MEDIA RELEASE
Town versus gown show down to test the meaning of life
Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon Host Kathryn Ryan are among a team of ‘townies’ that will
take on academics in a quiz about life this Saturday.
The Town versus Gown quiz will serve as the finale to Victoria University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences’
Big Day In. Like the day itself, the quiz will be structured around the theme of births, deaths and marriages, with
contestants encouraged to demonstrate their mastery of these topics with wit, whimsy and wisdom.
The Big Day In is a free event designed to celebrate the breadth and depth of the humanities and social sciences and
encourage Wellingtonians to spend a day exploring some of the things that make us human.
Other people taking part in the Town versus Gown quiz include Guy Somerset (New Zealand Listener’s Books and Culture
Editor), Dave Armstrong (playwright/satirist/columnist), Deborah Willis (Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences) and
Rory McCourt (VUWSA President). Improvisation actor and tutor at the School of English, Film, Theatre, and Media Studies
Timothy Jones will MC the quiz.
What: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Big Day In
When: Saturday 7 September, 10am–3pm (quiz runs from 2–3pm)
Where: The Hub, Kelburn Parade (entry through vicbooks or via Gate 3)
Cost: Free
The full programme is available at
www.victoria.ac.nz/events/2013/09/faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences-big-day-in. Spaces for each talk will be
limited by the capacity of each venue and will therefore be on a first-in basis.
ends