in time for a magical adventure.
The Schools to Festival programme gives rangatahi the opportunity to enjoy being part of the audience of Prima Facie, as well as
Dakota of the White Flats — a show adapted from Philip Ridley’s book by the same name. The Java Dance Company are also performing The Tantrum as part of the school’s programme along with offering dance workshops.