Backstage Pass with Auckland Theatre Co

Listen in as playwright  Anika  talks about her first theatre role as The Mermaid Queen in Peter Pan. Anika opens up about her work-life balance, creating art for adults and kids, and the lessons she's learned after 25 years in the entertainment industry. Anika is a singer-songwriter, presenter, podcast host, mum of four, and she recently released her first children's book, The Witc...

Listen in as playwright  Carl Bland  talks about the process of adapting the classic tale of Peter Pan for the stage. Carl discusses his writing process, his favourite themes and characters, and how to write for both adults and children. Carl is one half of the theatre company, Nightsong. He has written and created shows such as The Bed Show, The House of Doors and Camels and Peta and Ca...

Listen in as Radio New Zealand's Colin Peacock talks to award-winning British playwright  Dennis Kelly  about creating a work that's funny but also shocking and confronting. Dennis has written more than 20 plays, numerous TV series including the conspiracy thriller  Utopia  and the sitcom  Pulling , and he co-wrote the book for  Matilda the Musical . He&nbsp...

Join us in conversation with Girls & Boys director Eleanor Bishop and actor Beatriz Romilly. We dive deep into the script and the character that makes this play so devastatingly poignant. We discuss working on a play with such heavy content and the emotional journey of the team and the character to bring this work from the page to the stage. Beatriz has a diverse acting career across Stag...

Director Jason Te Kare speaks to how kaupapa Māori and kapa haka inspire his theatre-making. Jason is an award-winning actor, director, and theatre-maker, and he’s been a proud member of the Māori theatre community for over two decades. He is the director for Scenes from the Climate Era by David Finnigan, which breaks the ice on the hottest topic of this generation: climate change. The play t...

Listen in as some of the cast and creatives behind Red, White and Brass chat about the play for Sunday Forum. Host James Tito is joined by playwright Leki Jackson-Bourke and actors Lauren Jackson and 'Aisea Latu. Sunday forum is a live event that happens for each Auckland Theatre Company production after the show on a Sunday afternoon. It's free for anyone to attend and serves to pr...

Actress Diamond Langi talks about what it's like for an ex-beauty queen to play an ex-beauty queen in the stage adaptation of Red, White and Brass . Making her debut with Auckland Theatre Company, Diamond opens up about the transition to theatre acting. We discuss funny moments from rehearsals, keeping your energy up when you've had a long day and the Diamond Langi Foundation. Diamond is a Tongan-...

Listen in as playwright  Leki Jackson-Bourke  talks about the process of adapting a hit film for the stage. Leki opens up about his journey to Tongan pride, the hurdles he's faced to bring this stage adaptation to life, and the conversations he hopes audiences will have after watching the play. Leki is an award-winning playwright who’s written plays such as Inky Pinky Ponky and Pring it...

Drugs, brains and trials - listen as the experts dive deep into the wider context of  The Effect for Sunday Forum. Host James Tito is joined by Professor Sir Richard Faull (Director, Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland), Associate Professor and cognitive scientist Dr Gina Grimshaw and consultant psychiatrist Dr Campbell Emmerton.  Sunday f...

We talk to actor Jarod Rawiri about what it's like to hold a human brain, and how Māori can do so in a way that's culturally and spiritually safe.   Jarod plays Dr. Toby Sealey, one of the doctors who oversees the drug trial in The Effect . He has been on the stage and screens for years, with roles in shows like "The Brokenwood Mysteries", “Shortland Street”, "Friends Like Her" and "Duckrocke...

RNZ's Jim Mora talks to the writer of The Effect , Lucy Prebble, about love, ethics, and the power of pills.  Lucy Prebble is the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Emmy award-winning writer behind HBO's addictive drama Succession, and she spoke to Jim Mora of RNZ about drugs, mental health, and writing The Effect .   Does love sit in the head or the heart? That’s the question posed by the aw...

We talk to screen legend,  Sara Wiseman  about her return to our stage after two decades overseas and on screen.    Listen in as we discuss her career, the play, and how she hopes her character in  The Effect  will spark some important conversations about mental health and wellness.   Sara is a multiple award-winning actress, known for her work on screen and in t...

Olivia Taouma talks to Fasitua Amosa and his father, Reverend Asora Amosa for Sunday Forum. Olivia is Pule Le Va at Auckland Museum, and the Founder of  Lima Productions , a small non-profit organisation which supports, advocates, and develops emerging contemporary Pacific performing arts. Fasitua Amosa played the Duke of Albany in Auckland Theatre Company's King Lear (2023) , and he's joined...

Actor Semu Filipo joins us on Backstage Pass to talk about his love-hate relationship with his character and how he keeps himself safe while embodying Pili wholeheartedly. We dive into tough subjects, like fa'a Sāmoa and balancing modernity and tradition, and Semu talks about what it means to be a Sāmoan living in New Zealand. Last year, Semu acted in Auckland Theatre Company’s Things That Matter...

Co-writer Sarita So dives deep into some of the themes in O le Pepelo, le Gaoi, ma le Pala’ai | The Liar, the Thief, and the Coward . We also talk through Sarita's writing process, and what it looks like to co-write a Sāmoan epic. Sarita is a multi-award-winning writer, actor, and producer, and she is the co-founder of I Ken So Productions, which was founded in 2017. What's more important to our f...

Actor and musician James Tito talks to Hyperspace choreographer Jack Gray for Sunday Forum. Jack Gray is a world-renowned Māori contemporary dance artist, choreographer, teacher, facilitator and writer. Though his independent arts practice spans two decades, Jack is a former National Aerobics Champion, who represented New Zealand internationally. Sunday forum is a live event that happens for each...

Director Tainui Tukiwaho discusses coming into Hyperspace five years after its prequel, Astroman . He talks about how he creates a safe environment for his cast, working with mates, and he reminisces on his '90s memories. Tainui is a director, producer, actor, and writer, the co-founder of Te Pou Theatre, which he opened in 2015 as a Māori performing arts venue, and is the winner of the 2023 Bruce...

Actor Kruze Tangira, who plays Tāwhai Pātāi in Hyperspace , gets vulnerable about connecting with his character on a deeper level. He shares his five-year audition process for the role, his personal connection with Tāwhai, and he opens up about the challenges he's faced during the rehearsal process. Kruze is a man of many talents. Alongside acting, he's a TV presenter and reporter for Te Karere an...