4 April 2013
For immediate release
No Holds Bard
Shakespeare Unleashed!
Michael Hurst is the solo star of No Holds Bard
The show is over, the audience has left, and Hamlet comes home to his dingy flat to face the final curtain. But can he
make up his mind to do it? Hilarity ensues when Macbeth, King Lear, and Othello arrive to help the hapless prince decide
whether or not to be or not to be… or not.
Accomplished stage and screen actor and director Michael Hurst is the solo star of No Holds Bard which focuses on Hamlet, an insomniac who returns home to discover a script documenting the end of his life and begins
some serious late-night soul searching. In this one-man show, Michael switches effortlessly between characters and melds
his mastery of the Shakespearean form, building to a battle sequence where Hamlet unleashes 30 years of stage combat
experience – on himself.
No Holds Bard sees Michael Hurst join forces with two of New Zealand's freshest writing talents, Natalie Medlock and Dan Musgrove,
for an outrageous and at times profound view into one actor’s attempt at self destruction with an irreverent comic edge.
Michael Hurst is New Zealand’s premier performer of Shakespeare, and is best known by international audiences as Iolaus,
Hercules’ sidekick in the cult series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and as a director of the TV series Spartacus. His contribution to New Zealand arts was acknowledged in 2003 with a Laureate Award from the Arts Foundation of New
Zealand and again in 2005 when he was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.
No Holds Bard is the seventh play that Natalie Medlock and Dan Musgrove have written together since graduating from Toi Whakaari NZ
Drama School in 2007. They are a young writing team specialising in eccentric, offbeat comedies and their writing talent
has already been recognised nationally. Dan and Natalie currently both write for the popular New Zealand television
serial Shortland Street.
No Holds Bard is being presented by the Central North Island Arts Consortium, a collective including the TSB Showplace in New
Plymouth, Clarence St. Theatre in Hamilton and the Hawke’s Bay Opera House in Hastings. Supported by funding from
Creative New Zealand, No Holds Bard will be the first performance presented by the Consortium this year. “No Holds Bard is an exciting production from Royale Productions who specialise in new works that push theatrical boundaries, excite
audiences, and challenge the status quo”, says Megan Brown, Venue Manager at the TSB Showplace. “We’re thrilled to be
bringing such a high-quality performance to these regional centres and giving local audiences in Taranaki, Waikato and
Hawke’s Bay the opportunity to see Shakespeare in a new light.”
No Holds Bard - Central North Island Arts Consortium Tour Dates
TSB Showplace, New Plymouth
Thursday 9 May, 7:30pm
Bookings for performance: Ticketmaster 0800 111 999, www.ticketmaster.co.nz
Clarence Street Theatre, Hamilton
Friday 10 May, 7:30pm
Bookings for performance: Ticketek - 0800 TICKETEK, www.ticketek.co.nz
Hawke’s Bay Opera House, Hastings
Saturday 11 May, 7:30pm
Bookings for performance: Ticketek - 0800 TICKETEK, www.ticketek.co.nz
ENDS