Pioneering women’s tales brought to life

Pioneering women’s tales brought to life at Colonial Cottage Museum

The stories of prostitutes, missionary wives, gold miners and magicians will be brought to life at Colonial Cottage Museum, in the one-woman musical show, The Boundary Riders on 22 and 23 April.
Musician and storyteller Rachel Dawick tells the stories of New Zealand colonial women living on the boundary, whose life stories could slip easily into an adventure book.

“The Boundary Riders tells the rollicking stories of colonial women, with fascinating tales of conquest, survival and persistence” says Rachel Ingram, Head of Learning and Programmes at Museums Wellington.

Research into The Boundary Riders began four years ago when Rachel Dawick began a solo tour across the country performing, collecting and digging up stories of women in nineteenth century New Zealand.

The result is a play that’s part storytelling, part concert and part musical show, with 13 songs telling of the adventures of these daring women.
The oldest tale is that of Elizabeth Colenso, a missionary wife and Māori language scholar born in 1821, and weaves through the decades to the early 1900’s, with fraudster and male impersonator Amy Bock.

“These are the stories that are so often lost in history, but are so important to tell” says Rachel. “These women are our whakapapa and we can draw inspiration from their lives and actions”.

The Boundary Riders starts at 7:30pm on 22 and 23 April. The showruns for two hours with a 20 minute interval. Seats cost $10 and bookings can be made by calling 04 472 8904 or by emailing colonialcottage@wmt.org.nz.

ENDS

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