Production Archive

Quorndon, the setting for this ‘Shakespeariment’, is a place a bit like the sea-side town of Brighton in England, small but [self]-important – and a Dukedom. But really it might be anywhere. The duke of this ‘dom’ is a reluctant one who is hoping to hand over the reigns of power to the man who marries his daughter, Vesta.
Suitors have come from far afield and will, it seems, go to great lengths to win the lady and the duchy. Ludovico, cousin to the Countess of Florence, has braved the ocean to be here, but his naivety and the machinations of others set the action of the play in motion.
This is a tale of shipwrecks and star-crossed lovers, cunning plans and, of course, Actors and a wedding.
The story will be familiar to those who love the bard, as it began its life as a Shakespearean project. Written in New Zealand, by New Zealanders, and on stage south of the Cook Strait for the first time, it cleverly incorporates most of Shakespeare’s archetypes and themes but with modern costumes and setting and a fresh young cast, all of which bring Shakespeare into today. If you look closely you might recognise a hint of Tybalt, Demetrius or Puck, but for those a tad more modern, the playwrights’ appreciation for more recent comedies, from Blackadder to Britney Spears, might be recognised.