FREE THEATRE CHRISTCHURCH
  • ABOUT
    • A brief history...
    • Peter Falkenberg
    • Ensemble and Collaborators
    • Shirley Horrocks documentary
    • Jarry, Ubu, Pataphysics and Free Theatres
    • Training and Devising
    • Space and Design
    • Manifesto and Writings
    • Free Theatre Advisory Group
    • Te Puna Toi
    • Praise and Awards
  • UPCOMING
    • Erewhon: Over the Range
    • Digitising Performance
    • Endgame
    • Ubu Nights
    • Woyzeck
  • EDUCATION
    • Kidsfest and Holiday Programmes
    • Schools Workshops
    • Research, Publication and Symposia
    • Adult workshops
  • VENUE
  • ARCHIVE
    • Productions 1979 - present
    • Image Gallery 1979 - present
    • TV3 Clips
    • Selected Reviews
  • SUPPORT

Canterbury Tales

production credits


Following on from the success of LUXCITY, this year’s main event for FESTA 2013 is the carnivalesque Canterbury Tales, conceived and led by Free Theatre Christchurch. This extravaganza of light, colour and interactivity will delight, stimulate and offer reflection as we explore the past, present and future of Christchurch. At 8.30pm the procession of large puppets and masked performers will assemble near the Bridge of Remembrance and follow a specific path through the central city at night: along the river to Worcester Bridge before ending at the heart of the city in Cathedral Square. Spectators can join the procession at any point as it moves through different sites that come alive with diverse performances, soundscapes, lights, hospitality, interactive architecture and installations. This unique experience is the major event for this year’s festival, creating a city-within-a-city based around different Canterbury tales - expect to see the city like you’ve never seen it before! Dress up, wear a mask and come join the carnival of Canterbury Tales.
We love theatre, music, cultural events, art –
just look at the numbers that flowed into Cathedral Square
for Canterbury Tales during FESTA..."

Mayor Lianne Dalziel.
"The event and its creators achieve the miracle of wonder"
Lin Clark, Theatreview
...the interaction between the puppets and the audience was the magical stuff"
Will Harvie, The Press
You'd be forgiven for thinking you'd stepped right into a children's storybook"
Chloe Palmer, TV3

Galleries (clink on the images below)

Canterbury Tales
Symposium
Meet the Puppets
Workshop and Design
Dress Rehearsal
Site Preparation
Picture
The lead Friar embraces Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel.
Other Galleries
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Views and Reviews

Making Possible
Clare Chapman, Architecture Now, January 2014

Opportunity springs from disaster
Mayor Lianne Dalziel, The Press, 20 December 2013

Creative thinkers engage with real world problems
Ryan Reynolds, George Parker and Peter Falkenberg, The Press, 18 November 2013

Rebuild needs to get moving
Lyall Lukey, 25 March 2014


Giant puppets take over Christchurch streets
Kloe Palmer, TV3 News, 28 October 2013

Puppets parade through streets
Will Harvie, The Press, 28 October 2013

Three best things about Festa
Will Harvie, The Press, 29 October 2013

Pilgrimage achieves the miracle of wonder
Lin Clark, Theatreview, 28 October 2013

Oh sweet nothin'
Bruce Russell, The Wire, October 2013

Festa round-up
James Dann, Rebuilding Christchurch, 28 October 2013

Previews and Publicity

Canterbury puppet show: a sneak peek
John Sellwood, Campbell Live, 21 October 2013​

From Under the fale Pacific Underground rises

The Big Idea, 24 October 2014


What city do we want to emulate?
Johnny Moore, The Press, 24 October 2013

Better living through puppetry
Grant Cattermole, Christchurch City Libraries, 23 October 2013

Time to bring an empty city to life
George Parker, The Press, 22 October 2013

"A Canterbury tale of Rebirth"
Charlie Gates, The Press, 2013

FESTA - creating a city-within-a-city
Vicki Anderson, The Press, 21 October 2013

Take Five
Guy Somerset, Listener
, 17 October 2013

Canterbury Tales
Lynn Freeman interviewing Tanya Muagututi'a and George Parker, Radio New Zealand Arts on Sunday, 10 October 2013

Influentials: Christchurch arts after the quakes
Sally Blundell, The Listener, 23 September 2013

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  • ABOUT
    • A brief history...
    • Peter Falkenberg
    • Ensemble and Collaborators
    • Shirley Horrocks documentary
    • Jarry, Ubu, Pataphysics and Free Theatres
    • Training and Devising
    • Space and Design
    • Manifesto and Writings
    • Free Theatre Advisory Group
    • Te Puna Toi
    • Praise and Awards
  • UPCOMING
    • Erewhon: Over the Range
    • Digitising Performance
    • Endgame
    • Ubu Nights
    • Woyzeck
  • EDUCATION
    • Kidsfest and Holiday Programmes
    • Schools Workshops
    • Research, Publication and Symposia
    • Adult workshops
  • VENUE
  • ARCHIVE
    • Productions 1979 - present
    • Image Gallery 1979 - present
    • TV3 Clips
    • Selected Reviews
  • SUPPORT