Ex-Pat Kiwi Actor Returns To The Stage

Classic NZ Play & Ex-Pat Kiwi Actor Return To The Stage

Neighbours star returns to New Zealand to tread the boards in The end of the golden weather.

AUCKLAND, April 28, 2006 – Actor Stephen Lovatt, who plays Max on Neighbours, will swap the quintessential Aussie suburb for idyllic 1930s New Zealand in July when he performs in a new production of the classic play, The end of the golden weather.

The end of the golden weather was written by New Zealand playwright Bruce Mason in 1951 and originally performed by Mason as a one-man show throughout the 1950s and 1960s. In addition to being a much-studied play for secondary school students, it was also successfully adapted into an award-winning film directed by Ian Mune in 1991.

This new production returns to the original one-man performance format, directed by Mark Clare and produced by Graeme Bennett. It will be performed by Stephen Lovatt at the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, THE EDGE® from July 18 to 30.

Through Playmarket, approval was sought from the Mason estate and agreement was reached on the editing and length of the original script. The result is a 70-minute version of the script that creates a concise narrative flow while losing none of the evocative nature of the language.

“Modern culture in its advances has lost some of the joys of literature,” said producer Graeme Bennett. “This is a tale told with a love of language – language to inspire and illuminate a history that should never be forgotten.

“We aim to not only maintain the legacy of great New Zealand writing but to encourage an audience of today’s younger generation into the theatre.”

The end of the golden weather will be a return to the stage for Mr Lovatt, who has been a cast member of Neighbours since 2002 playing Max Hoyland. After training at the New Zealand Drama School, Mr Lovatt gained extensive experience in television, film and theatre in New Zealand and Australia.

Based on the success of the STAMP season of The end of the golden weather, the production will tour schools around the greater Auckland region in association with THE EDGE® Public Programmes. An extended regional and national tour may also follow.

ENDS

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