Silo Theatre: On The Brink Of Transformation With This Other Life

Wednesday night was a glimpse into the future of Silo Theatre; not only in terms of what they have in store for Auckland audiences in 2010 – but also the bold new future they’re planning.

John Key shared the ASB Theatre stage with Oliver Driver, nabbing the laughs and ribbing Driver in the same sense the Silo Theatre regular would to guests on Sunrise, last night’s announcement of Silo Theatre’s Ensemble marked the first Key has launched since becoming Prime Minister.

Since the repositioning of Silo Theatre in early 2008 – the company has been actively engaged in developing strategies for Auckland’s continued artistic growth. In 2012, Silo Theatre will push theatre culture forward by splitting their programme of activity into three components – working in parallel and at times inter-related development.

SITE FOR DEVELOPMENT will focus exclusively on both emerging and established artists and new works with a robust developmental framework outside of mainbill activity. Initiatives such as The Ensemble Project will be continued through this programming strand, but reconfigured and presented in a new format.

ADVANCING AUDIENCES will focus on both the delivery of work that has a strategic focus on revenue development but will also continue to build and develop Silo Theatre’s primary and secondary audiences. It will concentrate on telling urban stories to metropolitan audiences.

ENSEMBLE will see Silo Theatre employ a collaborative company of resident actors, directors and designers. Employed on a six month contract every year, they will create four bold works, showcasing energetic, disciplined and uncompromising performances. They’ll be epic in scale, with no embargo on either ambition or artistic risk. Work commissioned specifically for the artists will exist alongside excavated classics.

Silo Theatre is currently regarded as one of the two signature theatre companies in Auckland. Last night’s exciting announcement indicates the company really forging in new directions, both onstage and back of house, in 2013.

It wasn’t strictly about the not-too-distant future though, as next year’s season THIS OTHER LIFE provides Auckland audiences with a bold portfolio of contemporary work:

• Jennifer Ward-Lealand as you’ve never seen her before in Polly Stenham’s trail-blazing debut THAT FACE
• WHEN THE RAIN STOPS FALLING: award-winning theatre of miracles from the writer of LANTANA, directed by Artistic Director Shane Bosher and featuring Alison Bruce, Simon London, Jennifer Ludlam and Morgana O’Reilly
• a timely revival of Stephen Sondheim’s gobsmackingly brilliant musical ASSASSINS, directed by Oliver Driver
• HAPPY DAYS: a tour de force of tragic clowning with Robyn Malcolm and Cameron Rhodes, the first production of Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece since a 1977 Theatre Corporate production with Elizabeth McRae
• Oliver Driver and Peter Elliott creating total theatrical mayhem in Will Eno’s cult hit THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING). Existential stand-up for the Ricky Gervais generation.
• emerging actors Natalie Medlock and Matt Whelan tearing up the stage in Dunedin playwright Richard Huber’s GLORIOUS: a shameless new take on the whole “boy-hates-girl” rom com thing

JOURNEY THROUGH EXISTENCE with Silo Theatre.

View John Key’s interview with Oliver Driver online: http://www.3news.co.nz/John-Key-interviews-Oliver-Driver---web-exclusive/tabid/572/articleID/129309/cat/635/Default.aspx

View Silo Theatre’s 2010 Season THIS OTHER LIFE: http://www.silotheatre.co.nz

ENDS