No Tax Cuts, No Benefit Cuts, Just Haircuts (And Coffee)
Political Cutz: Pop up Salon Returns

A collaboration between quirky theatre makers and chatty hairdressers will see the return of Political Cutz, a pop-up hair salon offering cheap coffee and free professional haircuts to people in exchange for political discussion in the lead up to the General Election.

Barbarian Productions and Maverick Creative are remounting their successful 2014 event for this year’s election, hoping to foster conversation in a space designed to capture the glory of 80s salons, complete with neon, mullets, and questionable fashion choices. Visitors to the salon will find great coffee at incredible prices, warm and friendly hosts, and a comfortable space in which to sit and soak up the atmosphere - the room is full of conversation, information, curiosity. Here, visitors can simply observe or can get more involved, by chatting with the hosts and each other, leaving thoughts on the wall, or ultimately receiving a free haircut - in exchange for a political conversation with the hairdresser.

Speaking to The Spinoff in June this year, Barbarian’s Head Clown Thomas Lahood asked: “What is the value of theatre? Who does it make a difference for? There’s a newfound social purpose that we really strive for.” Political Cutz embraces this social purpose, and has at its core a desire for genuine engagement across the spectrum, dispensing with political affiliations and looking for opportunities to connect, rather than disengage.

Political Cutz first took place in Wellington in Sept. 2014, prior to the last New Zealand General Election. The salon was visited by 400 people engaging in political discussion, and a further 1800 followed the conversation via the project's social media presence on Facebook and Twitter. Funding and support was provided by Wellington City Council, Urban Dream Brokerage and The McGuinness Institute.

For its 2017 season Political Cutz is seeking support through Boosted, the Arts Foundation's all-or-nothing crowdfunding platform. The campaign’s target is $3000, and donations are not only tax-deductible, they’re also vital for helping ensure Political Cutz is as open, inviting, and effective as possible.

“It’s important to us that the barrier to entry remain as low as possible," says Maverick director and hairdresser Jason Muir. "We want to maximise the opportunities people have to engage, and make sure that communities who usually don’t find their voices counted see this as a place to go.”

About Barbarian Productions: Jo Randerson and Thomas Lahood are Barbarian, a company which writes, performs and makes media that is fierce, funny and counter-cultural. We make work inside and outside of theatres, with groups and individuals, amateurs and professionals. Our work ranges from large scale theatre works (Yo Future, White Elephant) to smaller, interactive street experiments with an online component (Brides, Help Us Change, Dress Up Jam). We strive for a new economics in performance which allow a broader audience to participate in our work.

About Maverick Creative: Director Jason Muir has been involved in various interesting creative projects over his 20+ years hairdressing career, initially in industry specific events and fashion events/projects then evolving to theatre, street theatre & public art as a means to convey his trade in a unique context. Other collaborations with Barbarian include Political Cuts 2014, Grand Opening, and Rates Cuts.


POLITICAL CUTZ 2017
Dates: 4-9 September 2017
Venue: Popping up in Wellington, announcements to be made soon...
Tickets: Free Entry! Free Haircuts! Cheap Coffee!
Boosted: www.boosted.org.nz/projects/political-cutz
More: www.politicalcuts.co.nz or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

ENDS

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