The Engine Room
— The whole world is watching...
In 1981 a racially selected South African rugby team toured New Zealand for the first time in fifteen years, and our country was plunged into chaos. Flash forward a few decades, and the 2008 election saw the conflict make headlines again, when National leader John Key told reporters he ‘couldn’t remember’ his position on the tour. So what was John doing during these fateful months? And where was Aunty Helen? The Engine Room imagines these political icons in a partly factual, mostly fictional account of two seminal moments in New Zealand’s history.
Premiered September 2011
BATS Theatre
Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington), NZ
Outstanding New Playwright of the Year
Supporting Actress of the Year - Erin Banks
Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards 2011
Cast
John Key, Peter Davis, Phil Goff, Heather Simpson
Alex Greig
Joan Anderton, Gerry Brownlee, Ruth Key, Mark Sainsbury, Matt Lawrey, Bronagh Key, Don Brash
Erin Banks
Jim Anderton, Kevin Taylor, George Clark
Paul Harrop
Helen Clark,
Steve Joyce
Harriette Cowan
Crew
Director
Hannah Smith
Writer
Ralph McCubbin Howell
Composition & Sound Design
Tane Upjohn Beatson
Producer
Hannah Banks
Lighting Design
Uther Dean
Costume Design
Dawa Devereux
Set Designer
Nick Zwart
Choreography
Richard Dey
Poster Design
Edward Watson
Lighting Operator
William O’Neill
Stage Manager
Ellen Walsh
Graphic Design & Programme
Alex Rabina
AV Research
Veronica Harwood-Stevenson
Publicity
Ally Garrett
Hannah Banks
Felix Desmarais
Image: Edward Watson
