C ARTS International Digital Online Programme Is Back At The NZ Fringe

The award-winning C ARTS digital online programme of performance and creative work is once more available at the New Zealand Fringe, Poneke (Wellington), in 2026, with a handpicked selection from the full C ARTS programme of over 100 shows.

The selection for C ARTS’ New Zealand Fringe season this year showcases performances from the West to the East to move audiences make them laugh, think and possibly change the way that they see the world.

Kicking off the programme C ARTS unveils two shows straight from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival run. Ariel Bittner’s Mountain Woman is a visceral, poetic work that draws on mythology, ecological wisdom, and the resilience of the human spirit to immerse the audience into the historic essence of an evolving mountain. Inspired by the desire to tell a story of the divine feminine from the earth’s perspective Ariel blends dance and narration with multimedia performance in an unforgettable show. By contrast Doing Time with Lavinia is both uproariously funny and a thought-provoking ballad on the anguish of ageing in the public spotlight. Performed by Susan Campanaro with an award-winning score by Lynn Portas this original one-woman show tells the story of Lavinia Draper, a New York artist who never surrenders her dreams in the face of discrimination.

Also from New York, multi-faceted Professor Rosemary George brings her acclaimed masterclass Hiding behind the Mask: Jesters, Jokers and Clowns to the NZ Fringe. This enlightening work probes the mystery of hidden identities by focussing on the theatrical mask, from ancient Greek drama to commedia dell’arte to vaudeville.

The digital programme also offers a rare opportunity to experience Japanese culture. First in a moving stage adaptation of Ōoka Shōhei classic novel Fires on the Plain which is performed by award-winning actor Nagai Hideki, in Japanese with English subtitles. This masterpiece of war literature portrays retreat and solitude on the Philippine front during World War II. Also from Japan, tarinainanika’s PeoplePeople a wildly quirky piece of physical theatre that peers into the minds of five very different characters: a professor, a punk, a Pierrot, a patient and a pupil, through carefully crafted and highly stylised movement.

These cutting-edge international independent performances are available to watch online as part of the New Zealand Fringe from 13 February – 7 March. Shows continue after this in the C ARTS year-round online programme.

Digital performance is a way for these artists to reach new international audiences and a way for audiences in New Zealand and around the world to experience international performance with a small carbon footprint. Tickets start from NZ $5.

See trailers for C ARTS New Zealand Fringe shows: vimeo.com/showcase/c-arts-nz-fringe

Booking for these shows at New Zealand Fringe, until 7 March: https://tickets.fringe.co.nz/events?s=c+arts

Booking for the year-round C ARTS digital programme: www.CtheArts.com

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