1. A Fine Balance (pictured above)
2—6 July, 8pm | Q Theatre, 305 Queen St, Central Auckland
A stirring portrayal of human compassion, hope and heroism. Based on Rohinton Mistry’s celebrated, Man Booker shortlisted novel, A Fine Balance is a story about hope and the extraordinary endurance of the human spirit. India, 1975. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency, ‘cleaning up the city’ by driving thousands of poor from their homes. Dina, a Parsi widow determined to keep her independence, hires two Hindu tailors and takes on a boarder to make ends meet. History comes to life in this vibrant and thought-provoking epic where the stories of the voiceless resonate more powerfully than ever. For further information and to purchase tickets you can visit the Q Theatre website.
2. ’80’s Night at Portland
6 July, 8:30pm | Portland Pubhouse Kingsland
Portland is bringing you the opportunity to dust of those old dance moves and go back in time to perfect your robot you left in the ’80s and maybe remember why it was left there. Music from the ’80s to the future with Frisky Business. Best dressed will win a bar tab.
3. Planting Day
7 July, 9am | Tawharanui Regional Park
Come and help plant some of this years 15,000 trees and shrubs. Bring strong boots/shoes, gloves, drinks and a raincoat. As usual, there will be a delicious barbecue provided after the planting. For more information please email secretary@tossi.org.nz or telephone, Roger and Kim 027 697 9666.
4. Show Me Shorts: Palestinian Short Film Night
9 July, 7pm | The Kingslander: 470 New North Rd, Kingsland
Show Me Shorts presents a night of Palestinian short films. Join the Kingslander team to celebrate the cinema of Palestine with this vibrant collection full of friendship, family, pets, sweets, and swimming pools! This is an informal and fun event, and all are welcome. The screening takes place in the upstairs function room at The Third Eye. All films screen in the Arabic language with English subtitles. Total run time is approx 101 minutes. No allocated seating, so first in best dressed. The bar will be open with food and drink available for purchase. For more information and a film list you can visit the Eventbrite page.
5. Inheritance
9—13 July 6:30pm | Basement Theatre: Lower Greys Avenue, Central Auckland
As political as a language, as domesticated as a possum, Inheritance is a friendly romp through class-based structural inequalities, asking questions like: how is citizenship distributed? where have all the houses gone? and who has the talking stick now? A painfully juicy new Māori/Pākehā collaboration between Jess Holly Bates and Forest (nee Vicky) Kapo, bringing you a quivering sitcom of the colonial present for Matariki, directed by Alyx Duncan. For more information and to purchase tickets you can visit the Basement Theatre website.
6. Matariki on the Move: Kōrero
10 July, 7pm | Sky City Theatre: 78 Victoria St, Auckland
Join astronomer Dr Rangi Matamua, maramataka Māori expert Rereata Makiha and master navigator Hoturoa Kerr for one night only, as they share their latest research and passion for Māori astronomy with the audience. With extensive knowledge of the maramataka (lunar calendar), celestial navigation and the Matariki star cluster, this is a unique opportunity to hear from three tohunga (experts) in person. Learn about Matariki, as well as other stars and celestial bodies — how they guided the traditional way of life for many Māori throughout Aotearoa in days gone by and their continuing importance in today’s modern world. Free entry on a first-come, first-seated basis.
7. My Own Darling
10—12 July, 8pm | Basement Theatre: Lower Grey Avenue, Auckland
‘We are not a city of angels but I can’t help but love you Auckland.’ Award-winning poet and co-founder of Rising Voices Youth Poetry Movement, Grace Iwashita-Taylor, joins Fasitua Amosa and Gabby Solomona in a powerful fusion of spoken word and theatre. Man from the Maunga, Grit-girl, and the Lady Next Door take you on a journey through Auckland to reveal a side of our city that is often overlooked. My Own Darling explores themes of poverty, prejudice and power as Grace works her magic using beautiful, emotive and sometimes confronting language to weave a rich tapestry of Auckland. Tickets can be purchased from the Basement Theatre website.
8. Orchids – Foster Group Dance
17—20 July, 7:30pm | Q Theatre: 305 Queen St, Auckland
// Orchids flourish in empty spaces. They cling to dust and search for unexplored territories. //
Sarah Foster-Sproull’s choreographic work has been likened to a living Hieronymus Bosch or Caravaggio painting. Through ORCHIDS, Foster Group Dance connects some of NZ’s most reputed artists, including the extraordinary talents of dancers and collaborators Marianne Schultz, Katie Burton, Rose Philpott, Jahra Rager, Joanne Hobern, Tori Manley-Tapu; Assistant Director and Creative Producer Natalie Maria Clark; designers Andrew Foster (set and dramaturgy), Jennifer Lal (lighting) and Elizabeth Whiting (costumes). Together, they demystify and unravel the complex mythology of the female spirit, bringing women out of darkness and into the light. For tickets you can visit the Q Theatre website.
9. Call ME Fashion
18 July, 6pm | Gus Fisher Gallery: The Kenneth Myers Centre, 74 Shortland St, Auckland
Join the NOPE SISTERS at Gus Fisher Gallery, Auckland to view their circular fashion collection of upcycled jackets, given new life. This show is their response to the waste created in the fashion industry. Thirty exclusive quality, vintage jackets, all renewed and named after environmental or social change heroes will be on display. They sit alongside THE SLIPPING AWAY exhibition – an immersive art experience to provoke your thinking about the trash we are dumping into our Moana. This collaboration addresses the dilemma of how to take responsibility for the changes we all need to make to mitigate the devastating effects of humans on our blue planet. Opening night at 7pm – your are invited to a public forum with a panel of dedicated environmentalists discussing what we can possibly do in the face of the climate change crisis. Sustainable fashion will be for sale—sharing 50% of profits with their charity partners Sustainable Coastlines and Sexual Abuse HELP.
10. The Single Object: Wallace Chapman & Sean Mallon
25 July, 6pm | Objectspace: 13 Rose Rd, Ponsonby
Hosted by broadcaster Wallace Chapman, the format is simple—a guest is invited to choose an object playlist by selecting six objects that are important to them. The interview will plot a course around the conversation their selection catalyses. Chapman will interview a range of guests over the series providing insights into how the world can be seen and understood through material culture. Our first guest is Sean Mallon, Senior curator Pacific Cultures at Te Papa Tongarewa. Mallon is co-author of Tatau: A History of Samoan Tattooing, which just won the award for best Illustrated Non-Fiction in the 2019 Ockham book awards. Booking is $15 (plus service fees) and you can do this on the Eventbrite website. Hospitality will be provided by Amano, Black Estate and Liberty Brewing and is included in the ticket price.
11. Corban Estates Arts Centre: Exhibition Openings July 2019
26 July, 6pm-8pm | Corban Estate Arts Centre: 2 Mount Lebanon Lane, Henderson
Join Corban Estate for the opening of two new exhibitions, Labour Of Body and Capturing Liberty. Labour of Body takes into account the many different narratives of artists who work with textiles. The artists in the show each engage with textiles in their own way, sometimes as a response to their global positioning. The focus remains on textiles and their many functions which include assisting in the development of relationships, mapping location and exploring the issues of bodily labour. Capturing Liberty is a new series of paintings by artist Laura Williams. Through an obsessive combination of patterns, vases and objects suggestive of other eras, the artist’s vivid kitsch works are fictional spaces which evoke memory, nostalgia and imaginary worlds. Exhibitions will run from the 26 July-15 September.
