Media Release
For Immediate Release
9 October 2014
Local Playwright scores a Hat trick
Once Upon a Time in Wellington is a play showing at BATS from Thursday 16 October to Saturday 25 October, is the third stand-alone play from a trilogy
of theatre productions written by Tza Drake, a graduate of Victoria Universities prestigious International Institute of
Modern Letters, and a recipient of a Masters in Scriptwriting.
Dennis and Gene have been out of prison for a few months and are finding things are tough all over. Together they hatch
a plan to pull off a perfect kidnapping, but even perfect plans can go wrong and Dennis and Gene quickly learn this.
The play features characters from Tza’s first two plays Once Upon a Time in Aro Valley (2009) and My Kitchen Kills (2013) however is a story in its own right. Theatre goer’s need not have seen the first two plays to enjoy this fast paced and
darkly comedic show.
Three years ago, Tza made the decision to ‘throw in the tea towel’ and changed the course of his life, resigning from
his career as a Chef and returning as a mature student to Victoria University. Tza was accepted into the International
Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) which accepts only 10 students per year, he persevered and after two rejected
applications to study a Masters in Scriptwriting, Tza was finally accepted into the IIML Masters programme.
Tza’s journey is great example to aspiring writers that determination and the ability to bounce back from rejection, can
result in success. Something that is particularly relevant for writers.
Tza’s progress through the IIML and the in-depth study of theatre and film scriptwriting, shines through in his third
production. His maturity and growth in his writing, character development and professionalism is a brilliant example of
a local writer who has chased his dreams and been supported by Wellington’s creative backbone.
Tickets: $20/$15 book via www.bats.co.nz or phone 04 802 4175