War Horse -- Joey set to gallop in to New Zealand

The star of WAR HORSE - the unforgettable theatrical event from the National Theatre of Great Britain - is set to gallop in to New Zealand next week in advance of the play’s opening in June, giving New Zealanders a taste of the drama to come.

Joey will visit Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch with a special event at Auckland’s Town Hall on Monday, 18 March from 6pm to which media and interested parties are invited to attend.

The multi award-winning play WAR HORSE is adapted from Michael Morpurgo’s remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. The powerfully moving and imaginative drama features ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company.

The National Theatre’s stage spectacular features an intricately hand-crafted 50kg life-sized puppet in the lead role of Joey.

During Joey’s advance visit to New Zealand, special events will showcase the great skills of the three puppeteers who operate Joey, as they work in unison to bring to life an astonishingly realistic equine character. Joey not only moves but sounds like a horse – all thanks to the brilliance of three puppeteers, Derek Arnold, Shaun McKee and Michael Taibi, whose credits include motion capture for Guitar Hero, Star Wars, Jurassic Park and many more popular movies.

A puppeteer outside the body controls where Joey’s head points and manipulates the ears using bicycle-brake-like levers, while a harness inside the frame connects to the other two puppeteers to let their movements give the equine star realistic gestures.

Presenter of WAR HORSE and CEO of Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, James Cundall MBE, says “Joey is undoubtedly the star of the show. Instantly you believe you are watching a real horse, and get a sense of his personality. The fact that three people can make something as mechanical as a puppet exude emotion is a testament to brilliant puppet-making and their extraordinary skills. The whole effect is spine-tingling!”

WAR HORSE opens at The Civic, Auckland, on 21 June for a strictly limited season. Tickets are selling fast so fans of theatre as well as fans of renowned author Sir Michael Morpurgo … in fact anyone who has a heart … are urged to secure their tickets for this highly talked-about theatrical event.

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