“The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It”

Thursday 23 November.

Silo Theatre 2018: “the Best Way to Predict the Future is to Invent It” – Alan Kay

In their mission to create theatre that responds to the world we live in; Silo Theatre’s Artistic Director Sophie Roberts announces a boisterous 2018 programme that celebrates the destruction of systems and ideas that no longer serve us.

“Next year, we’re excited to present a programme that examines the ways in which the personal is political: stories populated by characters striving to create a new world order. These range from a fearless new gaze on contemporary romance to an unsettling look at one of Aotearoa’s greatest defence lawyers, to a post-apocalyptic world where The Simpsons forms our contemporary mythology. “ - Sophie Roberts

This is theatre that flips the script on the status quo. It tears everything down, examines the rubble, and asks: what next?

The programme kicks off with a New Zealand work in the Auckland Arts Festival that aims to provoke its audience to question the way we represent romance and sex in popular culture. Body Double by Eleanor Bishop and Julia Croft blends erotic literature, science, and the language of Hollywood film to revolutionize the way women see themselves in the digital age. After their hit show this year, Boys for Auckland Theatre Company, Body Double continues Bishop and Croft’s investigation into sex, gender and performance, and marks both their Silo and Auckland Arts Festival debuts. Coming to Q Theatre from 20 March to 29 March, Body Double is ready to drop some truth-bombs on Auckland.

In a world premiere commissioned and developed by Silo, The Defendant by Dan Musgrove is a thoughtful and complex imagining of the last days of star lawyer Greg King. It’s 2012, the aftermath of Ewen MacDonald’s acquittal and in a motel room in Rotorua his defence lawyer Greg King is preparing for his next case when he receives a visit from a young motel worker. Troubling and profound, it presents a portrait of a fierce intellect who defended some of the most notorious criminals – and who believed in our shared humanity, even at its darkest hours. The Defendant comes to Q Theatre from 14 June to 7 July, directed by Jason Te Kare (Cellfish).

Next up is a work from a multi award-winning writer that TimeOut New York has called “One of the most exciting theater artists of our time”. Taylor Mac’s (who uses judy as a gender pronoun) HIR is a deliciously sly and exquisitely intelligent comedy about the messy implications of change. Isaac has returned from Afghanistan to discover his suburban family in a war of their own. His mother is on a mission to dismantle the patriarchy, his sister is transitioning and impatient to leave the world around hir, and in a neglected heap in the corner is their once dominating father, now being fed oestrogen laden smoothies. Directed by Sophie Roberts, HIR is a dysfunctional family drama for the 21st century on at the Herald Theatre from 2 August to 25 August.

Survivors huddle around a fire, pondering a world without electricity, and the things they will never see again. To console themselves, they piece together an episode of The Simpsons, clinging to one of the few memories they all share. An outrageous post-modern pop culture mash-up, written by Anne Washburn and directed by Oliver Driver, MR BURNS holds eerie and timely relevance in a post-Trump America, and post-Trump World, that feels on the brink of cataclysmic collapse. With an eight-strong ensemble of fresh talent, MR BURNS will be the post apocalyptic, pop-culture saturated event of the year, coming to Q Theatre from the 13 September to 29 September.

Silo’s final production of the year is a glittering, garish sonic explosion. David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s Here Lies Love is an unlikely concept album: A gritty political history told through dazzling disco-pop, charting the meteoric rise and fall of Imelda Marcos, the glamorous First Lady of the Philippines who reigned against the backdrop of her husband’s ruthless totalitarian regime. As summer nears, Director Sophie Roberts, Musical Director Robin Kelly and a staggering line-up of the fiercest and most fabulous divas will bring this pulsing, irresistible album to life – inviting you to climb into the smoky depths of Q Theatre for an unmissable night of unchecked desire and disco balls with The Milford Asset Management Season of Here Lies Love. This synth laden song cycle and hedonistic party runs from November 22 to December 8.

Finally, Silo will continue to uplift and invest in brilliant local theatre makers and continue to take work around the country. Silo are delighted to welcome Director Jason Te Kare in a new role as Artistic Associate in 2018. This is a new part-time residency working alongside the Silo Theatre team – with the opportunity to be immersed in the development and programming of Silo’s annual programme of activity. In March, Silo’s groundbreaking reimagining of Peter and the Wolf makes its Wellington Premiere at the New Zealand Festival (March 14 — 18) at Soundings Theatre, Te Papa.

Silo Theatre 2018
Season Tickets on sale from 6pm 22 November
For more information and bookings, visit silotheatre.co.nz

2018 SEASON
BODY DOUBLE – Co Production with Auckland Arts Festival
20 – 29 March, Q THEATRE

THE DEFENDANT – Dan Musgrove
14 JUNE – 7 JULY, Q THEATRE

HIR – Taylor Mac
2 AUGUST – 25 AUGUST, Herald Theatre

MR BURNS, A POST ELECTRIC PLAY – Anne Washburn
13 – 29 SEPTEMBER, Q THEATRE

HERE LIES LOVE – David Byres and Fatboy Slim
22 NOVEMBER – 08 DECEMBER, Herald Theatre, Auckland Live.

ends

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