Bats Theatre
June 25-Aug 5 | Reviewed by Melody Nixon

Death and Love in Gaza retells the story of the death and life of young activist Rachel Corrie. Corrie was brutally killed in Palestine in 2003 while protesting against Israel’s unlawful and unethical actions there. Her story is tragic – the underlying story of the oppression of Palestine even more so. Death and love in Gaza attempts to spread the message of Palestinian oppression, and so creates itself as a piece of strong political theatre.

Herald Theatre
July 5-16 | Reviewed by Imogen Neale

EVERT TEXT – be it written, performed, spoken or digitally illustrated – is a sum of its characters. They need not be people; a character could be the form a beat takes, the pattern an illustration moves in, the arch a narrative travels along. All of these things, and many more, could be said to be and define the character of the text.

Media Release | July 24, 2006
Kiwi Chinese who are contributing to a shift in this country's cultural-creative life will be a highlight of this year's Going Bananas: Multiple Identities Forum. Taking place on Saturday 12 August at AUT University, the talent on display ranges from filmmakers and architects to visual artists, fashion designers and musicians.

Semi-Permanent 06, New Zealand's liveliest creative conference, returns to Auckland this year with six new speakers, its famed "goodie bags", and a larger and more central venue in the Aotea Centre. While it's a given design students and working creatives will clammer to soak up the offshore pedigree – namely, motion/animation phenoms Tokyo Plastic, wicked French illustrator Genevieve Gauckler, and UK-based graphic designers Ĺbäke and Michael C. Place of Build (who was originally scheduled to speak last year) – the guest panel isn't limited to the visually centric. Both local inclusions, Taika Waititi's filmic exploits are matched by his ongoing stints as a visual artist and performer/comedian (adding much needed eccentricity to the lineup), while Huffer's clothing empire will no doubt posit directions towards insane commercial success.

Media Release
Designers and creatives looking for inspiration need look no further than Semi-Permanent 06.

Proudly presented by The Church and Design is Kinky, the international design forum returns to Auckland on Saturday 19 August with an outstanding line-up of international and local guest speakers.

Media Release
For three months from mid-July each year, the International Institute of Modern Letters, home of Victoria University’s renowned creative writing programme, runs a series of events highlighting writers active in and around Wellington as well as guests from further afield. In 2006 the popular series returns to City Gallery Wellington to brighten up the start of the week.

Herald Theatre
July 5-16 | Reviewed by Imogen Neale

SHE STANDS, centre stage, a fuming little ball of French angst. To her left, trying to tower above her by walking up a few stairs, stands the director; pouting like a little boy who just lost his Playstation rights. ‘Say it again’ he demands, ‘say it again.’ She takes a little breath (a big one would be too enraging) and she begins; ‘I honestly cannot remember...’ ‘No’ he stomps, ‘not like that...’ She is a French actor in a Kiwi take on a French play, he is a Kiwi director directing a French play of a French play. Actually it’s more complicated than that but if you go, it’ll all make perfect sense. Essentially; he wants the French play to be less French and she is French so struggles to be sans francaise. It’s an embarrassing scene, not least because the premise of it was written in the 1600’s and its themes are still pertinent today; ignorance, the difficulties of diversity and the wish to make everyone the same so we can all, supposedly, just get along.

Circa Theatre
July 1-29 | Reviewed by Nick Henry

The Country is an intelligent play of layered themes and complex characters.

Richard (Malcolm Murray) and Corinne (Carol Smith) are a married couple who have recently moved from the city to the country. When Richard arrives home with an unconscious girl he has picked up from the side of the road, Corinne is not pleased at feeling her home invaded. When the girl, Rebecca (Heather O'Carroll), wakes up, she has a few spanners of her own to throw in the works, as Corinne's hopes of a fresh start in the country unravel.

Wellington Town Hall
June 26 | Reviewed by Mark Dryburgh

IN Divertissement, the bassoon as a solo instrument, explodes baroque imaginings. A string quartet with double bass added includes bassoon as the solo voice. Bassoonist, Preman Tilson plays efficaciously and warmly. The Town Hall is a big room to fill for a chamber group and here the sound has plenty of space; in fact the solo role is shared throughout the group. The programme avoids 'classical hits', giving a broad picture, veins of European music emerging from older styles.

In continuing our ongoing collaboration with Massey University's Foundation Certificate in Design course, we present three more movie-inspired illustrations from the class of Semester One, 2006: West Side Story by Alexandra Power; Psycho by Nick Corbett; and The Talented Mr. Ripley by Andrew Tietjen....[Read More]

Circa Theatre
June 24-July 22 | Reviewed by Nick Henry

“WELCOME to our greek palladium” sings the chorus line as they introduce the best comic treatment of murder, war, incest and infanticide yet. It was an ambitious task, to combine the story of the Odyssey and the Illiad with a potted history of greek mythology, do it all in song and make it funny. A cast of eight play thirty-three characters between them, with some swift costume changes. Three musicians form a live band playing music by Gareth Farr. Together they pulled it off and audiences loved it.