Christchurch Arts Festival Opens This Week

International Artists Head to Christchurch for Arts Festival Opening This Week

Christchurch Arts Festival opens this week with more than 50 shows spread over 19 days and including the biggest international line-up seen in the city for many years.

Festival director Craig Cooper says artists are coming to Christchurch from 14 countries as diverse as South Korea, Sweden, China, Mexico, Brazil, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.

From South Korea comes the hilarious Chef: Come Dine With Us! - one of 50+ shows at Christchurch Arts Festival 2017

“Our first international artists – the South Korean cast and crew of Chef: Come Dine With Us! arrived in Christchurch this morning ahead of their opening night on Wednesday. And each day more and more artists arrive in the city.”

Today also marks the start of rehearsals of new commission The Things Between Us. “The cast will be gathering in Auckland and working on the show ready for it to open in Christchurch on 14 September.”

The Festival has its first shows on Wednesday night, opening with Chef: Come Dine With Us! at Charles Luney Auditorium, Play On – a roll call of New Zealand musicians performing Shakespeare’s “greatest hits”, while at The Piano, Polar Opposites features a 100-voice choir in the New Zealand premiere of Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living.

“Festivals are about showcasing a range of artforms and works and our opening night encompasses that with slapstick comedy and stunning music offerings,” Cooper said, adding he was looking forward toThursday’s opening night of controversial theatre piece Manifesto 2083 in Papa Hou, YMCA.

“This Festival is really exciting because we are using new venues which we haven’t had available in previous years – we’re back in The Arts Centre’s Great Hall, we’re using a really interesting intimate space in the YMCA and The Piano has opened since the last Festival.”

Some shows at the Festival are already sold out or have limited tickets available including Shifting Points Of View sessions with Clementine Ford Fight Like A Girl and an extra performance of Scriptless: First Class has been added to meet demand.

Christchurch Arts Festival takes place from Wednesday 30 August to Sunday 17 September. Highlights include VELVET: A Divine Discotheque Circus – a seductive fusion of disco, dance and circus featuring an international ensemble of music, dance and circus artists with legendary diva Marcia Hines; Olivier Grossetête’s Ephemeral City – using just cardboard boxes, tape and plenty of helping hands, a new building will be constructed in the centre of the city … and then demolished the next day; and two new commissions, Luke Di Somma’s new musical theatre piece The Things Between Us, and Arthur Meek’s multimedia adventure Erewhon Revisited.

Full details are available at artsfestival.co.nz

Christchurch Arts Festival acknowledges the support of Major Funders: Christchurch City Council and Creative New Zealand.

Images and the full programme pdf are available for download here

SPECIAL EVENT

Ephemeral City | FRANCE | 5-10 September times vary | Workshops: The Gym, The Arts Centre / Construction & Demolition: Market Square, The Arts Centre

CABARET/MUSICAL THEATRE

The Black Rider | NEW ZEALAND | 31 August & 1 September 8pm | The Gym, The Arts Centre
EMERGE: Christ(church) Almighty! | NEW ZEALAND | 2 & 3 September Times vary | Gloucester Room, Isaac Theatre Royal
VELVET: A Divine Discotheque Circus | AUSTRALIA | 6-17 September Times vary | The Piano
Starman | GERMANY / THE NETHERLANDS | 8-10 September Times vary | The Piano
The Things Between Us | NEW ZEALAND | 14-17 September Times vary | Papa Hou, YMCA
Michael Griffiths: Cole | AUSTRALIA | 15-17 September Times vary | The Piano / Rangiora Town Hall / Lincoln Event Centre

THEATRE

Manifesto 2083 | NEW ZEALAND / DENMARK | 31 August to 2 September Times vary | Papa Hou, YMCA
Sirqus Alfon: I Am Somebody | SWEDEN | 1-4 September Times vary | Papa Hou, YMCA
Jane Eyre: An Autobiography | ENGLAND | 5-8 September Times vary | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
Perhaps, Perhaps… Quizás | MEXICO | 5-8 September Times vary | Papa Hou, YMCA
Hudson & Halls Live! | NEW ZEALAND | 6-16 September Times vary | The Court Theatre
Underneath | IRELAND | 7-10 September Times vary | Papa Hou, YMCA
Poropiti | NEW ZEALAND | 8 & 9 September Times vary | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
EMERGE: Matai | NEW ZEALAND | 8-16 September Times vary | The Court Theatre
Scriptless: First Class | NEW ZEALAND | Sunday 10 September 4pm & 7.30pm | The Court Theatre
My Own Darling | NEW ZEALAND | Tuesday 12 September 7pm | Papa Hou, YMCA
Erewhon Revisited | NEW ZEALAND / SCOTLAND | 12-16 September Times vary | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
EMERGE: Hell or High Water | NEW ZEALAND | 13-15 September 8pm | Pop up event, venue to be confirmed on performance day
Ernest Rutherford: Everyone Can Science! | NEW ZEALAND | 14-16 September Times vary | Great Hall, The Arts Centre

COMEDY

Chef: Come Dine With Us |SOUTH KOREA | 30 August to 1 September 6.30pm | Charles Luney Auditorium
Juan Vesuvius: Calypso Nights |NEW ZEALAND | Saturday 16 September 8.30pm | Great Hall, The Arts Centre

DANCE/BALLET

Guangdong Modern Dance Company: Beyond Calligraphy |CHINA | Saturday 9 September 7pm | Aurora Centre
New Zealand Dance Company: The Absurdity of Humanity | NEW ZEALAND | Friday 15 September 7.30pm | Aurora Centre

MUSIC

Loop, the Isaac Theatre Royal and Christchurch Arts Festival present Play On | NEW ZEALAND |Wednesday 30 August 7pm | Isaac Theatre Royal
Atlas Voices: Polar Opposites | NEW ZEALAND | 30 & 31 August Times vary | The Piano
Ria Hall: Rules of Engagement | NEW ZEALAND | Thursday 31 August 8.30pm | The Piano
BoxFresh Live!#4 feat The Response and Adam McGrath | NEW ZEALAND | Saturday 2 September 8pm | The Atrium, The Piano
An Déise with Roesy | IRELAND | Saturday 2 September 9pm | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
Exposing Edith | AUSTRALIA | 2 & 3 September Times vary | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
Festival Lounge – free music before and after shows | NEW ZEALAND | 7 & 8 September Times vary | The Atrium, The Piano
Rob Ruha – The Pūtawa Collective | NEW ZEALAND | Thursday 14 September 9pm | The Piano
Rodrigo Amarante | BRAZIL | Sunday 17 September 4pm | The Piano

CLASSICAL MUSIC

University of Canterbury School of Music: Virtuosity of Sound | NEW ZEALAND | Thursday 31 August 7.30pm | School of Music Recital Room, The Arts Centre
CMNZ: Michael Houstoun and Bella Hristova | NEW ZEALAND / BULGARIA | 1-3 September Times vary | The Piano
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra: Beca Artist Series – Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt | NEW ZEALAND | Saturday 2 September 7.30pm | Charles Luney Auditorium
University of Canterbury School of Music: Virtuosity of Percussion | NEW ZEALAND | Monday 4 September 7pm | School of Music Recital Room, The Arts Centre
University of Canterbury School of Music: Oresteia Experience | NEW ZEALAND | Sunday 10 September 6.30pm | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
Christchurch Symphony Orchestra: Lamb & Hayward Masterworks – Tchaikovsky 5 | NEW ZEALAND |Saturday 16 September 7.30pm | Charles Luney Auditorium
University of Canterbury School of Music: Viola/Violin Virtuosity | NEW ZEALAND | Sunday 17 September 5pm | School of Music Recital Room, The Arts Centre

FAMILY

Anatomy of the Piano (for beginners) | SCOTLAND | Saturday 9 September 10.30am & 2pm | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
An Awfully Big Adventure | NEW ZEALAND | Saturday 9 September 2pm | Papa Hou, YMCA

SHIFTING POINTS OF VIEW

Presented in association with WORD Christchurch
Fail Safe / Fail Better – panel discussion | NEW ZEALAND / AUSTRALIA | Friday 1 September 7pm | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
Tutae Patu Lagoon Walking Tour | NEW ZEALAND | 2 & 16 September 1.45pm | From Woodend Beach Rd carpark
Fight Like a Girl – Clementine Ford | AUSTRALIA | 2 & 3 September 3pm | Christchurch Art Gallery | SOLD OUT
Things That Matter – David Galler with Glenn Colquhoun | NEW ZEALAND | Saturday 2 September 7pm | Gloucester Room, Isaac Theatre Royal
Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge with Victor Rodger | ENGLAND | Tuesday 5 September 6pm | Christchurch Art Gallery
Madwomen in the Attic – panel discussion | NEW ZEALAND / ENGLAND | Wednesday 6 September 8.30pm | Great Hall, The Arts Centre
Depends What You Mean By Extremist – John Safran |AUSTRALIA | Sunday 10 September 1pm | The Piano
Peter Garrett: Big Blue Sky | Sunday 10 September 3pm | The Piano

VISUAL ARTS

Jazz: Henri Matisse | throughout Festival | Christchurch Art Gallery
Stopped Short by Wonder: Len Lye | throughout Festival | Christchurch Art Gallery
Repatriation: Areta Wilkinson & Mark Adams / Moa Hunter Fashions: Areta Wilkinson | 22 August to 9 September | The National
The Lover and The Lookout | NEW ZEALAND | 2-17 September Saturdays and Sundays from 6.30pm | Market Square, The Arts Centre
Share / Cheat / Unite: Gemma Banks, Yu Cheng-Chou, Chim¬Pom, Sasha Huber, Anibal Lopez (A-1 53167), Pilvi Takala & Johnson Witehira | 5-8 September | The Physics Room
To The Tideline: Kate McIntyre | 6-26 September | Form Gallery
At-Large: Allan McDonald, Richard Stratton & Adrienne Vaughan at The National | 11-16 September | The National

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