March 17, 2009

FESTIVAL OF COLOUR SPREADS ITS WINGS   

With ticket demand high and a substantial increase in patronage, the Festival of Colour has extended its reach to an even wider audience to include Glenorchy and Clyde for the 2009 festival.

These two new destinations take the Festival of Colour’s satellite venues to seven, each featuring some of the Festival’s top-selling performances from the main Lake Wanaka venues.

The Luggate Memorial Hall, renowned for its wonderful acoustics, will host the ever-popular NZ Army Band on 28 April and also two performances of the festival sell-out hit, the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra on 30 April and 2 May.

Hawea Flat Hall will show two performances of the festival premiere, Witches Over Wanaka, an intriguing piece of locally-devised theatre that weaves elements of Shakespeare’s Macbeth into the local scene on 28 and 29 April. The New Zealand Army Band will continue its tour of the Otago countryside on 30 April at Hawea Flat Hall and 29 April at Tarras Hall.

Across the Crown Range in Arrowtown, the Athenaeum Hall will host the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra on 1 May, followed by two performances of Ship Songs on the 2 and 3 May. This one-man-show by acclaimed actor Ian Hughes weaves together sea shanties, intimate love stories and epic ocean-going adventures.

Glenorchy Hall will also host the Wellington Ukulele Orchestra with audiences already committed to traveling to this small rural outpost to enjoy the popular show. Glenorchy will also play host to Strange Resting Places, which shines a light on the complex emotional bonds of New Zealand’s wartime history and the three universals that Māori shared with the Italians – family, food and song.

Clyde War Memorial Hall has the honour of the ‘dress rehearsal’ of Le Sud on 29 April that will officially premiere in Lake Wanaka on 1 May to a sold out house. Commissioned by the Festival, this new work by renowned playwright, Dave Armstrong, is a rollicking political satire that warmly pokes fun at three cultures, two islands and one country. Clyde will also host the brand new dance work by leading New Zealand choreographer, Raewyn Hill. Finders Keepers is inspired by the Yuen Po bird market in Hong Kong and promises to captivate audiences with its powerful, pure and evocative dance on 30 April.

The Wanaka Masonic Lodge, which was scheduled to show two performances of Strange Resting Places (28, 29 May) and two performances of Witches over Wanaka (1, 2 May) will now show three nights each due to high ticket demand. The extra shows are 29 April at 9pm for Strange Resting Places and 3 May at 6pm for Witches over Wanaka.

 

The Festival of Colour takes place on 28 April to 3 May 2009 and is generously supported by Central Lakes Trust, The Community Trust of Otago, Creative New Zealand, Infinity Investment Group, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Aurora.

For further information and ticket sales visit http://www.festivalofcolour.co.nz/