Mum's Choir: The Court Theatre presents the Meridian Energy 2018/19 Season
MUM’S CHOIR
Written by Alison Quigan
Directed by Ross Gumbley
Starring Lynda Milligan
15 September – 6 October 2018
For years the O’Reilly household was alive with music - Mum took to the keys, Uncle Noel whipped out his spoons and Aunty Nola shook the rafters with her vibrato. These sing-alongs would make your heart soar and your jaw ache.
But now the piano keys have fallen silent. Mum has sung her last song, and the kids – now middle aged with children of their own – return to a house haunted with the half-remembered melodies of their childhood.
Mum hasn’t left quietly though. Her final request is an almost impossible task: for her kids to sing Faure’s Requiem at her funeral. As they fight over the solos – and mum’s furniture – the O’Reillys relive their childhood, the good old songs they used to sing and what it means to be a family.
Written by Alison Quigan, the writer of Flagons and Foxtrots and Shop Till You Drop, Mum’s Choir is a heartwarming comedy about a gloriously typical New Zealand family.
With songs such as Good Ship Lollipop, That’s Amore, Hine E Hine, and Accentuate the Positive, The Court Theatre celebrates New Zealand Theatre Month by bringing back this loved classic that took Aotearoa by storm after its debut in 2005.
Merry Christmas from The Court Theatre
Merry Christmas Christchurch from everyone at The Court Theatre. A special thanks to Air New Zealand for creating such a fun Kiwi Christmas song!
Court Theatre 2016 2017 Season - That Bloody Woman
02 JUL 2016 - 30 JUL 2016
Suffragist, activist and cyclist Kate Sheppard transforms from a face on the $10 note into a feminist firebrand raising hell in this red-hot new punk rock opera.
Groundswell: Stories from the Quake (The Court Theatre, Christchurch)
The Forge reopens with its first show since the 2011 February Quake
On 22 February 2011 The Court Theatre, like so many companies and organisations located in The Red Zone, saw its foundations crumble; literally and figuratively. Ten days later after the loss of The Court's historic theatre venue, brochures arrived for The Forge season that would never be.
Down but not out, The Court Theatre rallied its troupes and with the help of countless sponsors and supporters, established new premises in Addington in record time. Since the grand reopening in December 2011, The Court has had unprecedented success with its main stage seasons and is now set to celebrate another milestone with the re-launch of The Forge.
GROUNDSWELL: STORIES FROM THE QUAKE, which will take place in The Court's Pub Charity Studio, is a collection of extraordinary stories collected from ordinary people about their experiences following February's quake.
Director Melanie Camps says GROUNDSWELL is a theatrical representation, but it's not sensationalised. The script has been written with integrity and realism and is representational of the bravery, dignity and humour embraced by thousands of Cantabrians in the face of intense adversity. These are important stories and they reaffirm that we are all in this together.
GROUNDSWELL: STORIES FROM THE QUAKE by Elizabeth O'Connor and 12.51 Productions, runs from 9 -- 23 March and features actors Tim Bartlett, Tom Trevella, Annie Whittle, Barry de Lore, Monica Hope, Lucy Porter and Jonathan Power. For more information visit courttheatre.org.nz.
Established in 1979, The Court Theatre is one of New Zealand's premier theatre companies. The Court is a significant contributor to both the local economy and national arts sector, employing up to 80 equivalent full-time staff, actors and theatre practitioners.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch: The Court Theatre presents the Meridian Energy 2018/19 Season
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
Written by John Cameron Mitchell
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Trask
Directed by Dan Bain
11 May – 1 June 2019
If you didn’t know her name before, you soon will. Meet Hedwig.
To walk away, you’ve got to leave something behind – and so Hansel Schmidt does, undergoing a traumatic sex-change that transforms him into Hedwig. With her new identity, Hedwig escapes the iron curtain to begin life in the west with her freshly-minted American husband.
Everything seems perfect until her husband leaves her and Hedwig must fend for herself. With nothing left, she returns to her first love: music.
The winner of four Tony Awards, and a show that Rolling Stone called “the best rock musical ever,” Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a darkly humorous tale about sacrifice, gender identity and love in all its forms. Set against an electrifying, glam-rock soundtrack, Hedwig and her band The Angry Inch relive the heart-breaking and hilarious history that led her to this moment.
Scared Scriptless 2012 | Late night improv comedy at The Court Theatre, New Zealand
Highlights from Scared Scriptless' first weekend in the new Court Theatre in Addington, Christchurch.
Chicago opens at The Court Theatre
Chicago opens with all its razzle dazzle at The Court Theatre. Don't miss this spectacular show!
November 25 - January 20.
Book now courttheatre.org.nz
Court Theatre 2016 2017 Season Waiora
Waiora: Te ū kai pō – The Homeland
13 AUG 2016 - 03 SEP 2016
A challenging, universally recognisable and triumphant piece of New Zealand theatre that explores family, culture, home and belonging.
BNZ Christchurch Stories - The Shed, Court Theatre
With the closure of the Arts Centre in Christchurch The Court Theatre have had to find a new home. Ross Gumbley, Artistic Director explains the challenges they've faced and introduces us to the Shed.
BNZ Christchurch Stories - Court Theatre
The Arts Centre is closed at the moment, it was double red - red-stickered in the red zone. The centre is going to be out for years so we have to find a temporary solution to get the theatre back to the people of Christchurch. Its essential we open again, start providing some fun, laughter and entertainment.
E Toru at The Forge at The Court
Ē TORU
Written by Y Not; Tania McClutchie; Tavita Nielsen-Mamea
9 – 11 August
Three Māori and Pasifika companies from Ōtautahi each present an evening of compelling and essential works in progress. Each night, a new and unique piece will meet an audience for the first time. Be part of their creation.
Palu - Samoa and Tonga. How similar are they? Aren’t they always fighting? Y Not’s tri-lingual play explores those similarities and differences over the shared kava bowl.
Rīpeka - 1860, The East Cape. 2018, Christchurch. What does it mean to be a wife? To resist. To have faith. To sacrifice. In her time. In our time.
Ko Au Tuvalu - Tuvalu is sinking beneath the waves. Its people will be the first environmental refugees of the 21st century. Three sisters plan their departure to the place that will be their new home: Aotearoa, New Zealand.
From the ashes...
Hauntingly beautiful, The Arsonists is a wistful drama featuring live bluegrass and folk songs. ????
Learn more & book now:
All About Astroman with Writer Albert Belz
Woo-hoo, there are less than 2 weeks until Astroman opens! ????
Not sure what this brand new Kiwi play is all about? Let writer Albert Belz give you the scoop!
The Court Theatre's Carpool Jam
This is Nick Purdie's third show at The Court, but he still gets lost trying to find the theatre. Luckily Ellie Neal and Damon Grebert-Wade are around to help him get to work on time to perform in Legally Blonde the Musical! #CourtCarpoolKaraoke #NewZealandsJamesCordon
The Court Theatre Production of Mary Poppins
A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers & the Walt Disney Film
Directed by Ross Gumbley & Stephen Robertson
Musical Direction by Richard Marrett
Original music and lyrics: Richard M. Sherman & Robert B. Sherman
Book by Julian Fellowes
New songs and additional music and lyrics by:
George Stiles & Anthony Drewe
Co-created by: Cameron Mackintosh
Original produced by Camerson Mackintosh and Thomas Schumacher for Disney
The Mikado on now at The Court Theatre
The Mikado has opened at The Court Theatre for an eight week run. Receiving rave reviews and numerous standing ovations, this is one show you're not going to miss.
With its thrillingly hilarious Gilbert and Sullivan story-line and melodies such as Three Little Maids from School Are We, and I've Got a Little List, The Mikado is sure to appeal to young and old alike.
Go and see it... I am not a Gilbert and Sullivan fan... but I'm ringing the box office straight away to order my return tickets because I don't want to miss out, and you don't either. - The Press
Musical satire as good as it gets. - The Star
The Mikado, 23 November - 18 January at The Court Theatre in Christchurch. Book at courttheatre.org.nz
The Court Theatre @ The Shed
An exciting 3D animation of the new Court Theatre site at The Shed in Addington.
A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Court Theatre
The Court Theatre presents A Midsummer Night's Dream in a unique conception -- half the company is Chinese from Beijing.
This is a magical production that will challenge and provoke. It's experimental and full of risk says Philip Aldridge, Chief Executive at The Court.
The play is about a dream, Nick Bottom's dream - a lovable, gentlemanly, if decidedly hair-brained fellow who embodies the decent everyman. He is just as at home in the rude demanding world of the workman as in the fantastical world of fairies and theatres.
Audiences will have a chance to hear Shakespeare in a fresh new way. The Chinese actors are working in English and in many cases this will be a third language for them.
Scared Scriptless at The Court Theatre, Christ Church, New Zeland
Scared Scriptless at The Court Theatre, Christ Church, New Zeland