Bard Productions
Bard Productions, based in Wellington, New Zealand, is a theatre company best known for offering site-specific and 'adventure theatre.'[1] The company has been in operation since 2007.
Formation | 2007 |
---|---|
Type | Theatre group |
Purpose | Site-specific and 'adventure theatre' |
Location |
|
Notable members | Frogs Under the Waterfront, Quarantine, A Tempest off Matiu-Somes Island |
Performances
Frogs Under the Waterfront, an adaptation of Aristophanes' The Frogs, was the company's first successful site-specific production. The performance took place underneath the Wellington waterfront, with the audience in paddle boats. The company won a number of awards for the production and attracted significant local and national media attention.[2][3][4][5][6]
Two years later the company produced Quarantine, a show about the human quarantine patients who lived and died on Matiu-Somes Island in the Wellington harbour. The audience was taken to the island at night in a chartered ferry, and the performance itself took place in the forests of the island and in an historical quarantine building.[7][8][9][10][11]
In 2013 A Tempest off Matiu-Somes Island, an adaptation of Shakespeare's The Tempest held in a chartered ferry which took audience members to the island and in a large animal quarantine station abandoned in the 1980s.[12][13]
In 2014 the company mounted a return season of "A Tempest off Matiu-Somes Island". It was made public in January 2014 that the company had joined with the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the Kaitiaki Board to secure a 10-year concession to stage theatrical events and performances on Matiu-Somes Island during the summer months.[14][15]
Other Projects
In mid-2013 the company expanded to Melbourne, Australia and opened up the corporate teambuilding and murder mystery branch of the company, CluedUp Unique Events.[16][17]
References
- Powell, Selina (18 January 2013). "Storm Brews over Harbour Island". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- "Conchords Ignite Fringe Hall of Fame; awards named". Wellington Scoop. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- "Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards 2009". Chapman Tripp. Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- "Frogs Under the Waterfront TV3". TV3 New Zealand via YouTube. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Somerset, Guy. "What Lies Beneath". The Listener. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- "The World Under the Waterfront". The Wellingtonian. 21 January 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- "Quarantine TV3". TV3 News New Zealand. 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Thomson, Rebecca (3 February 2011). "Quarantined on Matiu/Somes Island". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Duff, Michelle (3 February 2011). "Quarantined on Somes Island". Dominion Post. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Chug, Kiran (5 January 2011). "Fringe Show to Quarantine its Audience". Dominion Post. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- BHONSULE, PRIYANKA (8 February 2011). "Ranger Roped in on Matiu-Somes Island Drama". The Hutt News. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Kingston-Smith, Jonathan. "A Tempest off Matiu-Somes Island". blogspot. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Powell, Selina (18 January 2013). "A Storm Brews off Harbour Island". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
- Jackman, Amy (9 January 2014). "Somes Island confirmed for 10-year theatre deal". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- McKee, Hannah (20 January 2014). "Audience to become shipwrecked on island". The Dominion Post. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- "CluedUp Unique Events". CluedUp Australia. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- "Bard Productions Blog". Bard Productions. Retrieved 27 April 2014.