CIRCA THEATRE PRESENTS

a rehearsed reading of

Scarlet & Gold

by Lorae Parry

A drama with music, inspired by the events of the Waihi Strike in 1912

Waihi 1912: Another accident in the Martha Gold Mine and the miners’ wives say Enough! Improve conditions or strike! Wives, mothers and sweethearts rally – they’re the ones trying to scrape together food for the table, clothes for the kids. As the strike gains momentum the women gain confidence - in their own strength, in their ability to instigate change. Major change - not just here, but throughout the country.

And woven into all this is a love story. What if your man crosses the picket line for desperately needed cash? Will you still love him? And what if you're married to a shareholder, and rely on the dividends to live on? What if…?

Inspired by a true tale. Told with song and dance, delight and passion.

The Waihi strike was the first union action in NZ where women played an active and innovative part. SCARLET & GOLD follows the changing fortunes of women from the three sectors that clashed so dramatically in Waihi: the striking miners; the mine owners and shareholders; and the workers who crossed the line. The Waihi strike changed industrial law in NZ, and out of the ashes of the long and bitter strike the NZ Labour Party was born. Bill Parry (the great uncle of the playwright), along with Peter Fraser and Bob Semple were elected to Parliament 1916, and later, as Labour Party Minister, Parry was instrumental in implementing one of the first social security systems in the world.

Finalist for the 2016 Adam Play Award. New Zealand premiere.

"...a powerful piece of writing." Phillip Mann.

Saturday 9 July, 2pm

Tickets:
Full Price $19
Friends & Concessions $15
Industry $12
circa.co.nz 801-7992

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