Free Theatre Christchurch (est. 1979) is New Zealand's longest running producer of experimental theatre. The company serves as an interdisciplinary performance laboratory where artists work together to create innovative, high quality performance work.
News and Views
KAFKA'S AMERIKA - new work for 2014: Free Theatre is laying the groundwork for a new theatrical project that takes further our experimentation with the latest available technology. Conceived as an interactive multimedia theatre production, Kafka's Amerika explores the all-pervasive America of our present as achieved utopia or nightmare. It will include collaboration with sculptors, filmmakers and exponents of cutting edge technology. Kafka's Amerika builds on the success of I Sing the Body Electric, which in 2012 was named by the Press, 'Best Theatre Production': "this was a production to plunge into rather than politely nibble and analyse... theatre for all the senses. Outstanding".
FOOTPRINTS/TAPUWAE - a revival: Free Theatre is looking to revive this production to coincide with Te Matatini in March 2015. First presented in 2001, to launch Te Puna Toi (Performance Research Project), this critically acclaimed and very popular production juxtaposes motifs from Wagner's Ring Cycle with waiata and haka. Learn more about the original production here. Footprints/Tapuwae may involve collaboration with the CSO, building on our collaboration in Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale for the 2013 Christchurch Arts Festival.
FOOTPRINTS/TAPUWAE - a revival: Free Theatre is looking to revive this production to coincide with Te Matatini in March 2015. First presented in 2001, to launch Te Puna Toi (Performance Research Project), this critically acclaimed and very popular production juxtaposes motifs from Wagner's Ring Cycle with waiata and haka. Learn more about the original production here. Footprints/Tapuwae may involve collaboration with the CSO, building on our collaboration in Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale for the 2013 Christchurch Arts Festival.
CANTERBURY TALES A HUGE SUCCESS!: Free Theatre's hard work over the year paid off with thousands flocking back into the inner city for this special event that ran as part of FESTA 2013. Canterbury Tales saw a huge range of artists, businesses and volunteers collaborating together to bring the inner city to life over Labour weekend. We've received so many wonderful responses. This is very much appreciated. We've also received a huge amount of interest in future puppet workshops. And it seems many are keen for the puppets to get out and about more often. We're working on it! Click HERE for more images and media coverage of the event.
NZ PLAYMARKET ANNUAL: Free Theatre features in the recent 2013 Playmarket Journal. Also see the 2012 journal with articles about our work in Christchurch including an article that refers to I Sing the Body Electric as an example of New Zealand theatre pushing the boundaries with contemporary technology.
SEARCHING FOR A TRANSITIONAL SPACE: Free Theatre has received Christchurch City Council funding to develop a multi-disciplinary space in inner city Christchurch. The earthquake of February 2011 has made our spaces in the Arts Centre - the University Theatre and Nibelheim - off limits and Old Queen's Theatre in Hereford St has been demolished. Since then, we have performed in diverse spaces, including St Mary's Church in Addington, The Tannery and the Jack Mann Studio.
FREE THEATRE IN AMONGST IT: Alongside our ongoing Free Theatre work - including post-quake productions such as: Canterbury Tales, I Sing the Body Electric, Hereafter, and The Earthquake in Chile - members have initiated high profile post-earthquake projects such as Gap Filler, Life in Vacant Spaces, Arts Circus, The River of Arts and the Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA). This involvement was featured in a Press article last year, "A Canterbury tale of Rebirth", and a 2012 Listener article, "Outside the Square".
A NEW WEBSITE AND ARCHIVES: thanks to Canterbury Community Trust and Creative Communities we are able to bring you a new website and a presentation of some of the Free Theatre archives - 34 years of goodness! This summer we will be looking to present materials from the 1980s and 90s.
SEARCHING FOR A TRANSITIONAL SPACE: Free Theatre has received Christchurch City Council funding to develop a multi-disciplinary space in inner city Christchurch. The earthquake of February 2011 has made our spaces in the Arts Centre - the University Theatre and Nibelheim - off limits and Old Queen's Theatre in Hereford St has been demolished. Since then, we have performed in diverse spaces, including St Mary's Church in Addington, The Tannery and the Jack Mann Studio.
FREE THEATRE IN AMONGST IT: Alongside our ongoing Free Theatre work - including post-quake productions such as: Canterbury Tales, I Sing the Body Electric, Hereafter, and The Earthquake in Chile - members have initiated high profile post-earthquake projects such as Gap Filler, Life in Vacant Spaces, Arts Circus, The River of Arts and the Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA). This involvement was featured in a Press article last year, "A Canterbury tale of Rebirth", and a 2012 Listener article, "Outside the Square".
A NEW WEBSITE AND ARCHIVES: thanks to Canterbury Community Trust and Creative Communities we are able to bring you a new website and a presentation of some of the Free Theatre archives - 34 years of goodness! This summer we will be looking to present materials from the 1980s and 90s.
Please click HERE to read our October 2013 Newsletter
