Every year we face the challenge of finding exciting and stimulating plays to present. With the difficult economic conditions of 2009, that task has been made even harder for our play selection team. So, realising that at times like this laughter is the best medicine, we have sought out plays that we hope will add to your entertainment. Howick Little Theatre has built a reputation for quality productions of a professional standard but within the resources of a community theatre and the 2010 line-up will carry on this tradition.

For the next programme we have sourced three comedies from overseas and two will be New Zealand premieres. The season opener, Mammals, comes from the UK and is a funny, razor-sharp portrait of modern family life that unpeels the layers of stories and fictions we tell each other and our kids. Kevin’s Bed, from Ireland, is a play of nostalgia, expectations and broken dreams that opens with Dan and Doris’ golden wedding celebration – a time to look back on their silver anniversary in the Sonny and Cher days of the 70s. From Canada, Sexy Laundry tells the story of Alice and Henry. They have been married for 25 years, but time, three kids, stress and gravity have all taken their toll on the relationship. Sound familiar? Many people might sit back and wait for the situation to sort itself out, but Alice decides to take matters into her own hands, armed with a copy of Dr Ruth’s Sex for Dummies.

And for the first time in HLT’s history, we are featuring two New Zealand plays in one year. The first, Carl Nixon’s award-winning The Raft, is a bold drama that gets to the emotional rub of a family dealing with a personal tragedy. The play is set over a rainy weekend in a West Coast bach where they try to pick up the pieces and wrestle with things that have remained submerged for too long. The ending will have you on the edge of your seat.

To round out the year we are delighted to present Roger Hall’s box-office smash hit Four Flat Whites in Italy, which follows retired librarians Adrian and Alison on their dream holiday to Italy with their new neighbours, Harry and Judy. This is one holiday the quartet won’t forget in a hurry! Featuring the legendary Hall signature wit and classic one-liners. Bravo, Signor Hall!

Over the past year we have had very positive audience responses to our productions. Consequently, if you don’t want to miss out on the best seats in the house on the night of your choice, it is an great idea to purchase a Showcard subscription. The price for five shows is just $90, which is excellent value. A subscription for two or more shows is also an ideal gift for any occasion: birthday, Christmas or just as a thank you.

On the development front, we upgraded the toilet and cast-room facilities in 2009 and we are now planning to install improved seating rostra so that audiences will enjoy better views of the action.

We look forward to seeing you at the Howick Little Theatre in 2010 to enjoy some enjoyable, stimulating and entertaining live theatre.

Margaret Nash
President

To read the Howick and Pakuranga Times 2010 preview, click article.

 

“It is our mission to produce high-quality, entertaining, accessible and enriching theatre and to engender an environment that encourages and recognises the artist in each of us.”