Treat yourself to cutting edge theatre

Tue, 17 Aug 2004

Treat your imagination to the best new NZ cutting edge theatre

Kia ora appreciated associates of BATS

Both opening nights at BATS last week had that rush of live excitement that only theatre can give. If you haven't experienced these shows yet, you have a limited number of opportunities to this week. 'Wheeler's Luck' plays at 7.30pm each night until Saturday 21, and then again from Tuesday 24 till Saturday 28 August. 'Word Virus' plays only until this Saturday 21, at 9pm.

Here's what the critics have said...

'BATS is on a roll with two excellent and wildly different productions.'

... about 'Wheeler's Luck' :

'Nigel Collins and Toby Leach present what seems like the entire population of Belle End [and] work extraordinarily hard and to great comic effect as the play traces a community facing the possible end of its way of life.'

'We attend a town meeting, the local hop (gloriously performed by the pair and Nigel Collins has to dance in gumboots), a horse race rivalling Ben Hur for excitement but much funnier, and a pub brawl as cliched as any Western movie.'

'Wheeler's Luck' will be a sure-fire hit.' - Dominion Post

... about 'Word Virus' :

'Brilliant performances... captured the hilarity, intelligence and lunacy of beat poets, such as Allen Ginsburg, Diane di Prima and William Burroughs.'

'The whole show was fantastically twisted.'

''Wordvirus' makes a definite contribution to its goal of fighting The War Against the Imagination. It's intellectually stimulating and continually entertaining with moments of brilliance that will stay with you. It's refreshing and challenging. It's a show to experience, not to hear about. Just go and see it.' - Salient

To book just hit reply to this email, and inform us of your name, the show you want to book for, the night you want to attend, and the number of seats you would like to book. We'll confirm by return email and look forward to seeing you then.

Love the BATS crew

P.S. Keep reading for further information on the shows:

White Knuckle Productions Proudly PresentsŠ The World Premiere of Wheeler¹s Luck

A good kiwi yarn, straight from the horse¹s mouth!

Wheeler¹s Luck is a new New Zealand play that explores who we are as a nation. A bit tongue in cheek, it¹s about small town New Zealand, land ownership, folklore, karma, what we value and how we are progressing as a nation. Oh . . . and it¹s a love story.

The play, set in early 2004, begins with reclusive landowner and spinster Nora Cox dying without leaving a will. Developers are knocking on the door, and the future of Cox Point and its historic festival are placed into jeopardy.

Will the community stand up and claim the piece of land that has been close to its heart for over a century? Or will they choose a new course for the town? Stripped Bare or Bare Back? The town must decide.

Wheeler¹s Luck is a first time collaboration by New Zealand Drama School graduates, actors Toby Leach and Nigel Collins under the direction of Damon Andrews. The trio boasts an impressive list of credentials. Toby (Chapman Tripp best supporting actor 2002 ³Trick of the Light², ³Have car will travel², ³Duggan², ³Hamatsa² ­ La Mamma, New York City) Nigel (³DNA², ³Let¹s Go, ³The boxer²) and Damon (³Niu Sila², ³Split², ³Angelo¹s Song²). These qualified professionals of small town New Zealand play an entire town to tell a tale that speaks of there own experience, and love of our country.

³When the moneymen come around with the chequebook, what price do we place on our values?²

13-28 August 2004, 7.30pm @ BATS Theatre, $16/12 (no show Sundays or Mondays)

'Word Virus'

³THE ONLY WAR THAT MATTERS IS THE WAR AGAINST THE IMAGINATIONŠ²

Premieres BATS Theatre 11-18 August 2004 The Beats go on

The poetry of Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Diane Di Prima and others comes to Wellington this August. Wordvirus is an exploration of art, sexuality, love and American society through the words of the Beat Poets. Five performers act, sing, dance, fight and f**k their way through fifty minutes of dazzling words.

³I SAW THE BEST MINDS OF MY GENERATION DESTROYED BY MADNESS, STARVING HYSTERICAL NAKED.²

Wordvirus explores the New York of the Beats- a nightmare maze of dark tenements, curling alleyways and cold-water flats. Tucked away in their tiny lofts and apartments they seek salvation in sex, in drugs, in jazz and in Zen, in politics and in poetry.

³ARE YOU GOING TO LET YOUR EMOTIONAL LIFE BE RUN BY TIME MAGAZINE?²

Fifties America belonged to figures such as Senator Joe McCarthy and FBI head J. Edgar Hoover. The Beats¹ revolutionary ideas met huge cultural resistance. Through the lives and works of the poets, Wordvirus explores the relationship of the artist with society and the place of the outsider critic.

Wordvirus came into existence last year as the end product of a final-year collaborative theatre paper at Victoria University. Theatre Head of Department John Downie calls it ³a highly stimulating piece of theatreŠ I highly recommend this production.² It will be one of the first shows performed in the newly-refurbished BATS.

Wordvirus is the first production by new company Theatre Militia directed by Rachel Lenart. The script was woven together by Felix Preval, who also performs along with James Schmidt and Leah Brumer. Local musical innovators sstimuluss provide both the sound and the original music score.

Warning: Wordvirus contains nudity, sex scenes, drug use and strong language. It is not suitable for younger viewers.

Wordvirus will be performed at Bats Theatre between the 11-21 of August (no shows on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday). The start time is 9.00pm and it runs for just over an hour.

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ENDS

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