Multi-award winning New Zealand playwright, Dave Armstrong, offers a contemporary take on one of the nation’s formative historical events in the premiere of Anzac Eve, playing 31 March – 5 April at Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre. This highly entertaining and unflinching look at the ANZAC experience speaks to a generation of Kiwis whose national identity has been moulded by the heroic efforts of their forefathers.
Anzac Eve follows four young antipodean travellers on their big OE. Tempers flare, romance sparks and ghosts are uncovered, as two young Kiwi guys meet two young Aussie girls on an evening where national pride is fiercely felt. Each seeing historical events through their own lens, are they really there to solemnly commemorate the occasion? Do these characters really know their history or are they simply buying into convenient Anzac myths? Have we really learnt from Gallipoli or are we still making the same mistakes 100 years later?
Anzac Eve is the latest play from writer Dave Armstrong whose previous works include Niu Sila, King and Country, The Motor Camp, and Le Sud. “I have observed the incredible interest that New Zealanders have in the commemoration of World War I,” says Dave, who also worked on Te Papa’s blockbuster Gallipoli exhibition and the Gallipoli section of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage’s Nga Tapuwae app. “But at the same time I wonder if we too easily buy into convenient myths about Gallipoli and the Anzac spirit. Anzac Eve, as well as being a drama about four young people looking for a good time, attempts to encourage its audience to separate myth from reality.”
Armstrong teams with Jamie McCaskill (Ngati Tamatera), whose writing includes Manawa, Not in Our Neighbourhood and winning the 2013 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award. Anzac Eve offers up a dynamic cast of accomplished actors to the stage including Hayden Frost, (The Almighty Johnsons, Richard II, Public Service Announcements), Ruby Hansen (Second Afterlife – Circa Theatre), Barnaby Olson (No Post on Sunday, Grimm Bedtime Stories - Circa Theatre, An Awfully Big Adventure), and Trae Te Wiki (The Trickle Down Effect, Last Meals).
Anzac Eve is a fresh and contemporary take on a significant time in our nation’s history and is a must–see for every New Zealander.
Anzac Eve plays:
Friday 31 March 11am, 7pm
Saturday 1 April, 7pm
Monday 3 April, 11am, 7pm
Tuesday 4 April, 11am, 7pm
Wednesday 5 April, 11am, 7pm
Written by Dave Armstrong
Directed by Jamie McCaskill
$2 per hour to a max of $12 on weekends and a $12 flat rate for weekday evenings at The Civic car park. Find out more.