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"For quarter of a century Free Theatre has refined cultural
horizons and shaped Christchurch's perceptions of contemporary theatre"
- The Press, 21 May 2008 |
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"For quarter of a century Free Theatre has refined cultural
horizons and shaped Christchurch's perceptions of contemporary theatre"
- The Press, 21 May 2008 |
|
RING 365-3159 FOR ENQUIRIES OR TO BOOK TICKETS
LISTEN: Distraction Camp segment on Radio NZ, Arts on Sunday, 22 Nov 2009
DISTRACTION CAMP preview story - The Press, 27 November 2009
Then What is Freedom? - Theatreview, reviewed by Whetu Fala
Play hard work, but worth the effort - The Press, reviewed by Alan Scott
Check out the What's Happening page for info on all our projects in the pipeline: Distraction Camp; the first public screening of the Free Theatre film Remake; Werner Fritsch's Faustus, which is slated for May 2010; and another Fritsch "duologue", Bring Me the Head of Kurt Cobain.
Faust Chroma, which we toured to Wellington in February of this year, has been nominated for the MONTANA AWARD FOR MOST ORIGINAL PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR. There were three nominees out of more than 100 eligible productions.
Free Theatre Christchurch was established in 1982 as an incorporated society with its own theatre in the Christchurch Arts Centre (New Zealand). Its original mission statement included the following objectives: to stage old and new rarely staged European plays in original translations, new New Zealand plays, and classical English texts in an unusual and experimental style. From the start the emphasis has been on non-verbal action and high production standards, discouraging the star system and encouraging long rehearsal and training periods in a company context. Actors and other artists are paid most often directly from box office receipts. Past productions include: Woyzeck, King Ubu, Round Dance, King Lear, 1984, Cowboy Mouth, Mahagonny, Lulu, Elektra, Hamletmachine, Salome, MedeaMaterial, Power, Crusoe, Krapps Last Tape, Last Days of Mankind, Samson Airline, Footprints/Tapuwae... Return of the Native, Fantasia, Philoctetes, Diana Down Under, and Faust Feast.
Taking its inspiration from European predecessors (Freie Bühne in Germany, Théâtre Libre in France), Free Theatre Christchurch consistently strives for its productions to be "free": free from social conventions, free from political limitations, free from audience expectations and, as much as possible in contemporary society, free from bottom-line financial considerations.
In a society in which artistic success is increasingly inseparable from commercial success, Free Theatre Christchurch tries to preserve or rediscover what might be an antiquated notion of autonomous art.
We are assembling this site from scratch to explain and archive an organisation that has been active for 25 years. It's quite an undertaking. Everything is only partially complete, and we'll continue adding more new and archival material as we can. If you have anything to contribute, by all means get in touch. Email admin @ freetheatre.org.nz
LISTEN: Distraction Camp segment on Radio NZ, Arts on Sunday, 22 Nov 2009Nov 2007
