Arts Fest: Calling Christchurch home
Rapper Scribe, Australian acrobats, one of the world’s best puppeteers and a critically acclaimed Kiwi comedian are coming to Christchurch for the arts festival in August.
The programme for the Christchurch Arts Festival was announced yesterday and features dozens of international and New Zealand shows.
The festival is held every two years and will be staged in central city venues over nearly three weeks in late August and September.
Festival director Craig Cooper said he was proud to bring expat Christchurch artists back to the city for the festival. Stand-up comedian Cal Wilson, who is based in Australia, Scribe, who lives in Wellington, and former Court Jester and video game voice director Simon Peacock, who works in Montreal, are all staging works in their home town.
‘‘It is about artists that call Christchurch their home,’’ Cooper said. ‘‘They may not live here, but they have a connection to the city.
‘‘That is part of what a festival should be. I want it to be a celebration of Christchurch. These artists are part of Christchurch’s cultural community.’’
One of the festival highlights is the world premiere of The
White Guitar, a show starring Christchurch rapper Scribe, his brother Matthias and father John. The show features Scribe’s music and tells the story of his family’s struggles after their move from the Pacific Islands to Christchurch.
‘‘It is their story and they are performing it,’’ Cooper said.
‘‘This is a Christchurch story and it has to be told here. It is their family story. It is a fairly intense story of transition from Pacific backgrounds and coming to Christchurch in the 1970s and 80s. That had a dramatic impact on that family.
‘‘It is a real homecoming for them to tell this story here. It is a story of hope and redemption.’’
The festival will also host the Christchurch debut of comedian Trygve Wakenshaw, who has attracted international acclaim for his physical comedy show
Kraken. The wildly inventive and funny show was voted the best comedy act in London for 2014 by Time Out magazine and sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year.
‘‘He has just gone from strength to strength. I have been trying to persuade him to come to the festival for a long time. His career has taken off now, so it is hard to get him tied down,’’ Cooper said. ‘‘It is a really weird show, but it works. It is an extremely funny show.’’
The festival was shifting away from the weekends-only model adopted after the earthquakes due to a lack of venues. ‘‘The city is changing so we have been able to have more access to theatre venues. In contrast to last time, we have the Isaac Theatre Royal, the Gymnasium at the Arts Centre and the Court Theatre. We can be more intensive.’’
Other highlights include a oneman show by Crowded House musician Tim Finn, a brightly coloured temporary sculpture in Cathedral Square that people can explore, marionette show The
Daisy Theatre, the city debut for Christchurch playwright Victor Rodger’s critically acclaimed show Black Faggot and a rock opera about suffragette Kate Sheppard by local composer Luke di Somma.
‘‘It is about a time when Christchurch led the world in something extraordinary,’’ Cooper said.