Welcome to the 2015 Season

As we leave behind our 40th milestone and embark on the next decade, perhaps it is no coincidence that a 41st anniversary is celebrated with the gift of land. Our very first 2015 production, Outside Mullingar, happens to be based around a long standing land feud in Ireland.

Actually, it’s far more than that. It is a poetic love story penned by one of America’s finest playwrights, John Patrick Shanley. It launches the year with laughter and is quickly followed by the finest array of the best contemporary stories around. Nestled within the season are many gems, but I want to mention a few very special shows:

Fortune Theatre commissioned The War Play by Phil Braithwaite with financial support from the WW1 Lotteries Commission. This is an incredibly personal and intriguing Dunedin story that Phil had tucked away in his DNA. It is with great pride that we are producing the World Premiere as part of the WW1 Centenary celebrations.

British playwright Simon Stephens’ Punk Rock focuses on another war – the psychological battlewithin a young man’s mind and the everyday obstacles a group of privileged teenagers face as they move into adulthood. For the first time, Fortune Theatre proudly joins forces with the University of Otago Theatre Studies Programme to produce this show.

For a two-week exclusive season, Mark Hadlow launches his South Island tour of MAMIL from Fortune Theatre. You might remember the unprecedented success of SNAG a few decades ago? Well MAMIL (Middle Aged Man In Lycra) is another tour de force performance from the multi-talented Mark. Please note the limited run!

We begin the year laughing over land feuds, and end it in the land we knowand love - Land of the Long White Cloud. Flagons & Foxtrots is a sure-to-please nostalgic celebration of the old dance hall. Music, laughter and dance round off what is set to be a most joyous, moving and stimulating season at the theatre.

Enjoy your , and your journey this year with us –Fortune Theatre, your theatre.

Lara Macgregor | Fortune Theatre Artistic Director