Category: 2017 Season Fortune Theatre

Kiwi songbird Esther Stephens plays Kate Sheppard as she takes on the patriarchy, public opinion and even Prime Minister Richard ‘King Dick’ Seddon. The rock band by her side will get your adrenaline pumping as they bring you catchy and melodic tunes.

Radical, riotous and bursting with wit, experience this bold musical about one of New Zealand’s greatest heroines and get ready to party like it’s 1893.

To secure your tickets, call the box office 03 477 8323 or Book Online

After the success of the 2016 collaboration on Grounded, the Fortune Theatre and Polytech welcomed the prospect to work together again, this time on the musical, Into the Woods. This was a perfect opportunity for the skills of the students, led by lecturer Jon Wilson, to help to create a fantasy, fairytale world.

Jon, a cinematographer by trade, worked with the Fortune’s Artistic Director Jonathan Hendry to imagine what was possible and how to achieve this. One of the challenges was successfully integrating the use of animation with human actors to bring to life an imaginary world. A group of talented design and communication students then took their vision and ran with it, producing animated sequences to visually communicate the fantasy environment for this entertaining musical.

The Otago Polytech Students are in their final year of a Bachelor of Design & Communication degree. The project began as a third year paper from which three students became interns to complete the production. They elected to work on this real-world project to enhance their own learning and give them an unique experience not many have the opportunity to explore before graduating. They spent four months on the special effects, clocking up well over 800 hours each!

A studio was set up away from their normal classroom to give them the experience of a real-life design studio with all the pressures and deadlines that they will encounter in the future. Students involved are Michael Smith, Jaimee Caffell, Becki Jones, Sherman Sreedhar and Tylah Ryan-Smitheram.

Watch the Otago Polytech’s video behind the scenes of their Communication Design students who worked with the Fortune Theatre to create stunning animations for the spellbinding musical, Into The Woods.

Into The Woods is a spellbinding adventure for young and old – to celebrate this the Fortune Theatre is offering a Special Family Package – $100 for two adults and two children (additional children just $15). A saving of 20% ($25).

Recommended age is 12 years+ If you have any questions about suitability for younger children, please contact our box office staff.

This deal is only available through our box office, call Mac on 03 477 8323 to book.

Performances

Tuesday and Wednesday – 6pm
Thursday – 11am and 6pm
Friday and Saturday – 7:30pm
Sunday – 4pm

To view ticket prices, just click the Book Now button Book Online Now

Staging a high energy Shakespearian comedy followed by an award-winning Sondheim musical may seem like a challenge of titanic proportions, but it is one that the Fortune Theatre is rising to with the help of its “2017 Fortune Theatre Company”. The hugely popular production of Twelfth Night and the upcoming Into the Woods, mark the return of company-based theatre to Dunedin’s professional stage.

The brainchild of Fortune’s Artistic Director Jonathon Hendry, the Fortune Company brings together a number of talented actors from all around New Zealand. The Fortune Theatre has had companies in the past, although 2017 marks the first time in a number of years, as Company Acting has become something of a rarity across the board. Hendry himself grew up as the Company system was disappearing in New Zealand.

In Febuary 2017, the Fortune Theatre ran national auditions in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland where they saw an unprecedented number of actors apply to join the Company. The successful 2017 Company members are Julie Edwards, Joshua Cramond, Jonathan Martin, Peter Hayden, Frith Horan, Bryony Skillington and Cherie Moore. “some of the best acting talent, both locally and nationally” Hendry says.

It is a unique way of working, allowing the actors to grow together over an extended period of time, developing trust and a dynamic that creates a special energy when performing. All aspects of the theatre process benefit from the company, whether it be actors learning from each other, a director working with a group who is already in sync and comfortable with one another, or the audience who gets to develop a closer relationship to their local theatre through familiar faces. Not to mention it gives the actors an opportunity to explore a variety of roles together and showcases their versatility; as Hendry wrote in the Twelfth Night programme, “how many actors can claim to have been hired to be a Shakespearian Count then a singing wolf and cow?” The Company system also supports local acting talent providing consistent employment, something which is not easily found in New Zealand.

A major benefit of the Company system has allowed the Fortune to stage Into the Woods (a large production) so quickly after Twelfth Night. For a number of weeks, the company was rehearsing the musical during the day and performing the Shakespeare classic in the evenings.

Audiences will definitely see the hard work and long days pay off as the Sondheim masterpiece opens on the 5th of August and runs until the 26th. After the success of Twelfth Night, Into the Woods is definitely not to be missed.