A wild alt-cabaret ride with creator, Johanna Cosgrove, Iconoclast scratches off the gilt and dives into the guilty with ecclesiastical sleaze. 

Revelling in provocative imagery and classic cabaret tropes including 1920’s Berlin nights and early American stand-up, this naughty nun, accompanied by a lone musician (Alistair Deverick – Desperate Late Night Energy), explores faith, loneliness and grief in a mad attack on all things sacrosanct.   

This development season is directed by Barnie Duncan and presented in partnership with Auckland Fringe Festival.   

What is a ‘good’ Chinese woman?  How does a woman live an authentic life in a patriarchal, capitalist and colonial society?

愛，媽媽 (Love, Mum), is Cynthia Hiu Ying Lam’s debut autobiographical one-woman show, exploring the lives and relationships between herself, her mother and two grandmothers Ah Mah and Por Por. 

A matrilineal memoir that interweaves storytelling, multimedia, Chinese martial arts and song, we follow Cynthia’s journey as she navigates mental health, relationships, self-discovery and finding one’s vocation against a legacy of ancestral trauma and cultural conditioning.

“A heartfelt and deeply moving, impressionistic play” –– Stuart Hoar, playwright.

“I cried and laughed! Telling your story in such a beautiful and brave way is inspiring” – audience member.

“Your closing lines ‘how we are the sum of all women’ just hit me hard. I actually started crying….Any woman over the age of twenty who has pondered their mother, grandmothers or maternal figures…your play would resonate with every woman regardless of cultural background” – audience member.

A sneek peek in the link below…

https://youtu.be/bx3mchdJ3Hs

Sept 17 performance will be live-streamed with a 48 hour replay window:

vidzing.tv/love-mum

‘The Queen and Me’ is the story of a thoroughly modern, fully empowered female role model – how the woman who headed up a country and united a commonwealth for more than 70 years earned respect, admiration and affection from around the world.

From the vantage point of her Platinum Jubilee and final year, we see how this colourful lady head of state defined the postwar era. In this show, Carole Shaw reflects on HM’s long life and reveals her ‘all’ to her people – her undying love for her corgis, the men in her life, her singlehanded success at forging peace processes, her secret passion for motorbikes … with a surprise ‘coming out’ at 96.

You are regally commanded to join Her Majesty for tea, free cake & biscuits, and a gracious glimpse into hitherto unseen aspects of her life – with audience participation, SingalongaLiz and a quiz. We may mourn her passing and the end of an era, but HM would not have wished us to be miserable. And don’t miss Handbag – the regal older lady’s Fleabag!

"I bit into your heart and I chewed on it slowly like a connoisseur. I swallowed it. I remember thinking it was an especially small heart and easy to digest. But no matter what I did you wouldn't die"

It is day one of the newly formed Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Northern Ireland at Stormont.

As Sandra Richardson prepares to take her seat on the commission, her long-lost sister Teeni explodes into the chamber and attacks the South African chairwoman, Dikeledi Mashiane. Is this part of a terrorist plot or just her sister's way of announcing her return to Belfast?

Deep in the heart of the Northern Irish Parliament, overshadowed by the legacy of hurt, Sandra and Teeni must fight through decades of violence, anger and denial to discover if reconciliation is possible on the pathway to peace.

A taut and fast paced two-woman showdown, Everything Between Us is a dramatic, dark, unflinching comedy written by Northern Ireland's boldest contemporary writer.

Award-winning poets Miss Leading and Rose Northey think they have something to write home about with their new multimedia show of spoken word poetry, comedy, song, electronic music and live illustration. Prepare to laugh and cry to an assortment of incredibly crafted poetry then drift into this wholly immersive experience as Miss Leading serenades you with musical stories on the theme of home to projected images drawn live by Rose Northey.

Heaven and Hell need a re-set. Overcrowding has reached critical mass in both after-life options, so a more selective approach is urgently required. As undecided souls can no longer be accommodated in Heaven or Hell, God and Satan have collaborated on a new project to remove the non-believers from their respective operations. Hellansville is a shiny, new development designed to meet the needs of an increasingly secular society who have shuffled off this mortal coil but have nowhere to go. Before the project goes live, the top representatives from both sides meet to discuss the issues at hand; Michael the effortlessly cool Archangel and Malphas a powerful demon in a crumpled suit. Together they thrash out the details of Hellansville under the watchful eye of the mysterious Maureen. 

Enter Robert, the recently deceased guineapig. All Michael and Mal have to do is sell Robert the Hellansville dream. All Robert has to do is sign up for the deal of an ‘after’-life time. All Robert has to do is believe. A tough ask for a cynical, stubborn atheist.

Welcome to Hellansville' will be performed at The Rose Centre, Belmont, North Shore on Wed 14th, Thurs 15th and *Fri 16th Sept 2022 at 8pm.

*The final show will include a post-show cheese and wine event where you are invited to a Q&A session with the writer and director.

Tickets available soon from iTicket.

Left to his own devices and wild imaginings, absurdist comedian and DJ, Barnie Duncan returns with cult-hit, Club-a-lub-a-ling-long - a surprise attic bar with questionable antics and chance encounters from one of Auckland’s most experimental entertainers, alongside special guests.   

You bring your friends; he’ll bring the records and wonky jokes. 

A visceral portrayal of a conveniently forgotten part of the struggle for gender equality. Part verbatim, part musical theatre, always theatrical...

Suffragettes: Deeds not Words chronicles ten years of torment and torture culminating in the ultimate victory of Emmeline Pankhurst and the other heroic women of the WSPU who took on the established order of belligerent, bullying, self-entitled men and won.

Tarantino's early 2000's genre busting cinematic masterpiece "Kill Bill" is given the shadow treatment in Present Company's "Kill Puppet Bill". Using traditional and experimental shadow puppet techniques, this tale of betrayal and revenge is played in cinematic form in which the creation of imagery is as much part of the show as the play itself. The team that brought you "Puppet Fiction" is striking while the iron is luke warm in sharing the love of puppetry and genre film in a theatrical setting, thrilling and cracking up audiences with absurd and creative special effect influenced puppetry. Kill Puppet Bill is not for the little ones.

"Oh My F*#king God Grief Makes You Horny!"

A hilarious new, semi-autobiographical play written by Tatiana Hotere. SKIN HUNGER is one woman’s roller-coaster journey through Grief, God and ‘Gasms. Raw, passionate, sexy, and heartbreakingly funny, this show is for anyone who’s ever lost someone, and had to find themselves (and perhaps their clitoris) again. 

Skin Hunger explores the intersection of grief, faith, and sexuality. After the death of her husband - grief-stricken Eva, a perimenopausal woman of faith - embarks on a journey of self-discovery, spiritual awakening, and sexual empowerment. Amidst a deluge of tragic tinder dates, self-doubt, and Catholic guilt, she finds the courage to forge a new path for her life in the chaotic aftermath. Eva discovers - there is always life after death.

Produced by Kaituhi Creative 

From Titanic to the beginning of The Troubles, the story of BELFAST, Northern Ireland, city on the side of the Lagan, sectarianism and a world gone mad. A visceral tragedy told through the lens of EPIC THEATRE with ten new songs.

Winner of the Best Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe (Clare Awards 2021), and winner of the Week 4 BankSA Best Theatre & Physical Theatre Awards, Adelaide Fringe 2022. "This is Belfast... an extraordinary piece of theatre. ***** " 

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." Belfast. One town, two God-fearing communities under the watchful eye of an Almighty whose wrath and retribution are known to be terrible; and then from behind the assembled dignitaries there to launch the greatest vessel ever to sail the oceans, some common working man, looking up at her and overwhelmed with pride and believing it with all his heart cried: “Even God couldn’t sink the Titanic”.

There was awe then for a split second at the majesty of her, before a roar of agreement, caps and hats, flung high in the air and even those who didn’t cheer, felt it beneath their skin. A curse was on the ship, a curse was on the yard, a curse was on the town, a curse spread far and wide.

Directed by David Dunn. Text by David Dunn. Songs by Mark Howard, David Dunn, Lydia Saroto and Peter Noble.

A plague on both your houses.'

The Epic play with 10 new indie songs. A hybrid drama recontextualising the Romeo and Juliet story and setting it in contemporary Belfast, where the sectarian divide between protestant and catholic families re-defines the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues. The story is told through integration of modern dialogue with some of the more poetic monologues and dialogue from the original text.

Text by David Dunn. Songs by Meg Dunn.

Meet Frank, the freshly animated being. He is dying to meet you.

To be Frank is a terrifyingly funny solo performance about a monster being created and trying to discover why. 

There may be spooks... .

There may be goofs... .

There will definitely be blood-curdling screams... 

This is an epic tale taking inspiration from Mary Shelley’s original creation where the ‘monstrosity’ finally gets to tell its own story. And it is guaranteed to leave you in stitches.

An eerie comedy that pays homage to campy horror films. This modern reimagining of the classic tale is as confronting and comforting, terrific and horrific as seeing the re-animated creature standing in front of you asking to be loved. 

“There is something at work in my soul, which I do not understand.”

-   Mary Shelley, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus

Creator and performer Michael Hockey graduated from Toi Whakaari in 2019, studied at École Phillipe Gaulier and is a founding member of Bullrush Improv.

You know what’s better than listening to the radio? Going to the theatre and listening to people pretend to be on the radio! Radio Show is a brand-new show from celebrated improvised theatre company Improverished. It’s an improvised radio play live on stage! What could be better!

Improverished have been called “highly entertaining”, “incredibly silly”, and “charming” by reviewers and were nominated for the illustrious Best Use of Mayonnaise prize at the NZ International Comedy Festival 2021. 

Born out of the Big Surprise Lockdown of 2021, Radio Show is the culmination of months spent improvising together entirely over Zoom. Improverished have mastered the art of telling a story that can be enjoyed with or without visuals. Thanks to that, this performance will be able to go ahead at any Alert Level, either in-person or online. 

Best known for their improvised Dungeons and Dragons show “Can I Get an Underground Location and a Mythical Creature?”, Improverished love to tell stories in interesting ways. They have sold-out many shows at the NZ International Comedy Festival, Auckland Fringe Festival, and Auckland Improv Festival since 2019. They have tackled Choose Your Own Adventure books, fairytales, and high fantasy in the past; and are so excited to be taking on such a classic form of storytelling. Improverished are sure to bring their signature joyfulness to this exciting new format.

This show will be fully accessible for visually impaired audience members. Unfortunately no sign interpreters will be available for hearing impaired audience members at this time. Improverished would love for you to be able to enjoy this show, if you have any specific accessibility questions please get in touch!

Addicted to Darcy? Bonkers for big balls? Lost all Sense & Sensibility? Well stop watching Bridgerton & get ready to enjoy an entirely improvised musical in the style of Jane Austen. Penny Ashton (Promise & Promiscuity, Olive Copperbottom), world-famous hobbit Lori Dungey (LOTR, Cowboy Bebop) & maestro Ross Devereux will spin your suggestions into instant literary magic. 

Jane Austen would be rolling in her grave... with delight! Rip it Up

"These improvisers incorporate everything that’s thrown at them, keeping the action moving and the laughs coming." Dominion Post

"...seamless mastery of genre and skills" Theatreview

Improvaganza Masters of the Universe 

Winner – Best Theatre 2015, Adelaide Fringe

Winner – Best Indoor Show 2018, World Buskers Festival

Fresh from Dunedin Fringe and winner of the Auckland Fringe Touring Award, Flying Geese in collaboration with Inati Aotearoa presents: My Grandfather is a Canoe. To sail on voyaging waka in the Pacific with no land in sight is where this play begins. From island songs sung to distant stars and love letters to sun-drenched sailors, My Grandfather is a Canoe brings the poems of voyager Faumuina Felolini Maria Tafuna'i to the stage. A journey through songs, dance, poetry accompanied by illustrations by Silivelio Fasi. Directed by Marisiale Tunoka.

Pitt Street Theatre Co. presents: The John Show, with John Goudge.

... the words of famous and infamous Johns throughout history ...

featuring an all-star cast of Johns.

Every home has one, but how much do we know about them?

Who was John Doe?

Did John Crapper invent the toilet?

What was John B. Goodenough famous for?

Coming to Auckland Fringe, 9 - 10 September, at 6pm,

Pitt Street Theatre, 78 Pitt St, Auckland City

Live. Laugh. Love. Lockdown.

After travelling the world, Whitney Channings discovered that coming home was even more disorientating than a holiday without a map. Throw a quarter-life-crisis and a global pandemic into the mix, and things get... complicated. 

If you’ve ever felt like a tourist struggling to navigate your way through life, then this is the show for you. Come and hear your innermost thoughts put to music, as Whitney examines our quirky, crazy, universal human experiences through her original songs. 

After all, they say hindsight is 2020... right?

***Due to unforeseen circumstances this event is unable to go ahead***

TONIGHT’S SPECIAL x 11:11, a double bill performance created by Adeline Esther and Lucia Diamantis.

TONIGHT’S SPECIAL is a pre show event, a pre show dinner, a dinner pre show, a pre show act. You’ve arrived for an evening of acts, a celebration, a communal event. Adeline helps you settle. Come dine with me, let's raise our glasses, cheers and feast. 

11:11 is a new theatrical experience, exploring the ethereal realms in which we open our hearts; mind, body, and soul. Moving between linear and nonlinear realities we surrender; creating and recreating; new ways to experience through the ether.

Sacred scars carved by thigh high boots. Loving me is a cup of tea. 11:11, a sine from heaven. Divinity in mundanity. Healing is the golden hour. 333 transformation is the key. Tea with the angels or rather the aunties. Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. 11:11.

Returning home from her husband’s funeral, with his Will and Testament in hand, Anne Hathaway is overtaken by nostalgia and begins to reflect on her life with and without the world’s greatest Playwright and Poet, the man she fell pregnant to when she was 26 and he was only 18.

Anne’s love for “Bill” and her dedication to their 3 children leaves her shocked and confused by the contents of his Will......

Very little is known about Anne Hathaway and “Shakespeare’s Will” sits somewhere between fact and fiction. Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen confesses to having played fast and loose with the will and its meaning, using it “as a springboard for my own imagination and artistic goal – to explore the journey of a woman who faces adversity, rises above it and ultimately rekindles life in herself.”

“Sampson delivers a riveting performance” NZ Herald

“A remarkable creative imagining” NZ TheatreScenes

“Artfully staged Sampson holds the audience in her sway” Prague Post

“An absorbing and timely tale that is well worth contemplating” TheatreView

★★★★ TimeOut Magazine Hong Kong

Jack has a problem. His mother, Marlene, can’t let go of anything and blames Jack for the mess that she has made. Marlene has managed to fill her entire house to the brim, but as far as Jack is concerned, it has all got to go. Worse still, he does not know if his best friend Sarj has his back or if he is just there for the rice crackers. Years of holding onto things has wreaked a toll on this mother and son, and when Jack finally decides to clean up his mother's mess, he soon learns that some problems are too big to be swept under the rug.

Lively, hilarious and deeply moving, Swallow the Fly has been hailed as 'extremely personal' and 'exceptionally poignant'. It explores how far you'd go to save the one you love; and what happens when you go too far.

Inspired by the idea of 'Gay Death'; the idea that life as a gay man ends at 30. 

No rehearsal, no director, just 30 tasks waiting on stage.

Filled with unrehearsed texts, questions and games, a different performer every night encounters Gay Death Stocktake for the first time.

Gay Death Stock Take is about the tension between queerness and capitalism. About personal value being inextricably bound to capital value. Self worth and capital worth. The sudden comedown of your defining decade being all over. 

A tally of exes, a collection of trauma, a list of accomplishments. When it's all added up, what does your life amount to? From owning property, finding love, navigating the free market of sexual desire, having a career, raising children. The absurdity of trying to put a value on things but doing it anyway.

Passion, betrayal, violence and romance. These are the staples of a good ‘Telenovela’. But what does a kiwi, non-spanish speaking, 3rd generation latina have in common with this outlandish style of television? Funny, observant, absurd and charming Rich People Cry Too, and Other Things I Learnt from Telanovelas is a show that pays homage to the lavish world of Telenovela, while interrogating what it is to try to connect to a culture that you have never experienced.

Exploring human connection and emotional vulnerability, Access brings a subversive lens to the performance of masculinity.

Premiering at the Auckland Fringe Festival, Access is a new interactive performance artwork by Hamish Annan. Audiences are asked to choose the emotional dynamic they want to experience. They are brought into direct contact with authentic emotions: it’s alive, visceral, playful, confronting, and no two experiences are the same. Hamish invites the audience to explore their response to emotional expression in a new context.

Note: This is a durational work that will run for two hours. You are welcome to come and go at any time. You can participate or simply observe the performance.

Made in collaboration with Katie Burson (Paradise Island, Room on The Broom) and Rob Byrne (Paradise Island, Mister Melancholy) and with support from Auckland Council and Creative New Zealand 

Basey loves a space where artists get to try and test in a pressure free environment. Saturday scratches are a series of rough and ready play readings of brand new work from emerging and experienced playwrights. Set in our intimate studio every Saturday in Fringe, audiences are invited to hear three scripts for the very first time, hot off the press.

Each work responds to our provocation this year, Adaptation or Tell it how you see it. These plays take known stories and twist them into the here and now, updating the outdated and playing havoc with old familiars.

Em, a queer, modernised adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma by Sam Brooks.