“A Little Gem” Set To Sparkle At Bats

The self-devised play which wowed Auckland audiences hopes to strike the same chord with Wellingtonians in March. Lively actors Josephine Stewart-Tewhiu and Isla Adamson will present their comic tour de force Ruby Tuesday, playing between them eight eccentric and hilarious characters from a fictional Kiwi high school whose constant clashing causes an untimely death.

Likened to the work of television’s Summer Heights High creator Chris Lilley, Ruby Tuesday sees the actors switch among a range of characters from teenage delinquents to a headmistress who rules with an iron fist. The piece saw both actors named as ones to watch in The New Zealand Herald’s review of 2009’s theatre offerings. Theatreview contributors also praised their work; critic Sian Robertson noted Ruby Tuesday “plumbs the depths of its characters, ultimately transcending the wickedly funny stereotypes", concluding that the show had “broad appeal”.

The actors met at drama school in Auckland and wrote the piece last summer upon graduating. “Its success has really blown us away,” says Adamson. “We didn’t want to finish drama school with no acting opportunities on the horizon so we entered the Auckland Fringe and that gave us a deadline for putting ourselves in front of an audience. Which was terrifying at the time!”

The show was then re-staged by Auckland’s performing arts mega-structure The Edge® in their pick of the Fringe show in July.

Stewart-Tewhiu says both actors are greatly excited about reprising their roles for the BATS season; “Every actor in New Zealand knows of the Wellington Fringe. To perform a piece we wrote as part of it is a huge stepping stone for us and for Ruby Tuesday.” Ruby Tuesday plays at BATS March 3-13 as part of the New Zealand Fringe Festival.

To book tickets for Ruby Tuesday: book@bats.co.nz Ph: 04 802 4175 www.bats.co.nz

ENDS

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