Echo Theatre NZ

And with that it’s done...

There are still shows left for Friday and Saturday. Come along to BATS for your FINAL chance to see ‘Fracture’.

Tickets available from https://bats.co.nz/whats-on/fracture/

“The actors have brought these people and their personal stories to life”

FRACTURE opened last night at BATS Theatre, a verbatim play based on the Napier earthquakes!

There is only 4 more chances to see this show so make sure you book now!

https://bats.co.nz/whats-on/fracture/

One show down. We had a stellar opening night. But don’t worry if you missed it. You still have a chance to see the stories of survivors translated to the stage. Ticket link in bio

We’re excited! Are you excited? 2 days until FRACTURE opens at BATS! Have you got your tickets?

https://bats.co.nz/whats-on/fracture/

Last but not least we have Alia, part of our ‘Fracture’ cast.

Alia is in her third year studying Theatre and History at Victoria, and ‘Fracture’ is her first show in Wellington since moving here from Tauranga in 2018. The show combines Alia's two loves and she was ecstatic at the opportunity to incorporate history into performance. Devising and physical theatre are where Alia feels most at home, so she has loved using these forms as a mode of storytelling and navigating verbatim theatre.

Today marks the 89th anniversary of the Napier earthquake. At 10:47am February 3rd 1931 New Zealand changed forever. Time can turn individuals into statistics but 'Fracture' captures the feeling of that tragedy for five people using their real words, their personal stories.

Scott is part of the design team for ‘Fracture’

Next up, we have Scott Maxim! Scott is the other half of our fantastic set design team and is nearing the end of his Theatre and Psychology degree. His passion for scenography and particular interest in world building has accumulated from several different projects ranging from a production of “The Tempest” to “Te Puna Hipi”. So far, Scott has been both compelled and challenged by the content of this project, and he feels that working with a more abstract design has been an invaluable experience for cultivating his skills in this industry.
(actually written by the other half of the set team, the fabulous, beautiful and EXCELLENT Brooke Soulsby, the bees knees).

Revena is the stage manager for ‘Fracture’

Meet Revena, our only mostly sleep deprived stage manager. Already having some experience in the game, they were excited by the new challenges managing a devised piece would bring. Revena was initially drawn to this work as they loved the idea of using the stage to realise and reform the stories of our past, exploring the history that created our county as it is today. They saw in it the potential to create a truly memorable and beautiful work out a moment of such tragedy. They are also co-founder of Duct Taped On, and are currently co-directing the Fringe show ‘Saltwater Bath’.

Rebekah is part of the design team for ‘Fracture’

Rebekah has been working super hard on the lighting design for Fracture as well as doing some graphic design work, making the poster and company logo. She has completed three years of her theatre major at Victoria University where she got to work on some marketing work and lighting design. You will also be able to find Rebekah amongst the cast of ‘The Party’ where she has been having a fantastically fun time with Loose Unit. Working on ‘Fracture’ means a lot to Rebekah, coming from Christchurch she has a very real understanding of the severe impact that earthquakes can have on people and she is making it her top priority to create a lighting design for the show that is reverent and respectful.

Prea is part of the ‘Fracture’ cast.

Prea is playing the role of May Blair. Her love of devised theatre is what drew her ‘Fracture’ and she is excited to use New Zealand history to create performative work. As someone who has been performing since a young age, Prea is excited to perform in the Six Degrees for the second year in a row, continuing her growth as a performer.

FRACTURE explores authentic personal experiences of the 1931 Hawkes Bay Earthquake; inspired by Gaylene Preston's 'Survivor Stories'

Tickets are on sale now at https://bats.co.nz/whats-on/fracture/

Dom is part of the design team for ‘Fracture’

While Dom has been a sound designer before, this is the first time he will be designing for a devised piece. He is facing the challenge of transporting the audience to 1930s New Zealand, utilizing music as a way to communicate stories across time. He is currently also working as a sound designer on 2 shows in the upcoming Wellington Fringe, ‘Inquiet Moments’ and ‘Legend’.

Isabella is assistant director and publicist for ‘Fracture’

Isabella was first brought on as assistant director for ‘Fracture’ and eventually become publicist later in the process. Having just finished her Honours she was interested in working on styles of theatre she had not explored previously, and so the verbatim aspect of this project appealed. Isabella was also initially drawn to the idea of telling the stories of individuals, personal interpretations and understandings of events rather than facts and statistics where the real, human stories are diluted by time and scale.

Che is one of our actors for Fracture.

Here's Che-Dylan Ihaka-Hohua! He’s one of the actors in Fracture, playing the role of Jim and has been acting ever since 2012, from Year 9 in high school. He showed interest in the show because he always wanted to perform Verbatim-style theatre, and thought that uniting that with the retelling of the Napier earthquake would make for an awesome combination.

Brooke is part of the design team for ‘Fracture’

Say hello to Brooke Soulsby, one half of our set team. Brooke has just recently completed her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English and Theatre. Since high school, she has worked on several set designs and contributed to their construction, the most recent being for THEA301 company production, ‘Te Puna Hipi.’ From the beginning of the process, Brooke has been invested in the show’s heavy historical emphasis and more dynamic potential as a movement piece. This has proved a series of exciting design challenges along the way.

Zoe is part of our cast for ‘Fracture’

Having finished her undergrad degree at Victoria University in Theatre, Zoe has stepped into the role of Lauris in ‘Fracture’ because she’ll never know when to stop getting herself into new projects! She has worked on many shows, having done more work backstage as of late than on stage. Therefore, she is very excited to be stepping back into acting after a bit of a hiatus. She became drawn to Jacob’s project because of her affinity with the history of the Napier earthquake. She herself is from Hawke’s Bay originally, and grew up in a city which still maintains many echoes of the quake.

Jacob is the project lead and company founder of Echo Theatre. He is also the Director for ‘Fracture’

Jacob has directed various scripted pieces but is challenging himself by creating a devised show.
He has always had a fascination with history and learning about the past. For him New Zealand History is the area he is most passionate about. This prompted Jacob to look further into the Napier Earthquake and what he found out absolutely shocked him. He realised the stories of what people went through needed to be told. The earthquake was such a pivotal moment in our country’s history and it was these thoughts that inspired him to start developing the show that has become ‘Fracture’.

Happy New Year from us here at Echo Theatre NZ. To bring in the new year we are recognising our amazing producing team for the 6 Degrees Festival 2020. They are working hard behind the scenes to bring you amazing content such as our debut show Fracture. Huge thanks to you guys 🙏🏻 We couldn’t do it without you.