Wellington Teens Hold NZ Fringe Festival Captive

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Wellington Teens Hold NZ Fringe Festival Captive

Wellington’s youngest theatre company is producing an original work for New Zealand Fringe Festival.

The Wellington Young Actors have been busy devising, fundraising, designing and marketing their show, To Sunder for since November.

Aged 13-17 years old, the students are using the New Zealand Fringe Festival as an opportunity to learn how to run a theatre company.

Local actor, Deborah Eve Rea who is currently touring Take Back the Hood which was nominated for Best Solo Show in the 2013 New Zealand Fringe Festival, is mentoring them through the process.

“These students are makers, creators, producers and facilitators as well as actors. They are involved in every facet of the process. Any local actor will agree that you need an array of skills to get your work out there. These students aren’t only learning to run their own company but they are training to be the future movers and shakers of the New Zealand theatre scene- and, after seeing the innovation they’ve brought to the table, I have no doubt they will be.”- Deborah Eve Rea.

The students previously lent their devising skills to the Shoestring Theatre Challenge where they were given the task of creating a new work in one month with a budget of $20. Their Shoestring piece,Passage, was revered by the public audience and, of course, made their families very proud.

For Fringe 2015, the Wellington Young Actors have created, To Sunder, a dystopian drama with more questions than answers. To Sunder takes place in a doomsday bunker built for a family of three but instead inhabited by ten teenagers. Cozy. To Sunder follows how the teens survive against the odds, each other and themselves (or not, no spoilers!).

“To Sunder is a play about a group of teenagers in a bunker.Something has happened to the world outside and while thecharacters (teenagers) know what has happened, the audience isleft to use their imagination and work it out! In the play, our characters start to lose their memories. They begin to forget the time, the date, the year, and where they are. As actors, we need to work out why this is as we learn about our character. We have been rehearsing flat out before Christmas and will again in January. We have to learn about our characters, our lines, and monologues. Debs is working hard helping us individually and as a group. We have been having a lot of fun as well!” –Alice Maley-McNamara (Publicist/”Rue”, Age 14)

“Everything about To Sunder is going to be, and has been, a brilliant experience. Having to learn over 100 lines in a 42 page script. Designing the costumes for 10 people. All those early morning coffees to get to 10am rehearsals. I’m looking forward to performing a expertly rehearsed mind-bending piece for the Fringe Festival. Performing for four nights, to such a big audience. The reviews, the memories….” William Robinson (aged 15, ‘Alex” and Costume Designer)

To Sunder
7pm, 11-14 March
Hataitai Bowling Club
Tickets: $15/$10 www.eventfinder.co.nz
New Zealand Fringe Festival

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