New space to Knockabout in
Posted: Thursday Mar 16, 2023
In its fifth year as a Dunedin Fringe Festival venue, the New Athenaeum Theatre (NAT) has opened up a second pop-up space, the downstairs Knockabout Studio, so it can host extra shows.
Theatre manager Ellie Swann said the Octagon theatre would host 45 shows across 14 productions during the Fringe Festival, from stand-up comedy to theatre.
"For the 10 days of the festival, we go hard-out, with up to five shows a day running back-to-back across our two spaces."
Artists from as far afield as Canada and the United Kingdom will rub shoulders with New Zealand performers and locals during the festival season — the first time internationals have joined the line-up since the Covid-19 pandemic began.
"It will be really nice — it’s the first time we have been able to really rip into it for three years."
Ms Swann said she was looking forward to welcoming regular favourites, such as New Zealand comedian James Mustapic with his Into the Multi-Media-Verse show, and UK comedian Charmian Hughes — whose show She was impacted in 2021 by the pandemic.
"We did a one-off show, casting her performance live from the UK, which was a great learning experience for us all.
"So, it’s going to be great to have Charmian back here in person, in the theatre, to entertain audiences."
Local company Late Bloomers will perform their original absurdist show Flow during the first days of the festival at the NAT, March 16-19, using humour to encourage people to look at grief.
Local theatre company Dollhouse will present the final version of its play The Many Deaths of Jeff Goldblum, by Meg Perry, at the NAT from March 22-25.
"We had a rehearsed reading of the play back at the start, and then it went through a development phase, so it’s great to have it back in its final form," Ms Swann said.
The festival was a great way to kick off what was looking like a busy year for the NAT, with a rapidly filling calendar of events.
"It’s a great way to really get the year going — we expect to see about 2000 audience members across the 10 days."
As a charity, NAT relies on audience members, grants, and the support of Dunedin City Council to keep going.
She encouraged people to wear masks if they felt more comfortable, and reminded patrons to stay home if sick.