Julia's Blog

I bought the Listener today, to try and get some intellectual reading. The theatre section featured an article about Michael Hurst who is directing the NZ Opera Company’s production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”. The article is accompanied by a series of larger than life photos of Mr Hurst smiling and laughing and opens with a piece about how at the tender age of 15 he directed a production Jesus Christ superstar. Is Michael Hurst the savior of New Zealand theatre or do he and his ilk rule it with an iron fist?

The New Zealand theatre industry is very institution based. I only realized this after coming back from Oz, where heaps of young, independent companies are doing their thing. Here the only thing that gets any press or recognition is theatre from major companies, such as Auckland Theatre Company or the Court theatre. This bothers me not simply because it makes things difficult for up and coming artists, but because it limits the type of theatre being shown in this country. Where is the experimental work showing young theatre-makers that theatre is an art-form? And if it is on, why is it not getting the recognition it deserves? Currently showing at the Auckland Theatre Company is Roger Hall’s “Who needs sleep anyway?” another Hall piece depicting the trials of the middle-class and middle aged. As for Hurst, his last offering was Brecht’s “Three-Penny Opera”. Although once a revolutionary piece, it was written ninety years ago! Theatre is dying out in this country, and the ones holding the smoking gun is the current generation of theatre maker, who are making boring, staid work. Who wouldn’t rather go to the movies?