LOUIS THEROUX Announces Special Guest for NZ Live Show

As final tickets go on sale, Louis Theroux has announced he will be joined by a very special guest on his show at Auckland’s Civic Theatre on Friday 10 January 2020.

Megan Phelps-Roper, a former member of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church, the subject of some of Louis’ most famous documentaries, will make a special appearance with Louis on stage in Auckland, New Zealand. Megan will be remembered for her appearance in The Most Hated Family in America (2007) and The Most Hated Family in America in Crisis (2011) documentaries.

“I have known Megan for well over ten years. When I first met her she was a committed member of a fire-and-brimstone homophobic hate group. Now she is leading an entirely new life as a thinker and writer of great sensitivity and insight, bringing a message of empathy and intelligent engagement with those we disagree with. It brings me great pleasure to announce she will be joining me in Australia and New Zealand on this tour. Megan and I will be talking about her time at the Westboro Baptist Church and what led her to leave, and what lessons the rest of us can learn from her journey,” said Louis Theroux.

Megan Phelps-Roper is the granddaughter of Fred Phelps, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based denomination known for picketing funerals of U.S. service members and widely decried as a hate group. Fans of Louis’ films will remember Megan and members of her family holding placards in public with homophobic, anti-Semitic and obscene comments, vocalising the messages preached by her grand-father and head of the church. Megan and her sister, Grace, left the Westboro Church in November 2012 leaving behind her family and the religious beliefs that were ingrained into her from the day she was born.

Since leaving the church, Megan has become an advocate for people and ideas she was once taught to despise; Megan is now an activist and speaker who lobbies to overcome divisions and hatred between religious and political divides. Megan’s autobiography Unfollow will be released in October 2019.

“Nearly seven years after leaving my former church, I am still blown away by the kindness and compassion of those who reached out to me and helped to change my mind. I can’t wait to share the journey that transformed me from a hardcore Westboro follower, longing for the destruction of the world, to a believer in hope and humanity. It’s a great honour to join Louis on his tour and have the chance to discuss these incredible experiences live on stage!” said Megan about her upcoming visit.

Louis will also be joined by television and radio personality Julia Zemiro. Julia steps into Louis’ weird and wonderful mind and together they journey across the world and into its plethora of subcultures, communities and citizens. In this two-hour live show, discover behind-the-scenes secrets as they relive some of Louis’s most famous encounters, and discuss what happened after the cameras stopped rolling.

Louis Theroux is an award-winning film and documentary maker. His skill has always been getting people to say more than they thought they would—or could. Through this approach, he has shone light on some of the world’s most intriguing beliefs, behaviours, and institutions by getting to know the people at the heart of them – from the officers and inmates at San Quentin prison, male porn performers of the San Fernando Valley to exploring the secrets of the Church of Scientology.

LOUIS THEROUX WITHOUT LIMITS
Friday 10 January - The Civic, AUCKLAND

TICKETS: www.ticketmaster.co.nz / 0800 111 999
www.louistherouxliveonstage.com

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