Northland's UPSURGE Festival releases its full programme of events

The UPSURGE Festival 2015 is thrilled to release its full programme of events, which was officially presented at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri on Saturday 14 February 2015.

This rebirth of the Bay of Islands Arts Festival is jam packed with a diverse and colourful array of performances that will warm your heart, lift your spirits, inspire and delight. With events taking place in Paihia, Russell, Kerikeri, Kaikohe, Omapere, Hokianga and Kohukohu, festival goers are encouraged to experience as many of the performances as possible to not only ‘see something new’, but also to support your local community. The venues have been thoughtfully considered for each performance to create a memorable experience for all.

Sally Macauley, Chair of the Bay of Islands Arts Festival Trust commented “As we move forward it is important we evolve with the changing times to develop a new audience for the festival and to this end may I congratulate the Trustees for their perception, ingenuity and creativity as they’ve considered the showcase of talent you will be fortunate to experience....”.

Working in collaboration with the Festival of Colour in Wanaka, UPSURGE Festival has been able to secure some outstanding artists, including Australia’s hottest new circus company Casus who present “Knee Deep” - a breathtaking display of humanity and incredible physical skill by four performers at the top of their game.

On the first day of the creative long weekend, a fabulous piece of family theatre “The Pianist” sees a high brow concert turned into a spectacularly amusing catastrophe of a show. Held at the Turner Centre, which also holds the biannual Kerikeri International Piano Competition, this is a delight for ages 8+.

Another one for all the family from the award-winning company Trick of the Light Theatre, comes “The Bookbinder” - a story of mystery, magic and mayhem. Inspired by the works of Chris Van Allsburg, Neil Gaiman and Joy Cowley, The Bookbinder” weaves shadowplay, paper art, puppetry and music into an inventive performance for adventurous adults and curious children. This absorbing performance will be held in Pompallier House, Russell where some of the very first books in New Zealand were bound.

Screenwriter, playwright and novelist Duncan Sarkies and musician Joe Blossom together recreate the work from Sarkie’s new novel The Demolition of the Century in a humorous and sometimes heartbreaking look at families, memories and the fragility of the human mind. The Dominion Post quoted ‘.....a highly entertaining hour of animated readings and music’. A must see for literary lovers!

The festival boasts a diverse line-up of musical talent, including celebrated New Zealand musician Tim Finn who delivers a performance show crafted with award-winning playwright Ken Duncum and filmmaker Sue Healey. “White Cloud” is an alchemy of observation, photographs and journals, story and song, delivering a potent celebration of family, ancestors and what it means to be Pakeha.

Sal Valentine & The Babyshakes deliver an infectious and original selection of rhythm and blues at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel in Russell and Eb & Sparrow, a genre-defying five piece folk band, offer a unique performance moving effortlessly between a country shuffle, a Tex-Mex croon and a hazy honing workout, creating a delightful and memorable afternoon at Marsden Estate.

Out of the Box, Hip Hop with Attitude comes with an all new show featuring innovative work from some of Aotearoa’s finest Hip Hop choreographers and dancers; and for a special night at the Copthorne Resort Hotel in Hokianga, New Zealand’s International award-winning barbershop quartet The Musical Island Boys will deliver a dazzling performance of vocal range and skill, entertaining both young and old.

For our younger audience there is self-confessed story-o-phile Tanya Batt whose love of stories and storytelling is evident in her magical and quirky retelling of traditional tales. Adam Page, a multi-instrumentalist will wow both young and old with his high energy, sense of fun and fantastic music as he records live instruments into loop pedals using bass, beatboxing, didgeridoo, harmony flute and maybe even his beard!

UPSURGE is offering a special programme of selected performances for schools across the Far North region – please see the festival website for more details. In addition, members from the hippest Hip Hop groups around the country will be holding workshops for all ages.

For more details on all of the performances and workshops, please visit www.upsurgefestival.co.nz

All tickets are available at The Turner Centre either in person, by phone booking or online at www.turnercentre.co.nz

Be sure to get the tickets to the shows you want to see, and make fantastic savings with the Early Bird discount of $4 per ticket. This offer is available until 14 March or until Early Bird allocation has been sold.

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