Written by Amanda Whittington
Directed by Garry Thomas

Set in 1964 in a church-run home in the north of England, it follows the fortunes of Mary Adams, 19, unmarried and seven months pregnant. A story of hope, friendship and survival.

Performances:

• Wednesday 2nd October 2019 7:30pm.
• Thursday 3rd October 2019 7:30pm.
• Friday 4th October 2019 7:30pm.
• Saturday 5th October 2019 2:00pm (Matinee).
• Saturday 5th October 2019 7:30pm.
• Wednesday 9th October 2019 7:30pm.
• Thursday 10th October 2019 7:30pm.
• Friday 11th October 2019 7:30pm.
• Saturday 12th October 2019 7:30pm.

Prices:

• $25 Waged.
• $22 Unwaged.

Cast:

• Mrs Adams - Celia Breen
• Matron - Karyn Gibson
• Mary - Sammie M
• Queenie - Elisa Jones
• Dolores - Sarah Coursey
• Norma - Mathilde Walbom

• Director - Garry (Gaz) Thomas
• Stage Manager - Steve Millar
• Technical - TBC

Written by John Tobias
Directed by Libby Wilson

Performances:

• Thursday 8th August 2019 7:30pm.
• Friday 9th August 2019 7:30pm.
• Saturday 10th August 2019 7:30pm.
• Thursday 15th August 2019 7:30pm.
• Friday 16th August 2019 7:30pm.
• Saturday 17th August 2019 7:30pm.

Prices:

• $25 Waged.
• $22 Unwaged.
  

Cast:

• Honey - Sophie Noreen
  
• Harold - Pete Bucher
  
• Henry - Noam Wegner
  
• Gloria - Ellissa Roch
  

Overview:
Array ‘18 is Elmwood Players’ new-look season of short plays, interspersed with behind-the-scenes Q&A, and the added bonus of live music, all in a cabaret setting.
 
This year’s short plays are:
 
ABANDON HOPE By Bronwyn Elsmore
Comedy, directed by Braydon Priest.
An hilarious look at the lengths the women of the A-Bandon underwear factory will go to, on learning that their workplace, in the small town of Ruawhetu, is about to close. It’s amazing what creations you can come up with when you have to.
 
HARDSTUFF By Jules Tasca
Thriller, directed by Phil Dean.
Matt and John, both pharmacists, are at a secluded cabin for a weekend of hunting, but John has other plans. He wants to find out if Matt is having an affair with his wife. With a gun in his hand and menace in his voice he gets Matt to tell all.
 
KEVIN - THE OTHER REINDEER By Garry Thomas
Comedy, directed by Braydon Priest and Garry Thomas.
Just imagine what would happen in a kids show if one of the characters had a potty mouth that would run away on them at any minute. An adult version of a scene not presented in this years’ Rapunzel.  Sholby and Oberon are two forest elves who have their picnic in the Enchanted Forest interrupted by Kevin, a reindeer.
 
YOU By Mark Wilson
Drama, directed by Garry Thomas.
YOU tells of Kathleen, now in her mid-forties anxiously waiting for the arrival of the man whom she gave up for adoption thirty years before. Years spent insulating herself against the pain of separation and loss fall away ‘like bricks in a flood wall’ as she allows herself to recall the events of that time.

Performances:

• Wednesday 5th June 2019 7:30pm.
• Thursday 6th June 2019 7:30pm.
• Friday 7th June 2019 7:30pm.
• Saturday 8th June 2019 7:30pm.

Prices:

• $20 Standard Admission.
• $75 The Full Array. Two tickets, priority table seating, cheese board, bottle of wine of your choice, table service.
  

Performances:

• Wednesday April 17 7:30 pm
• Thursday April 18 7:30 pm
• Friday April 19 7:30 pm
• Saturday April 20 2:00 pm
• Saturday April 20 7:30 pm
• Sunday April 21 2:00 pm
• Wednesday April 24 7:30 pm
• Thursday April 25 7:30 pm
• Friday April 26 7:30 pm
  
• Saturday April 27 7:30 pm
  

Prices:

• $25 Waged
  
• $22 Unwaged
  

The "Calendar Girls" cast has been announced.

Watch our gorgeous Calendar Girls talk about why they're OK stripping off for this poignant, funny, heart warming production.

Performance dates:

• Saturday 19th January 2019, 11am & 2pm
• Sunday 20th January 2019, 11am & 2pm
• Saturday 26th January 2019, 11am & 2pm
• Sunday 27th January 2019, 11am

​
Rapunzel: Hannah Johnston
Sam: Jen Pugh
Titania: Andrea Quinlan
Mother: Sally Wilson 
Grundelin: Debbie Hatten
Oberon: Shanice Adair
Sholby: Genna Kate Ryan
Prince: Michael Woods
O’Mally:  Scott Morrow
Landlord: Steve Millar
Bouncephus the Horse: TBC.....
​
Director: Steve Millar
Production Manager: Garry Thomas
Stage Manager: TBC
Technician: Andy Simmonds
Publicity: Braydon Priest
​

"Breath of Spring"
​by Peter Coke

Director: Steve Millar
Prdn Mgr: Garry Thomas
Stage Manager: Sonya Cameron
Technical: TBA
Properties: Sonya Cameron
Costumes: TBA

On stage 3rd – 6th and 10th – 13th October

Dame Beatrice houses a collection of middle-aged 'guests', plus Lily her maid. To repay Dame Beatrice for giving her a job despite her criminal past, Lily presents her with a mink stole stolen from the next flat. The Brigadier deploys his 'troops' to return the fur. The whole campaign is so invigorating that they decide to retain this excitement in their lives by pinching furs and giving the proceeds to charities.

~ A jolly good show indeed ~
​
~ A laugh out loud English comedy ~

​Cast:
Nan - Melanie Turner
Brigadier - Ian Lester
Lilly - Libby Wilson
Alice - Jane Rollings
Dame Bee - Joanna Browne
Hattie - Leeann Apps
Det Sgt Pape - Scott Morrow
PC Kemp - Ray Mainprize

“The Wonderful Miss Ward” by Andrea Quinlan
Directed by Andrea Quinlan and Phil Dean

Monologue: If you visit the Carnie Hill Goldfields historic park you may meet dancer Arabella Ward. Is she an actor in the living history theatre or is she someone who has a much deeper link to the area's history?

Cast: 
Kyra Loomans

“Portraits” by Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt
Directed by Susan Cameron

Drama: Portraits tells of the rape and murder of a teenage girl in a small community. The play casts light on the family on both sides of the crime. This is the next play in the Verbatim series.

Cast: 
Darren Sundborn
Josiah Morgan
Libby Wilson
Sam McKinnon

“The Fraud” by Neil Troost
Directed by Libby Wilson

Comedy: An antique dealer keen to own the find of his career at all cost, or preferably no cost. An elderly woman abandoned by her family and eager for company. A statuette that’s been in her family for years.

Cast:
Sally Wilcox
Lucas Walmisley

“Deadly Closure” by Richard C Harris
Directed by Genna Kate Ryan and Garry Thomas
​
Thriller: On being accused of possession of a class A drug Tina is afraid that the news could exacerbate her father’s critical illness. So, when she is blackmailed she turns to a recent new friend for help. Together they hatch a scheme to get Tina off the hook and find closure. A closure that turns very deadly indeed.

Cast:
Marcella Herrera
Charlotte Dodd
Scott Morrow

"Leaves Of Glass" (By Philip Ridley / Dir. Garry Thomas)

Cast confirmed:
Steven - George Sharman
Barry - Josiah Morgan
Debbie - Nikki Bleyendaal
Liz - Marilyn Ollett

A sharp, complex play about two brothers and the grim hold that their memories have on them. Barry is an artist who works for his older brother Stephen; Stephen is a successful business man with a beautiful wife and house, but absolutely no interest in his wife’s pregnancy. A series of flashback monologues describe the brothers’ father and his suicide, and slowly uncover the depths of their grief and trauma. The characters of the play are haunted by the ghosts of lies that the family has told to keep going and by the pain they have not been able to bury.

Cast confirmed
Kari - Stella Cheersmith
Deedra - Vicky Hunwick
Monette - Marcella Herrera
Libby Ruth - Amanda Shields
Charlie - Helen Fahy
Sedalia - Sally Willcox

Elmwood Players are excited to present the NZ Premiere of “Always A Bridesmaid” this April. Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten, collectively known as Jones Hope Wooten, enjoy the reputation of being three of the most popular and widely-produced playwrights in the United States. They specialize in writing laugh-out-loud comedies and creating vivid strong roles for women. Between them, they've written classic television, hit movies, Off Broadway comedy and plays such as “Dearly Beloved”, “The Red Velvet Cake War” and “Always A Bridesmaid”.