Going Off Script

We decided we would reflect on season 2 and share a few stories of our own about some of our time at Basement Theatre

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

For our last interview we have Ben, Cherie and Robin from Last Tapes Theatre Company

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Benjamin trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, whilst directing productions for the London fringe and cabaret circuit. Having directed productions in Germany and France, as well as nine consecutive years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Ben moved to Auckland to continue his career.Ben has become known for his adaptations of classics, including Titus and Earnest for Fractious Tash and a musical version of Edith Nesbitt's classic Five Children and It which received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival.His dark, original thriller Not Psycho was performed by Fractious Tash at Q Theatre in August 2015.Ben’s directing credits are many including The Tempest (AUSA), This Is Our Youth (Basement Theatre), The Effect, Not Psycho, Earnest, and Titus (Fractious Tash), Camino Real, Punk Rock, The Turn Of The Screw, Red Speedo (ATC), Twelfth Night (Fortune Theatre), and Valerie (Last Tapes Theatre Company)

Cherie is a singer, actor, vocal coach, director, producer, and a company director of Last Tapes TheatreCompany. She is a graduate of The Actors’ Program, has a double degree in Drama and English from the University of Auckland, and has studied singing for the last 20 years.She is the founder and creative director of Ihi Musical Theatre Company –an auditioned youth company launching in June this year. She teaches singing to a private studio of students, for The Actors’ Program, as an itinerant teacher, and for The Auckland Performing Arts Centre. Cherie regularly vocal coaches voice and singing for professional productions in New Zealand.Cherie has been directing since2011. Recent credits include: Hubbub (Basement Theatre), Love and Information (Asst.Director, Basement Theatre), Swimming With Whales In Tonga (Nelson and Hamilton Fringe),99% for the Short & Sweet Festival where she wonBest Director. Cherie has been directing large scale musical theatre productionsfor high schools since 2015, including Seussical, Grease, Threepenny Opera, The Wiz, and The Addams Family. Cherie co-created and performed in Last Tapes’ show ‘Valerie’ in 2016, named cabaret of the year by The Herald, and most original production at the Auckland Theatre Award. Cherie is represented by Auckland Actors, and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity.

Robin graduated with a BMus/BSc from the University of Auckland in 2011 majoring in composition, andstudied classical piano for over 15 years with Australian Music Examination Board and Trinity College London.Valerie is Robin’s first original work, receiving critical acclaim and going on to tour New Zealand festivals in 2017 and 2018 (Nelson, Kokomai, NZ Festival, Dunedin, Hawke's Bay)Robin works as an accompanist, repetiteur, musical director, arranger, composer, choir leader, and is company director of Last Tapes. Robin’s credits include Musical Director for The Last Five Years (Last Tapes), Earnest (Fractious Tash & Last Tapes), The Events (Silo, 2015), Guys and Dolls (ATC, 2015), and Night of the Queer (TAPAC, 2015-2016). Other roles include choir leader for Stimmung Choir, and founder of Auckland-based band The Bethell Gang.Robin is currently working on a follow up to 'Valerie' -weaving together science, personal history, and music to create a new show about memory.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

Julia Croft joined us behind the mic

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Julia Croft is a New Zealand based live artist and theatre maker creating work uses feminist theory and politics to investigate themes of gender, power, representation and the body. She trained at as an actor at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School graduating in 2008 and has since undertaken further training at L'Ecole Philippe Gaulier in Paris in 2011 and with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company in New York City in 2014/2015. Julia also holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Theatre. Julia has worked with some of the top theatre companies in New Zealand as a performer and devisor and since 2015 has been creating her own performances full time. Her works have had enormous success in New Zealand and have toured throughout the country as well as to Australia, the UK, and most recently Singapore and Canada.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

Our good mate Hayley Sproull comes in for a yarn!

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Hayley Sproull is an actor, comedian, musician and writer originally from Wellington, New Zealand. She is a 2011 graduate of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School, where she earned a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Acting. Sproull’s passion for theatre and comedy has lead her to create a number of successful comedy works, including Miss Fletcher Sings the Blues, Outsiders’ Guide, Tighty Whiteys, Milky Bits and Vanilla Miraka, earning her an array of praise and accolades, including Best New Comer at the NZ International Comedy Festival 2012, the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Most Promising Female New Comer in 2013 and most recently Best Actress and Best Composer at The Wellington Theatre Awards 2016. Sproull was also nominated for a New Zealand Film Award in 2014 for her role in the short film School Night. She’s a current writer on Three’s Jono and Ben, Seven Days and Funny Girls with a weekly segment, Hayley Bailey on Jono and Ben. She regularly makes comedy content for TVNZ as well as being the co-host of The Great Kiwi Bake Off on TVNZ 2. Her short film Marching Girls is currently being turned into a feature film, and when she isn’t writing, performing or composing, you’ll find her on the marching field as a member of the Champion Marching Drill Team, Lochiel.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

Dominic Hoey is up next.

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Dominic Hoey is an author, playwright and poet based in Auckland

His debut novel, Iceland was a New Zealand bestseller and was long-listed for the 2018 Ockham Book Award.

He’s released two books of poetry, four studio albums and a million photos of his dog Chilli. Many moons ago Dominic was an MC battle and slam-poetry champion. He’s performed his spoken-word poetry in Australia, Europe, England, Japan, America and Port Chalmers.

His autobiographical play Your Heart Looks Like a Vagina, a dark comedy about living with autoimmune disease had three sell out runs.

He’s currently working on his second novel and a new collection of poetry.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

On this episode we talk to this awesome trio.

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Award winning actor and director Sophie Roberts graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2007. From 2008 – 2013 she free-lanced as an actor, director, dramaturg, producer, writer and teacher; creating work for many of Auckland and Wellington’s major theatre companies and venues. Her directing credits include BOYS WILL BE BOYS, PERPLEX, THE EVENTS, THE BOOK OF EVERYTHING, MIDSUMMER, THE PRIDE, I LOVE YOU BRO and SUNDAY ROAST. Her awards include- Standout Performer: Wellington Fringe Festival - Best New Director: Wellington Theatre Awards - Most Promising Female Newcomer: Wellington Theatre Awards – Production of the Year: Wellington Theatre Awards - and a nomination for Best New Playwright: Wellington Theatre Awards – Excellence In All Aspects Of Production: Auckland Theatre Awards Sophie is a graduate of the Future Auckland Leaders Programme and became Artistic Director for Silo Theatre in 2014.

Dan Musgrove is an award-winning writer and actor based in Auckland NZ. He was the born and raised in Marlborough, before studying drama at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in Wellington. His stage acting credits include Angels in America, Midsummer, and Holding the Man for Silo Theatre, and Romeo and Juliet for Auckland Theatre Company. He currently stars in the popular TV3 drama Westside, which is about to enter its fifth season. Other screen acting credits include the lead role of Marty Johnstone in the NZ Underbelly series, Brokenwood Mysteries and Go Girls. As a playwright, he co-wrote the Michael Hurst solo show No Holds Bard, and two sell out comedy shows Christ Almighty and Toys. As a screenwriter, he has written for seasons 3-5 of Westside. He has a feature film in development with Four Knights Films.

Currently Natalie is storylining and writing scripts for South Pacific Pictures and Australian channel 7’s 800 Words, season three. She also wrote on season 1. Prior to that she wrote for TV 2’s comedy Agent Anna (Nominated for best comedy episode at NZ’s prestigious SWANZ awards 2014). She has also storylined and written TV3’s third series of Almighty Johnson’s (Nominated for best drama episode at NZ’s SWANZ Awards 2013). Natalie began storylining and writing on Shortland Street. Natalie also has experience writing for kids TV, with Channel Four’s The Moe Show.

She has also written NZ Film Commission funded comedy feature Shearing the Love, which is in production with preeminent Four Knights Films. She also has a feature Daisy Chain, in development with the NZFC’s program 48+. She wrote and directed NZFC funded short film Goodness Grows Here. Her latest short film, The Pact, was accepted into the prestigious Oldenberg Festival.

Natalie was also short listed (from five hundred applications to six) with her series Exillium for Australian Freemantle’s Blue Sky Initiative

Natalie also wrote and stared in NZ on air funded comedy webseries Yeti.

Theatrically Natalie wrote sell-out hit Christmas monologue shows Toys, and Christ Almighty! (Nominated for best new play – 2010 SWANZ Awards). She also co-wrote and directed Michael Hurst’s solo show No Holds Bard. Her latest work was Near Death Experience which she also wrote and directed.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

Executive Director of the Basement Theatre Elise Sterback is behind the mic on todays episode.

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Elise joined Basement Theatre in 2013 and is currently the Executive Director. She has produced several theatre productions including The Motherfucker with the Hat, Abigail's Party and Heteroperformative through her company Vibracorp. Elise is a long-time arts advocate, she sat on the Board of Auckland advocacy group Creative Coalition for 10 years, and is now a trustee of Arts Regional Trust, a strategic investment body for the Auckland arts sector.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

On this episode we are talking to Gabrielle Vincent, Programming Director at the Basement Theatre.

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Gabrielle is a New Zealand based curator and is in her fourth year as Programming Director at the Basement Theatre in Auckland. Alongside Kee Hong Low (West Kowloon Cultural District) and Ira Brand (Forest Fringe), Gabrielle is a co-curator of the International Colab - a three year initiative that supports artists to exchange artistic skills, techniques and cultural knowledge and push their creative practice. Before taking on the position of Programming Director she worked across a variety of disciplines and in many roles within the live performance process: producer, stage manager, director. In 2014 she was offered the position of Producer in Residence at Basement Theatre before moving into her current role. From 2006 – 2008 she studied at UNITEC School of Performing and Screen Arts majoring in Directing for Theatre. During her final year of study she was co-producer for SmackBang Theatre Company. When leaving university Gabrielle went on to direct independent productions alongside freelancing as a stage manger around New Zealand, primarily with Auckland Theatre Company.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

We are talking all things 'technical' with Aaron Livingstone aka Ronnie. Technical Manager at The Basement Theatre

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Ronnie spent 3 years studying music & live event management in London. Since graduating he has been apart of the technical team for various festivals around the world including Australia and Edinburgh. For the past 3 years Ronnie has been apart of the Basement Theatre Family as the Technical Manager, he's always up for a good yarn and a pint at the bar.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds

This episode we are talking to Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu

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Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu (Ngapuhi/Te Rarawa) is an Auckland, NZ based writer, actor and theatre/filmmaker of mixed race descent. Her father is Māori and her mother is Pākehā (Caucasian/Scottish). Josephine has written for screen and theatre over the past 10 years, and has just completed her directional debut for her short film, “Ani”.

Recorded and Edited - Matt Eller

Theme Music - Ricky Simmonds