The brand new long awaited home for The Court Theatre officially opens Saturday May 3 in Otautahi Christchurch. It is an impressive $61.4 million purpose-built home for New Zealand's largest professional theatre company. Centre mainstage for the opening production is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most beloved actors, directors and writers for theatre, film and television. Sir Ian Mune. He was knighted in 2024 in recognition of a 60-year career.

Whether it's a brand like 100% Pure or paintings and film of a rural idyll, we've become familiar in Aotearoa New Zealand with the tension between our depiction of the landscape, and the reality when we consider the effects on it of economic and social development. Similar tensions are at play in what is being billed as the first show of contemporary Japanese art in New Zealand in 20 years:

Renowned lighting designer Angus Muir is launching a new immersive experience in the heart of Tamaki Makaurau next week. He's worked locally and internationally on many recognised installations including Sydney's Vivid, LUMA in Queenstown, Matariki Festival; wowing audiences around the world. Now with Darklight, he's collaborating with different artists, it's the first time Muir is setting his own brief. In the interactive walk-through, divided into three sections, audiences will be surrounded by audio and visual elements. It's a culmination of his experiences from the past decade. Darklight runs from the 2nd to the 4th of May at Brad's Warehouse on Durham Lane in Tamaki Makaurau, Auckland CBD.

Kiwi actor and comedian Bailey Poaching is one of the stars in the new Netflix comedy series North of North. Set in the small village of Ice Cove in the Arctic Circle, it's a delightful show that centres around a young Inuk woman Siaja who's suddenly left her marriage, rather publicly to reinvent and find herself again. It's an ensemble cast with Poaching playing the local radio DJ and communications coordinator who has moved to the arctic in pursuit of love. It's a small village with most members of the vibrant community doing multiple jobs and helping in various ways. Bailey Poaching joins Culture 101 for Fast Favourites.

In the bringing together of art and mental health, Kim Morton is a champion. Following the Christchurch earthquakes, Kim founded Otautahi Creative Spaces, a busy creative community in inner city suburb Philipstown.

Well known interior designer Sonja Hawkins joined Culture 101 to talk about her passion for art, and to share some tips for displaying art in the home.

Ildica Boyd joins Culture 101 from the 9th biennial Easter Art exhibition hosted by Castle Hill Village Creative.

Wellington based artist Michele Bryant joins Culture 101.

Mike Beer aka Ghostcat joins Culture 101 to discuss his The Ghosts on Every Corner exhibition.

Screening Sunday April 27 in Poneke Wellington is FW Murnau's classic 1922 spooky silent film Nosferatu: A symphony of Horror, with a few sensory twists. Not only will it be accompanied by a live score, composed and played by Peter Dasent, this will also be 'scented cinema'. Presented with Australian producers Snivure and Scented Storytelling, patrons are to be given a souvenir card with ten scratch-and-sniff whiffs, ranging from the heaven of fresh flower blossoms to the stagnant and stale stench of the Black Death. Tammy Burnstock leads Scented Storytelling, bringing together olfactory art and stories working with writers, scent experts, and performers to present Smell-O-Vision cinema events, 'stinky story' workshops and even smelly puppet show theatre for kids.