The Back on the Boards festival will now go ahead from Sept 9-20, tickets for all three shows are once again on sale. ASB Waterfront Theatre will strictly adhere to all government advice for Auckland's level 2 event mass gathering restrictions which includes separate defined spaces of up to 100 and social distancing. We ask all ticket holders to read their pre-show email instructions carefully before arriving at the theatre.
The government has recently specified in more detail how venues must comply with Level 2 restrictions in Auckland. We have found a solution that allows us to continue with the remainder of the festival. All ticket holders have be contacted directly and advised of new seating arrangements.
If you have any queries about mass gathering restrictions for public events please check the ministry of health website here.
Dentons Kensington Swan presents Back on the Boards, celebrating the return of live theatre.
Auckland Theatre Company’s return to ASB Waterfront Theatre stage will feature a remount of the beloved and award winning Still Life With Chickens by D.F. Mamea, a show that steals hearts wherever it is performed around the world. The highly acclaimed play Black Lover by Stanley Makuwe, the premiere season of which sold out during the 2020 Auckland Arts Festival but was cut short by the global pandemic, will also be remounted. Back on the Boards also features a brand new work 48 Nights on Hope Street, a direct and exciting response to this time from a diverse company of young writers, actors and musicians.
Three brilliant New Zealand works celebrate good people, profound relationships and what it means to be human. Come and see one, two or all three shows to once again enjoy a stellar night out at the theatre.
Still Life with Chickens
Some friendships are just clucking surprising!
When Mama discovers a mischievous chicken invading her flourishing veggie garden her first instinct is to reach for the spade. But what starts out as a skirmish over the silverbeet develops into an unlikely friendship.
Award-winning playwright D.F. Mamea’s slice-of-life story paints a vivid portrait of the local neighbourhood, its colourful characters, and Mama’s dreams for herself and her family. Goretti Chadwick (Pani and Pani) gives a tour-de-force performance in the role of a lifetime, as she brings this glorious character to life.
An intimate, heart-warming, and funny play about friendship, loss, love and life.
Black Lover
Award-winning playwright Stanley Makuwe brings us a gripping drama about war, politics and colonialism.
“We must make it possible for every individual to lead the good life, to win a place in the sun.” - Sir Garfield Todd
Expat New Zealander Sir Garfield Todd said these words in his final speech as Prime Minister of Rhodesia in 1958. Ousted from politics for being a “black lover”, Todd’s ongoing fight for racial equality led to his house arrest in 1965, the starting point for Makuwe’s story.
Compelling and reflective, Black Lover explores the courage to stand against injustice in a nation experiencing deep racial divides.
48 Nights on Hope Street
Holed up on Hope Street during lockdown, five flatmates while away the time telling tall tales every night… for 48 Nights.
Inspired by the spirit of Giovanni Bocaccio’s The Decameron, the storytelling epic written in the 14th century as the Plague was sweeping through Europe, ATC brings together five of Aotearoa’s most exciting young writers and a diverse company of actors and musicians to create a direct theatrical response to this moment.
Seated on the ASB Waterfront stage, the audience will get to experience a wild night of storytelling, song and music up close and personal in a cosy living room style setting. Join us for this rare onstage opportunity and help celebrate the power and joy of live theatre.
