Culture: Go guide
Film Festival under way
The Christchurch-leg of the New Zealand Film Festival kicks off in earnest today. Among the firstweek highlights are the world premiere of Nic Gorman’s SubAntarctic Island-set thriller
Human Traces tonight at the Isaac Theatre Royal (8.30pm), as well as question-and-answer sessions with My Year With Helen director Gaylene Preston (Isaac Theatre Royal, Sunday, 1.15pm, and Tuesday, 1pm) about her documentary on former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. Other Kiwi documentaries worth checking out include Florian Habicht’s look at the popular Auckland theme park Spookers (Isaac Theatre Royal, Monday, 8.30pm) and Toa Fraser’s sports documentary The Free Man (Hoyts Northlands, Sunday, 8pm, and Monday, 8.15pm), featuring Kiwi world-champion freestyle skier Jossi Wells. For natural history lovers, there’s the Australian conservationist tale
Blue (Hoyts Northlands, today, 11.30am, and Thursday, 6.15pm), while fans of international drama should check out the Sally Potter film The Party (Isaac Theatre Royal, today, 6.30pm, and Monday, 1.15pm) and Miguel Arteta’s
Beatriz at Dinner (Issac Theatre Royal, Thursday, 6.15pm). Finally, for those looking for something to watch with their kids, the festival has its annual curated selection of shorts – Animation for Kids 4+ – screening at the Isaac Theatre Royal on Saturday at 1.15pm. For more on these and other festival titles, see nziff.co.nz
Maori and Pasifika artists holding Court
Christchurch’s Court Theatre will be filled with Maori and Pasifika voices over the next week. The theatre is hosting writers and performers from Otautahi for a Maori and Pasifika Festival, from today until August 12. Scheduled public events include Saturday’s YNot acting workshop for young people (followed by a performance of their show La’u Gagana, two Pacific Underground play readings at 5.30pm and 8pm on Tuesday, an evening of poetry, music and the spoken word next Friday, a youth drama workshop from 10am on August 12 and rehearsed readings of extracts from a number of works later that day. Tickets for all of these are available from courttheatre.org.nz
Steel Magnolias
Before it became an awardwinning film in 1989, Steel
Magnolias was a smash-hit play. Now, The Court Theatre is bringing Robert Harling’s tale of the bond between six women in a Louisiana hair salon to the Christchurch stage from Saturday night. Originating as a tribute to the playwright’s late sister, Susan, the play was written in just 10 days. The Court’s artistic director Ross Gumbley says sharing the play is a ‘‘deeply satisfying experience’’. ‘‘From an audience’s point-of-view, you are in the room with six wonderful characters telling an absorbing story full of laughter and tears. It’s what you want every play to be.’’ Featuring Lara Macgregor, Kathleen Burns, Sarah Kelly, Lucy Porter, Yvonne Martin and Susannah Kenton, the Court’s version is directed by Gregory Cooper. The season will run until September 1. For tickets, see courttheatre.org.nz
Piano duo join CSO
Europa is the title of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s latest concert. Scheduled for tomorrow night at St Margaret’s College’s Charles Luney Auditorium, the programme will include works Ravel, Poulenc and Arvo Part and Lutoslawski, and feature a performance by the SilverGarburg piano duo. Tickets for the 7.30pm concert are available from eventfinda.co.nz
A Mad Musical World
Local a capella world music choir Global Voices will present A Mad
Musical World at Wigram’s Caledonian Society Hall tomorrow night at 7.30pm. Prospective attendees are advised to bring their own drinks and nibbles. Tickets are available from eventbrite.co.nz
One Night of Queen
Former Stars in Their Eyes winner Gary Mullen is bringing his One
Night of Queen show to Horncastle Arena on Saturday. Joined by his band The Works, he aims to recreate the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of the legendary British band. Tickets for the 8pm concert are available from Ticketek.
Free talk
Artist Julia Holden is giving a free talk and tour of her exhibition Lyttelton Redux at Canterbury Museum on Sunday at 2pm. She promises to explain the elaborate technique she used to create the exhibition’s portraits and the inspiration of the exhibition as a whole. Bookings are essential via canterburymuseum.com
Young Stars Collide
The Piano will host a concert by a quartet of talented young Christchurch musicians on Sunday afternoon. Soprano Anna Hoetjes, tenor Oliver Sewell and pianists Anna Maksymova and Bradley Wood are joining forces for the 2.30pm Young Stars Collide show. All profits from the event will go to the performers to assist them in their musical careers. For more information, email concertsforchristchurch@gmail.com
Passchendaele remembered
As part of the centenary activities commemorating the Battle of Passchendaele, a new exhibition will open at Wigram’s Air Force Museum of New Zealand on Tuesday. Created by the Memorial Museum Passchendaele, with funding and support from the federal government of Belgium, The Belgians Have Not Forgotten features photographs, movies, artwork and artefacts from the battlefields, illustrating the war experience, while highlighting the commemorative events and memories of war which live on in Belgium. Curated locally by the Waimakariri Passchendaele Trust, the free exhibition will be on display until August 27.
NZ Trio
The NZ Trio will perform works by Arnold Bax, Jenny McLeod, Beethoven and a new commission by Kiwi composer Samuel Holloway at The Piano on Wednesday night. Guest violinist Natalie Lin, a former Christchurch resident, will join cellist Ashley Brown and pianist Sarah Watkins for the 7pm Spiral concert. Tickets are available from nztrio.com
Festival of one-act plays
Christchurch theatre groups Elmwood and Riccarton Players have joined forces to present a quartet of one-act plays at the Elmwood Auditorium from next Thursday. Under the banner of
Mix ‘n Match, the evening’s programme will include dramedy
Top This, ‘‘confrontative drama’’ The Death of Ellen Moore, Shakespeare-influenced comedy
The Real Problem and sketch comedy Value Added Plus. The plays are performed each night at 7.30pm until August 12. For more information and tickets, elmwoodplayers.org.nz