Illusionist Anthony Street (2025)
Illusionist Anthony Street returns to Aotearoa in 2025 with a 22‑stop national tour. A warm, family‑focused magic show packed with nostalgia, audience participation, and classic tricks that light up kids’ imaginations. More heart than high‑stakes spectacle, it’s a feel‑good night of wonder for believers, sceptics, and anyone who still loves a bit of everyday magic.
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Siblings
Siblings is a powerful new disability-led theatre work premiering at Te Pou after 3.5 years in development — an intimate, multi-layered exploration of sibling relationships, care, agency, and the messy beauty of whānau. Created and performed by four tāngata whaikaha artists, it blends personal stories, playful memories, and raw honesty into a moving, access-forward production that centres disabled experience with heart, humour, and depth.
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Romeo & Juliet
ATC’s Romeo & Juliet blasts Shakespeare into the bold, stylish chaos of 1960s Italy; a fast, funny, high‑octane first half packed with mod fashion, flirtation, and razor‑sharp humour, before plunging into a darker, surreal, Death‑haunted finale. With standout performances, striking design, and daring reinterpretations, it’s a thrilling but uneven ride that dazzles more in its glitter than its grief.
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Rongo Whakapā
Rongo Whakapā is Brydie Colquhoun’s intimate, roaming dance work for Atamira: a gentle, immersive exploration of touch, presence, and connection. With audiences moving through the space and dancers offering quiet, tender exchanges, it becomes less a show and more a shared meditation on intimacy and how we relate to one another.
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Taniwha
Taniwha is Silo Theatre’s joyful, wildly inventive live‑film adventure for tamariki: a handmade world of cardboard puppets, live music, and real‑time movie magic. When Mereana discovers a taniwha disturbed by construction, she and her friends leap into action, celebrating kaitiakitanga, creativity, and courage. Bursting with imagination and Aotearoa heart, it’s a vibrant reminder of the power of community and storytelling.
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Black Faggot
Black Faggot is a raw, funny, and deeply affecting two‑hander about queer Samoan identity in Aotearoa. Through rapid‑fire monologues and sharply drawn characters, it explores the tensions between faith, family, masculinity, and sexuality with honesty, humour, and heartbreak. Minimal in staging but huge in emotional impact, it remains a vital, confronting, and compassionate piece of Pasifika theatre.
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Kuini & Shapes in the Clouds
Shapes in the Clouds and Kuini present two distinct Pacific voices with clarity and pride. Shapes brings humour, imagination, and youthful movement. Kuini offers poised choreography and powerful live vocals in honour of Queen Sālote Tupou III. Together, they create a vibrant snapshot of Pacific storytelling in Aotearoa. We give it a solid 4 out of 5!
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Chopper: The Last Hard Bastard on Earth
Heath Franklin's Chopper: The Last Hard Bastard on Earth is a riotously funny and surprisingly insightful stand-up show that uses outrage, satire, and a healthy dose of Aussie bravado to poke fun at modern life. Beneath the swearing and tough-guy bluster lies sharp social commentary that skewers everyone equally, creating an experience that is as thought-provoking as it is hilarious.
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Time Trial
Time Trial is a brilliantly inventive stand-up show that turns punctuality into both a challenge and a punchline. Armed with nothing more than a countdown clock and an endless stream of sharply observed stories, Rhys Mathewson delivers 55 minutes of laughs packed with self-deprecating charm, quick wit, and unexpected insight.
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Talking When I Should Be Listening
Talking When I Should Be Listening is a cleverly chaotic stand-up show that turns awkward moments, bad decisions, and everyday frustrations into comedy gold. Tony Lyall combines sharp improvisation, relatable storytelling, and self-aware humour to create a performance that feels both spontaneous and carefully crafted.
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