The Venetian Bride At Bats Theatre

Il Vaporetto Productions
presents
the premier season of

The Venetian Bride

Adapted by Robert Tripe
from the short story by Maurice Shadbolt

Directed by Rachel More
Original Music by Gareth Farr
Set Design by Brian King
Lighting Design by Jennifer Lal

BATS Theatre August 21 – September 1
Tuesday - Friday 6.30pm; Saturday 4.30pm and 6.30pm
Tickets: Adults $20, Concessions $14,
Bookings Phone 802 4175 or book@bats.co.nz

Starring:
Helen Moulder, Carol Smith, Grant Tilly, Robert Tripe,
Bjorg Halldorsdottir and Phil Peleton

1930’s NZ - Rose Lightfoot, artist, spinster, breaks free from her overbearing father and sheltered life to seek artistic fulfillment in Europe. In a café in Venice she finds love, but at what cost?
Rose’s intriguing story unfolds through the memories of Alice, as she helps her great nephew to understand the mysteries of his own life.

The play shifts seamlessly between the 1930’s, ‘60’s and ‘90’s, from New Zealand to that most romantic of cities, Venice. It touches on the idea of the kiwi “cultural cringe” and the search for our own artistic identity, but is first and foremost a story of love.
Based on a story by one of New Zealand’s most highly regarded authors, the postscript on Shadbolt’s original text indicates that the story is based on the life of the painter Ilene Dakin (nee Stichbury) and her marriage to the Canadian poet Lawrence Dakin.

This exciting new work is Robert Tripe’s first play and brings together a talented team of Wellington’s top practitioners, including Rachel More, nominated twice for best director at the Chapman Tripp Awards in 2005 and 2006, Gareth Farr, winner of most original music awards in 2000 and 2003, Helen Moulder, winner of actress of the year in 2000 and 2003, Jennifer Lal, winner of four lighting design awards, Wellington theatre stalwart and winner of several awards, Grant Tilly and Carol Smith, winner of Best Actress in 2006.

The Venetian Bride Credits

ROBERT TRIPE – Playwright

After studying French and Japanese at Victoria University, Robert went on to Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School as an actor, graduating in 1999. As well as working in theatre, he has also taught English in both Japan and Tahiti, and worked in a hotel in France before appearing in a play there in 2004. Nominated as Supporting Actor of the Year for the last two years at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, some of Robert’s more memorable roles recently have been in The Cherry Orchard, The Graduate, Death of a Salesman, Troy – The Musical, and Yours Truly.

RACHEL MORE – Director

Rachel graduated from the Masters in Directing at Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 2003. Since then she has been working full time as a director and actor in centres all over the country. Her directing credits include Speed-the-Plow (2004), Milo’s Wake in 2005, for which she was nominated for best new director and The Graduate (Fortune 2005). Most recently she co-directed the Summer Shakespeare's Taming of the the Shrew (2006), Under Milk Wood (Downstage 2006), for which she was nominated for Best Director at the 2006 Chapman Tripp Awards and Backwards in High Heels (Circa 2007). She also directed last year’s Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards ceremony in Wellington.
Rachel has recently developed a strong interest in new New Zealand work. Most recently she has work-shopped and directed a new play by Mel Dodge for the Wellington Fringe Festival. She recently directed a new work for the Young and Hungry Festival at BATS.

GARETH FARR – Composer

Gareth studied music and composition in New Zealand and New York. In 1993, at the age of 25, Gareth became Chamber Music NZ’s youngest composer-in-residence. Since then, he has had works commissioned and performed by the NZSO, the Auckland Philharmonia, the Wellington Sinfonia, the NZ String Quartet and many others. These include a work to celebrate the opening of Te Papa and two works performed by the NZSO at the Sydney Olympics. Gareth has composed for the Royal NZ Ballet, as well as music for film and television, including for The Strip and the short film Spring Flames. His numerous compositions for the theatre include Woman Far Walking, Wit at Circa and Vula at Bats, which won him Chapman Tripp best original music awards in 2000 and 2003 and The End of the Golden Weather, Speed-the-Plow, Cloud Nine and Monarchy, currently showing at Circa. In 2006, Gareth was awarded the Order of New Zealand Merit, for his services to music and entertainment.

BRIAN KING – Set Design

In 2001 Brian ended 22 years of full time medicine to investigate an alternative career in design. In 2003 he completed the Advanced Diploma in Entertainment Technology at Toi Whakaari. This led to his first job designing set and costumes for the inaugural season of Niu Sila at Downstage. In 2006 he was among the first group to graduate from the combined Toi Whakaari/ Massey Performance Design degree. He has a particular interest in theatre, opera and contemporary classical musical theatre design. Recent work has included designing set for Othello and Finding Murdoch (Downstage) and Stealing Games (Capital E National Children’s Theatre).

JENNIFER LAL – Lighting Design

Jennifer has won the lighting designer of the year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards for Mapaki (1999), Have Car Will Travel (2001), Oho Ake ( 2004) and Hinepau (2005). Currently she has lit Monarchy at Circa and Othello at Downstage. Her last BATS show was Falling Petals in July.

HELEN MOULDER

Helen Moulder has been working as an actor and singer for over 30 years mainly in NZ, but also in the UK, Australia, Japan and the USA. Her recent theatre roles have included Ken Hills’ Phantom of the Opera, (tour of Japan), Vita and Virginia, Vivian Bearing in Wit, for which she won the Wellington Actress of the Year in 2000, the eccentric opera singer - Cynthia Fortitude in The Legend Returns, which she created with Rose Beauchamp and Michael Wilson, Lady in the Van, Great Expectations, Sylvia in Meeting Karpovsky, devised with Sir Jon Trimmer and Sue Rider, for which she won Actress of the Year, 2003, In Flame, Mum’s Choir, Suddenly Last Summer, Playing Miss Havisham, written with Sue Rider and Doubt. Helen’s film and television credits include Close to Home, Pictures, Country GP, Erebus – The Aftermath, The Wall, Abberation and The Dark Knight.

CAROL SMITH

Carol graduated from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School in 1989. Since then she has worked extensively in theatre, film, television and radio, with a break while living in Australia where she studied Voice for 3yrs at the Melba Conservatorium of Music. Working mainly in Wellington, Carol’s theatre credits include The Country in 2006, for which she won Actress of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards, the site-specific production Hotel (Best of the Fringe ‘07), Oleanna, Blue Remembered Hills, Mrs Robinson in The Graduate, premiers of NZ plays, Ophelia Thinks Harder, Horseplay, Pack of Girls and the critically acclaimed productions of King Lear and Hamlet/Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead. For television, Carol has appeared in Tom Scott’s Fall Out, Fiona Samuel’s A Real Dog, Away Laughing, Shortland Street and most recently as Raewyn Riley in MF Films’ Rude Awakenings.

GRANT TILLY

Grant has had many years experience in theatre, radio, film and television, receiving several awards. Among his memorable performances are, Tupper in Foreskin’s Lament, Dicky Hart in several of Roger Hall’s one man shows and George Bishop in Robert Lord’s Joyful and Triumphant. He created the role of Colin Wilson in Middle Age Spread, which was subsequently made in to a successful movie. He revisited this role recently in Spreading Out in both Wellington and Christchurch. Most recently Grant has toured NZ in Tom Scott’s The Daylight Atheist. Lately he has devoted much of his time to expanding his artistic endeavours and is presently working on a major exhibition for Pataka Museum. He was awarded an MBE in 1988 for services to theatre.

PHIL PELETON

Phil trained at The Poor School in London, in 1998/99. He worked in theatre and film in the UK for three years before returning to New Zealand. His acting experience encompasses work in film, theatre and television. He has also written and directed for film and theatre. Recent theatre roles include Petruchio in the 2006 Summer Shakespeare production of The Taming of the Shrew, Claudius/Ghost in the Bachhanals’ Hamlet late last year and most recently at BATS as six Australians in Falling Petals and at Circa in Backwards in High Heels.

BJORG HALLDORSDOTTIR

Bjorg made the long trip from Iceland to Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, graduating in 1999. She lives and works in Christchurch. Her theatre credits include Serial Killers (Court) and Beneath Our Feet with The Clinic at the Christchurch Arts Festival. She was last seen in The Lesson at Court 2.

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