**POSTPONED** AOTNZ present: Austen Found

Austen Found: The Undiscovered Musicals of Jane Austen – with Penny Ashton, Lori Dungey and Jason Smith

Addicted to Darcy? Bonkers for Big Balls? Lost all Sense and Sensibility? Well put down your cross-stitching and get ready to enjoy an entirely improvised musical in the style of Jane Austen. You saw their videos during the COVID lockdown, now see them in person.

Arts on Tour favourite Penny Ashton (Olive Copperbottom, Promise and Promiscuity, Hot Pink Bits) is back, with her most excellently accomplished friends! World Famous hobbit Lori Dungey (LOTR, Xena) and twinkle fingers Jason Smith (Emmy award-winning musical maestro and Lucy Lawless collaborator) will use your suggestions and spin instant literary magic as they swoon, romp and pianoforte.

“Jane Austen would turn in her grave with delight” Rip it Up

“full of fun and frivolity” – NZ Herald

**POSTPONED** The Jailhouse Frocks

The Jailhouse Frocks is by Tauranga playwright, Devon Williamson who’s keen to come along and see how OSPA handles his creation.

Shattering dimwitted Officer Dwayne’s tranquil evening at the Birchwood County police station is interrupted by the arrests of three unlikely women; the mayor’s wife in a state of complete alcoholic breakdown, the local mad cat-lady looking for somewhere to stay out of the rain, and a dangerous-looking New Yorker who has managed to crash her car into the police station while speeding through town.

The already chaotic situation descends into mayhem with the arrival of a New York gangster, disguised as an FBI agent, hell-bent on exacting revenge on his wife who is locked in the cell.

Aperture – The life and work of Ans Westra

“Baanvinger beautifully captures the era, the struggles, the insights and the awakening of self.  A skillful storyteller” – M Giroux

Actor and director Martine Baanvinger, who wrote and starred in the award-winning play Solitude, returns in this creative and innovative one-woman play about Ans Westra, a NZ Arts Foundation Icon photographer.

In 1957, Ans Westra emigrated from the Netherlands to New Zealand and began to take photos of her new homeland.  Fascinated by Maori culture in particular, she created an intimate and uniquely historical documentation of Maori life which led to a successful career capturing the essence of the people of Aotearoa.
DramaLAB’s visually stunning and intimate portrait focuses on Westra’s childhood in The Netherlands, her immigration journey to New Zealand and the start of her photography career in the 1960’s.  Her first publications, including the controversial ‘Washday at the pa’, offered insight into the Maori way of life in rural Aotearoa at a time of urbanisation.

Martine Baanvinger is trained at the Theatre Academy in Amsterdam.  She is the founder of DramaLAB and creates performances in a direct, transparent and intimate way.  Martine invites her audiences to enter a space of innovation and simplicity that calls in emotional involvement with the story and the actor.  The audience becomes part of the journey.  This combined with physical theatre influences leads to unique creations where both drama and comedy are often equally present.  Martine loves exploring a creative approach to lighting, sound, digital imaginary, transformation of set and costume.

Dr Ian Chapman & the Cosmic Jive Trio Present David Bowie & the Art of Being Different

In this sparkling interactive musical performance and accompanying talk, Dr Ian Chapman
and his band delight in entertaining and educating audiences on the empowerment and
healing potential of music and the arts. Personally inspired by David Bowie, one of the most
complex and enduring performers in the history of popular music, Dr Chapman is a
musician, academic, and author of a dozen books including Experiencing David Bowie: A
Listener’s Companion (2015), and David Bowie FAQ (2020).
Cosmic Jive Trio brings to the stage superb acoustic arrangements of David Bowie’s finest
songs, arranged especially for the show. The honest simplicity of the stripped back and
largely acoustic instrumentation allows Bowie’s masterful song-writing to take centre stage.
​
David Bowie & the Art of Being Different is a wonderfully entertaining celebration of
eccentric creativity, a testament to how the arts can empower, improve mental health, heal
past traumas, and provide an essential blueprint for how to deal with bullying. Above all,
this show is a triumphant affirmation of the power and potential of difference.

The Band

Dr Ian Chapman (vocals/percussion)
Dr Ian Chapman is a musician, author and motivational speaker. Currently co-convener of
the Contemporary Music degree course at Otago University, where he has been on the
Performing Arts faculty since 2002, he is a specialist in the life and work of David Bowie and
has written two books on the artist along with many articles and other media outputs. In the
1980s he was a professional drummer working with artists such as Rob Guest and Billy T
James. More recently he was the glittering glam rock performer Dr Glam.

Doug Wright (keys/vocals)

As a freelance musician, composer, and currently working as a performance tutor in
contemporary music at the University of Otago, Doug has been a resident fixture on the
Dunedin music scene for over 30 years. A founder member of iconic Dunedin bands “Rue de
Remarque” and “Oxo Cubans” his keyboard skills are always in demand. Combined with
writing, and arranging music for television, radio, and an array of live productions, his
calendar is always busy.

Pānia Simmonds (bass/vocals)
Pānia studied music at Otago University where she specialised in bass guitar; also
performing and touring with Ian Chapman’s glam rock alter ego, Dr Glam. After graduating
she moved to Wellington to study double bass. After a stint of teaching music at Invercargill
Polytech, Pānia now lives in Dunedin once again where she teaches bass at Otago University
and also has an administrative role at eCampus NZ. In addition she plays in a jazz band, a
string ensemble, and for local musical theatre. She has studied electric bass with Dr Rob
Burns, jazz bass with Paul Dyne, and now classical bass with Dunedin Symphony Principal
bassist, Pat Dean.

Peninsula By Gary Henderson

Set on Banks Peninsula, South Island, in the 1960’s, this is a warm hearted and open-eyed snapshot of life in New Zealand’s 20^th century rural communities.

The story centres around Michael Hope, a young boy who lives on a volcano. While geological rumblings may remain deep underground, unrest in the adult world threatens to erupt into his life, changing everything.

Rich with Kiwi nostalgia and performed by five talented actors who play two characters each – one young and one older – Peninsula is an insightful glimpse into the concerns, dreams and joys of childhood.

Gypsy Jazz Duo – Fiona Pears & Connor Hartley-Hall

Violinist and composer Fiona Pears, has performed and recorded internationally over the past 15 years. She has appeared everywhere from Birmingham symphony hall and the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London through to Joe’s pub in New York and the very loved Donovan’s store in Okarito.

Fiona has also been a soloist with the Liverpool Philharmonic, Christchurch Symphony and Trust Waikato Symphony orchestras.
Her fiery mix of Tango and Gypsy Jazz alongside soulful ballads will keep any audience on the edge of their seats.
www.fionapears.com

Guitarist Connor Hartley-Hall grew up in Akaroa. As a teenager, he found a passion for improvisation and over the past 10 years has been performing in a myriad of settings.

An extraordinary master of the Gypsy Jazz style played by legends such as Django Reinhardt and Biréli Lagrène. Connor has made himself a name as one of the top guitarists in the country performing this style of music.

Music: Aro – Mini Release Tour

They have been working hard during lock-down and are releasing their NEW five track EP He Manu Anō, on 27 August which is an extension of their bilingual debut album Manu,  which told the tales of 10 native manu, playing on the birds characteristics and some of their significance for Māori – through a mixture of vocals, Māori rhythms, chants and instrumentation. The EP will consist of songs of the most requested birds that did not appear on their first album, and will be entirely in te reo Māori.

The duo have spent time researching the stories and sounds of each bird, and understanding their character to create upbeat waiata inspired by nature, and wholly original to Aotearoa. The kaupapa behind this project is to address identity, and to encourage people to be proud of who they are as Māori and as New Zealanders. Using the birds characteristics and Māori legends about the birds, the waiata tell a story of trying to find one’s place in the world.

The first single Kōtare is a showcase of the distinctive sound that Aro has become known for; a warm blend of pop, R&B, jazz, and taonga pūoro. The track is a jubilant guitar driven melody, inspired by the kōtare (kingfisher). The gorgeously harmonious dual vocals carry the song, Emily’s honey-voiced jazz blending with Charles’ full throated haka sound, allowing the poetic te reo Māori lyrics to truly shine. Punctuated with percussive clicks and joyful whistles, Kōtare is an uplifting and beautiful example of the energy of the manu.

OSPA’s Gig in the Garden … ARO

OSPA returns to Bob and Di’s garden for the 8th year in a row with ARO. ARO are husband and wife duo, Emily and Charles Looker (Ngapuhi) who blend stories in song that express the people, the culture, and the heart of their home country, Aotearoa New Zealand. Both talented musicians in their own right, their sound together is best described as ‘Aotearoa Pop with Jazz, RnB and Kapahaka influences’. They were married in 2016 and in 2017 they moved into a van to pursue music, travelling throughout Aotearoa. On Waitangi Day 2019 ARO released their debut album Manu, a bilingual te reo Māori and English, 10 track album transcribed from the melodies, rhythms and stories of our native birds, playing on their characteristics and some of their significance for Māori, to convey messages about life.

Please bring with you something to sit on, a picnic or money for the gourmet burgers from Onewhero Fire Force and something to drink.

Sorry, dogs are not allowed at the venue.

Radio Times

A good old-fashioned variety show

Back in the day before television, people settled down to listen to their radios, enjoying, in particular, the variety shows that featured vocal and instrumental offerings and short plays.

Recreating this format live on stage, we feature an original play called ‘An Invitation to Elsinore’. Created by senior students from Onewhero Area School’s drama class, it is a lively fusion of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

Solitude

Solitude,  based on  a true NZ story

Written, directed and performed by DramaLab’s Martine Baanvinger

AOTNZ tour – 1 August – 24 August 2019

I’m dreaming hours down to minutes…”

In 1913 Annie enters the remote mountains of Kahurangi National Park to live a hidden life with her lover Henry Chaffey and stays there for 40 years. 40 years in exile, swallowed by the silence, enslaved by the fire.

This beautiful, touching true story is about Annie Chaffey’s love, loneliness, loss and laughter.

New Zealand musician Mark Manson has collaborated with Martine to provide a unique recorded soundscape for the production.

Nominated for Best Actress, Best Solo Performance, Best Script and winner of best Music/Sound at the Nelson Fringe Festival “…writer, director and performer, Martine Baanvinger of DramaLab is utterly compelling, humorous and breathtakingly honest as Annie.

Not only is this an interesting New Zealand story but it is told by an expert in an incredibly imaginative and touching way.”- Lisa Allen, Nelson Fringe Festival review