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.
  

“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

"Winter Tales - three one act plays"



On stage Elmwood Auditorium
10th to 13th August


It is also likely that some/all of the plays will be entered in this year's NZTF Short Play Festival, so cast must be available for this.
Full details of the three plays will be updated to this page shortly.


“The Dumb Waiter” (Harold Pinter; Dir. Sonya Cameron)
Gus and Ben are on the job, waiting and listening. Into the waiting silence rattles the dumb waiter with extraordinary demands for dishes they cannot supply - and who is operating the dumb waiter in an empty house? In a while their victim will come and they will know what to do.


“Cosmic Fruit Bowl” (Rosemary Frisino Toohey; Dir. Anna Willows)
Think living in a fishbowl is tough? Try a fruit bowl. Talk about tension! There’s Orange, the self-centred star, Apple, the guy hiding a secret, and Banana, bruised by self-doubt. Is the focus on looks? Or what’s inside? Appeal? Or a peel?
The arrival of a strange fruit from down under only ups the ante. Is Kiwi truly a fruit or---horrors!---a bird? And will she be accepted, or will one of the regulars be rejected? There’s lots more than seeds and juice in this fruit bow
“A Night Out” (Frank Vickery; Dir. Shani Annand-Baron)
Seizing the opportunity, while her parents are out, Doreen decides to invite round Eric, her boyfriend. However, the evening is doomed to failure for all concerned: Doreen tries to calm Eric's passions while Mam and Dad overcome a ruined hair-do, the losing of all-important tickets and the car's flat battery only to find that they have the wrong night.

“Carol & Nev”
By Phil Ormsby
Dir: Steve Millar

It’s the great Kiwi road trip. Straight down the Island, across Cook Strait and on to the bach. Five toilet stops, lunch on the road, sleep on the Ferry and straight on ‘til morning. Carol and Nev are on the road, taking the family campervan to their daughter’s wedding at the bay. Only catch is Carol died in 1984.

“Instinct"
By April Phillips
Dir: Fiona Bennetts

Two ordinary, everyday women stand before a bound hostage in an abandoned warehouse. They are armed with a gun, a knife and a video camera. Barbara is overwhelmed by suspicion and doubt. She wants answers. Carol is bitter, calculated and steadfast. She wants justice, and perhaps revenge.

“The Death Of Katie Myers”
By David Mitchell
Dir: David Mitchell


A Young couple explore an empty theatre – or is it? What is Katie Myers secret?

Season has now concluded
​
"Child's Play" (by T J Ramsey)
Dir: Sarah Coursey
Room 13 is for seven to eight year olds. Harry is the coolest kid in class. He's Camilla's best friend until the new girl arrives. (Adults play the roles of children)

"Verbatim" (by William Brandt & Miranda Harcourt)
Dir: Susan Cameron
Originally written to be performed in prisons, for prisoners,"Verbatim" tells the story of a home invasion ending in murder. It explores the impact of this event on the families of both victim and offender, and on the offender himself, giving unique insight into often over-looked lives and backgrounds.

"The 73rd Day" (by Brian Hannam)
Dir: Tom Hart​
In a buried bomb shelter after a nuclear holocaust three trapped men from widely varying backgrounds grind out a tenuous existence. Boredom and conflict leads to a bloody finale.

“SHORTS” A season of one act plays (Elmwood Players)
Three one act plays

Thurs-Fri-Sat, 7:30pm, for two weeks.
8 – 17 August
(Plus possible entry in Theatre NZ Festival of short plays.)
Production Manager: Garry Thomas
Stage Manager: Michelle Histen
Sound/Lighting: TBA

Theatre NZ’s Short Play Season at Aranui Performing Arts Centre saw Elmwood Players come away with a number of awards for the two productions it entered and that will be staged within our "Shorts" season, don't miss them!

“THE NEW QUIXOTE” (Best Comedy)
Dir: Sarah Coursey
Sunday morning: As Gina prepares to greet the new day after a one night stand she can only vaguely remember thru her alcohol induced haze, the much younger Kenneth is preparing to move in and commence a more permanent ‘arrangement’.
Gina – Kat Bailey (Excellence in Acting, Female)
Kenneth – Sam Primrose (Excellence in Acting, Male)

“ONE SEASON’S KING” (George MacEwan Green)(Best Drama)
Dir: Doug Clarke QSM
Set at a graveside during a funeral, the three men in the lives of a charismatic woman retell their stories … It is a play of characterization and its successful presentation depends on the male actors being able to convey the tension which exists between them. This tension springs not only from their rivalry for Eveline's favours but also from their sense of class.
Charles - Steven Barker
Edward - Rod Turner
Sam - Barry Tomkinson
Eveline - Katharine Barker

“hark*” (Gabe McDonnell)
Dir: Alexandra le Cocq
Darius returns to the motel room that was the scene of his best friends suicide some years prior. He is visited by two time travelling angels – Micah and Rafe, the devilsh Murmur, and Azaria – the Pizza Girl – as he struggles to follow through on his plan for redemption.
Darius –Andrew Clarke
Micah – Sam McKinnon
Rafe – Colin McKinney
Murmur – Anna Willows
Azaria –Alexandra le Cocq

Season has concluded
Triple Treat

Elmwood Players season of short plays returns with three one act plays for your enjoyment…

“The Imaginary Friend”
By Neil Troost
Directed by Alexandra Le Cocq

A comedy about the dysfunctional relationship between Karen and Roger.  Karen is struggling to cope with Roger’s increasingly erratic mental illness, while Roger’s imaginary friend Bob is reeking havoc with his attempts at a normal life.
CAST
Roger: David Searle
Karen: Donna Buchanan
Bob:    Andrew Clarke

“No Clues at Tudor Close”
By Tim Barcode
Directed by Sam Fisher

Imagine waking up in an English country house after a murder has been committed with no memory of who you are, who they were or even of the house or people around you.

Not only that, but what if you became convinced it had happened before, and not just once, but many many many times and that you were part of a game. 

Colonel Mustard has exactly this experience one autumn day as he tries to piece together how he got to Tudor Close ….

It’s all a game of mystery with No Clues at Tudor Close.
CAST
Col Mustard: Douglas Shield
Scarlett:      Jamie Lee
Mrs White:    Sophie Rea
Mrs Peacock: Vicky Hunwick
Plum:            Saul Gibney
Rev Green:    Roderick Turner

“A Galway Girl”
By Geraldine Aron
Directed by Susan Cameron

A couple sit at opposite ends of a table reminiscing about their life together. Each has a point of view and they rarely address each other directly. They are young to begin with, then middle aged, then old, then one dies.

The anecdotes they relate are both humorous and tragic. Their lives seem wasted, yet the wife's muted final gesture of affection conveys a love that endured through years of bickering.

This one act play has been a critical success in London, Ireland and South Africa. "A minute tapestry cross stitched with rich detail-- invested with a strong strain of uncomfortable truths" ~ Irish Times.
CAST
Maisie:   Elizabeth Woods
Dermot: Glen Clark

Performance DatesThursday July 26th - Saturday July 28th 7:30pm
and
Thursday August 2nd - Saturday August 4th 7:30pm

“3 Piece, SWEET!”

Three one act plays will be presented:

"Horst Buchholz and Other Stories" by Matthew Wilkie

Directed by Maria-Jane Scannell

George and his friends enjoy taking part in their local pub quiz. They always bicker and never win. However, this time, for George, the stakes have been raised ... defeat is not an option.

"Dead Man Talking"
by Deborah Makarios

Directed by Colin McKinney and Aimee Borlase

Setting: a flat in Mayfair, New Years Eve, 1928. A quirky murder mystery by a New Zealand playwright, in which things may not be not as they seem...

"Cupboard Love" by Bev McConnell

Directed by Mark O’Connell

(In conjunction with Rangiora Players.)

Two women meet while out jogging along the Esplanade. They strike up a friendship as they discover they have lots in common; a love of food, a desire to lose weight and both have a new man in their lives.

Two of the plays, "Horst Buchholz and Other Stories" and "Dead Man Talking" are entered in this year’s NZ Theatre Federation One Act Play Festival.  “Dead Man Talking” was also presented as a reading last year at The Forge.  “Cupboard Love” comes via Rangiora Players, following a season there last month.  So if you are a fan of the one acts, and looking for a fun night out, “3 Piece, SWEET!” is designed for you.  At $12 per person, this is excellent value.

The Season has now concluded
Love Bites - One Act Plays
Performance Dates Wed June 17th - Sat 20th

Synopsis & Cast lists

Fault, by Sam Fisher; director: Marilyn Ollett
Alistair and Jane have not seen eye-to-eye for a quite while, and their views of what is wrong in their relationship are wildly different. Showing both perspectives of who may be at “fault”as the relationship begins to crack, this one act comedy allows the audience to make up its own mind. Qualified for the South Island Regional Festival on 6 and 7 June.
Jane
Aimee Borlase

Rachel
Jo Owsley

Alistair
Jesse Hobbs

Jason
Andy Fidow

Swiss Cider, by André Surridge; director: Garry Thomas, assisted by Sarah Coursey
New Zealander Christine is a professional actor working in Britain, and on the verge of making it big on the West End. Yet her life could so easily have ended by her own hand while a teenager living in the Waikato. "Swiss Cider" tackles the difficult subject of teenage suicide using flashbacks to recall how Christine survived the pressures of her earlier life.
Written at a time when New Zealand had the highest suicide rate in the Western world, Surridge’s exploration of teen angst picked up the 1995 Minolta Playwrights' Association of New Zealand playwriting competition.

Christine
Georgie Stylianou

Mo'/Sally
Carole Anderson

Ben/Brian
Braydon Priest

Mother
Sarah Hollander

Father
Richard Hensby

Rob/Psych
Steve Millar

Desperate and Dateless, by Neil Troost; director: Kris Vavasour
Appearances are everything, especially when you are running a dating agency - or for that matter, if you want to get a date. Roger enters Camilla’s dating agency to “find himself a woman” and meets severe criticism. Will Roger really convince Camilla to have dinner with him, or will her business-like attitude prevail? Join these two characters as they let their masks down.

Camilla
Marilyn Ollett

Roger
Klaus Hermanspahn