Patrons receive preview of 2011 Festival

Festival of Colour patrons receive preview of 2011 Festival

LAKE WANAKA, New Zealand (October 14, 2010) –

Supporters of the Southern Lakes Festival of Colour tonight received a taste of things to come in the 2011 Festival of Colour.

At a special festival patrons and benefactors function, Nick Brown, chairman of the Southern Lakes Arts Festival Trust announced that the Festival would expand into Queenstown for the first time in its 10 year history, as well as retaining its traditional touring programme and Festival hub in Lake Wanaka.

Festival director, Philip Tremewan went on to announce two important acts that will premiere at the 2011 Festival. The first, Rita and Douglas, is a touching story between renowned New Zealand artist Rita Angus and musician and composer Douglas Lilburn. Told through the letters written by Angus to Lilburn and the music composed at the time by Lilburn, which is played by pianist Michael Houstoun, the performance explore the complexities of a relationship between two artistic individuals.

Baby boomer play, A Grateful Nation, is about growing up in the 1950’s. It is based on the 1953 Mazengarb report of teenage immorality in Lower Hutt. Tremewan said the play offered a fascinating insight into the development of society in the post war years. “It’s quite astounding now, looking back on it,” he said. “The police pulled in dozens of teenagers who had been seen being too affectionate with one another down by the Hutt River – and this shocking behaviour led to court cases, a commission of inquiry and the banning of the sale of condoms. The report was delivered to every household in the country – the posties threatened to go on strike! We know now that change was inevitable and the gospel music at the start of the play gives way to rock and roll at the end…as the teenagers step into a new world.”

The final announcement of the night was the inclusion of an exciting new approach to theatre, Hotel, in the programme.

Hotel was developed by Paul McLaughlin, who wanted to change the style of theatre from sitting in the dark looking at a stage to something more intimate between actors and audience. And so he developed Hotel which is set in a hotel room with actors and audience within inches of each other. The play explores the type of people who inhabit these temporary spaces, who they are, why they are there and what they do. The stories were developed based on research from hotel staff, the theatre company’s own observations and urban mythology.

“It’s voyeuristic and very filmic,” he said. “Plus it has an element of mystery to it, you don’t always know quite what’s going on and it can be interpreted in a number of different ways. People just love this new style of theatre.”

Contd/…
At its launch at the Wellington Fringe Festival, Hotel won more awards then any play ever before, with the awards including Best Theatre Show. With just 20 audience members able to fit into the Edgewater room where the play will show each night of the Festival, this promises to be one of the Festival’s first sell-out performances.

The fourth Festival of Colour takes place on 12-17 April 2011. For further information, please visit www.festivalofcolour.co.nz.

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