You can download a PDF of our 2026 Menu HERE
March: Prima Facie
Tessa Ensler loves her job. She’s worked her way up from working-class background to being the top criminal defence barrister at the top of her game – prosecuting, cross-examining and winning in the courtroom with her quick wit and intelligence. Fighting to defend those pleading not guilty – including securing freedom for men accused of rape and sexual assault. Innocent until proven guilty is, after all, the bedrock of human rights.
An unexpected even however forces Tessa to confront the very system she has spent her life believing and working within.
Directed by NZ acting royalty Michael Hurst and performed by Cassandra Woodhouse, NZ Theatre Company is honoured to bring Prima Facie to the NZ stage and continue to call the action that this story is demanding worldwide
Venue: Theatre, Stage Hall, Community Hall, High Schools, preferably with basic lighting capicity
Set up: 3 hours
Personnel: 3
Duration: 90 minutes no interval plus Q & A
Price: $1,500 + GST (or 70% of gross after reasonable costs whichever is greater)
Appeal: All Ages 14+
April: Mr Fungus
“New Zealand’s Loudest Mime” Mr Fungus is on tour across Aotearoa, with silly show that will amuse and delight kids of all ages.
Featuring visual and verbal comedy, juggling and mime, with scrumptious and catchy backing soundtracks, Mr Fungus will bring the silliness and fun to your town.
Thrillingly ridiculous and a seasoned pro, Mr Fungus has played to packed theatres and festival venues throughout Europe and Australisia, in a career spanning four decades.
Venue: Theatres, Community Halls, Libraries
Set up: 2 hours
Personnel: 1
Duration: 50 minutes no interval
Price: $800 + GST (or 70% of gross after reasonable costs whichever is greater)
Appeal: Family Audiences – Kids from 4-9
Suitable: All ages
Website: www.fergusaitken.co.nz
May: Sean Kelly & The Super 8’s
Sean Kelly & Friends present an intimate show of live Irish music played to the backdrop of Super 8 movies taken by Sean’s Dad, a renowned Cine enthusiast, in and around Derry and Donegal 1958-1988.
The shoe features Sean Kelly on vocals, whistles, bodhran and guitar, Jono Lonie on fiddle and electric mandolin and Maree Limpus on AV and cello. Sean also presents an authentic dialogue in a tumultuous time in history of Derry, Donegal and the north of Ireland. It is a sensory-rich experience blending authentic Irish music with authentic imagery, no special effects whatsoever. The show is designed to entertain but also enlighten and to leave the audience with that elusive sense of wonder.
Venue: Theatres, Community Halls, Libraries, Churches and Schools
Set up: 2 hours
Personnel: 3
Duration: 2 hours with interval
Price: $900 + GST (or 70% of gross after reasonable costs whichever is greater)
Appeal: Anyone with the love of traditional Irish music
Suitable: Suitable for families
Website: http://facebook.com/SeanKellymusic
June: Social Animal with Stehen Papps
Stephen Papps performs a solo theatre comedy about a man, a woman and a dog. Jon, a man whose star is fading on his illustrious career, is struggling to save his life-long marriage to wife Vicky. He decides to adopt a dog in an attempt to bring them closer together. But the dog is a high-needs rescue greyhound enslaved to its hunting instincts and its own agenda. Jon finds himself being towed along on a high-speed dog chase to lead him headlong to a painful truth that awaits him in the undergrowth.
Venue: Any suitable theatre, community hall, performance venue
Set up: 90 minutes
Personnel: 2
Duration: 60 minutes
Price: $800 + GST (or 70% of gross after reasonable costs whichever is greater)
Appeal: Comedy theatre audience
Suitable: General audience
July: Carnivorous Plant Society
New Zealand’s favourite psychedelic exotic jazz band are back! Their time away from touring has been spent composing, animating and learning even more instruments to create a show that will mesmerise the young and the old alike. Prepare for a unique experience featuring vibraphone, tuba, harmonica, pan flute, synthesisers, drums, bass and vocals – all brought to life against a stunning backdrop of hand-drawn animations. Finn Scholes is joined by a team of New Zealand’s top musicians: World class drummer Alistair Deverick and the amazing multi-instrumentalist Sean Martin-Buss.
Venue: Any theatre, hall, gallery space or concert room
Set up: 2 hours
Personnel: 3
Duration: 2 x 45 minutes
Price: $1,200 + GST (or 70% of gross after reasonable costs whichever is greater)
Appeal: All ages
October: The Tempestuous
A Shrew’d New Comedy by Will Shakespeare and Penny Ashton
Arts on Tour favourite Penny Ashton is back for her 5th tour, and this time she’s skewering the Bard Himself. Sicily’s beloved King Enzo is dead. Now Princess Rosa, a stroppy spinster, must navigate the tempestuous waters of belching stepfathers, lusty suitors, popping cod pieces and menopausal witches, to face her destiny. Award Winning Comedian Penny Ashton, creator and star of smash hits Promise and Promiscuity, Olive Copperbottom and Austen Found, presents her latest literary solo musical with this Shakespearean frolic. She’ll spark 11 characters into life in an Elizabethan tale of magic, meddling and puffed bull’s puzzles.
“Incredibly clever, the script is just so smart.” Radio NZ
“Masterful ‘shrewd comedy’ a tempestuous triumph…a phenomenal play.” The Post
“Surely at some point we get to call Penny Ashton a national treasure?” Flat City Field Notes
“Phenomenal energy, vivacity, versatility, inventiveness and humour.” Theatreview
Venues: All venues although some floor work so prefers height/audience rake
Personnel: 2
Duration: 90 minutes interval optional
Set Up: 4 hours
Price: $1175 plus GST
Appeal: Comedy theatre audience
Suitable: PG14