Premiere of Prolific Playwright's Work

Premiere of Prolific Playwright's Work

What: The Gentleman from Olmedo: A Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School Production

When: 10 - 14 June at 8pm (matinee 14 June at 2pm)

Where: Te Whaea Theatre, 11 Hutchison Rd, Newtown (bookings ph: +4 389 9056)

Price: $15 / $10

Lope de Vega was a priest, a bigamist, an officer of the Inquisition, a sailor with the Spanish Armada, a murderer and the greatest of all Spanish playwrights, writing over 2200 plays, 500 of which still survive.

Lope is often called the Shakespeare of Spain, but his work has never been performed in this country - until now. Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School is presenting one of Lope's most famous plays The Gentleman from Olmedo from 10 - 14 June.

The Gentleman from Olmedo is a tragicomic tale of passion, obsession and bull fighting by the second year acting and entertainment technology students of Toi Whakaari, directed by Tom McCrory, from an award winning translation by David Johnston.

"The Gentleman from Olmedo's relevance lies in the refreshing blast of life De Vega imparts," said Tom McCrory. "He reminds us that death is as present as ever and that the only way to live fully is to really live in the face of dying."

"Because in the early 21st Century death has been distanced from our lives, it's become hard to hear people speak from their hearts. Hearing characters onstage engage with that kind of emotion makes a play visceral and immediately relevant," said Tom McCrory.

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