NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

A sprinkle of magic

By Dionne Christian
NZ Herald·
30 Mar, 2012 07:38 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

School holidays

What: We Built This City
Where & When: Aotea Square, April 18-21

What: The Wind in the Willows
Where & When: The PumpHouse, to April 22

What: Sinarella
Where & When: Mangere Arts Centre - Nga Tohu o Uenuku, April 10-14

What: The Hare and the Tortoise
Where & When: Bruce Mason
Centre, April 9-14

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Thousands of boxes to play in and lots of laughs in the theatre provide plenty of holiday fun.

If you go down to Aotea Square these school holidays, you could be in for a big surprise. No, the Occupy protesters haven't returned, nor have the city's rubbish collectors gone on strike - although the appearance in part of the square of about 9000 cardboard boxes might make it look otherwise.

The boxes are central to Polyglot Theatre's We Built This City, which is all about playing. Polyglot, from Australia, specialises in interactive and experiential theatre for kids up to 12.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Artistic director Sue Giles created the production after being inspired by watching her (now adult) children play with a cardboard box in their backyard.

"I thought, 'Why don't we just expand on that by taking thousands of boxes and getting lots of kids to come along and see what they create?'."

We Built This City has toured the world since its premiere in Melbourne in 2001, where the kids showed a penchant for building sprawling houses with swimming pools. In Singapore, skyscrapers were popular; in Washington DC, a group created a cavernous underground mall, while in Sydney they went for bridges and iconic buildings.

The children are guided by four performers who clown around, act like construction workers and keep things moving in cardboard city.

Discover more

Entertainment

Concert review: Nas' Illmatic, Austin, Texas

29 Mar 01:00 AM
Entertainment

Theatre review: Punk Rock, Basement Theatre

28 Mar 04:30 PM

Giles says parents are encouraged to join in - "dads really get into it, they seem to love building towers" - and it's intriguing to see the way the interactions between adults and children differ from country to country.

In Taiwan, for example, Giles had to ask parents to stop photographing their kids because the constant posing for snaps was stopping the young ones from getting on and building.

At the end of the Auckland season, a final cityscape will be built using every box in the performance space. Then everyone joins in to trample the city down into a "gloriously chaotic heap of cardboard rubble".

Auckland children's theatre specialist Tim Bray might like to consider asking Polyglot if he can borrow some of the boxes; he may need them for the driving scenes in his production of The Wind in the Willows. Bray has temporarily scored a bright red Mini Countryman for show star Mr Toad (Tom Wardle) to drive during performances.

Fans of the Kenneth Grahame story will remember Mr Toad is not the best driver in town, so cardboard barriers might be useful. The play is performed largely outdoors and, because only one scene takes place indoors, there are no logistical issues to solve about getting the Mini on stage.

Bray says the outdoor setting adds to the ambience of the story, allows for characters such as Ratty, Mole and Badger to make surprising entrances, and appeals to kids who don't like to sit still for too long. He has previously staged the show in 2005 and 2008, and has since fielded continual questions about when he was going to reprise The Wind in the Willows.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's just so popular. We had a lot of technical stuff to work through with earlier seasons, so this time around we've been able to focus more on telling the story itself and developing the characters."

While Bray is sticking fairly faithfully to The Wind in the Willows story, Auckland Theatre Company's latest collaboration with the Pacific Institute of Performing Arts (PIPA) takes Cinderella into a whole new realm.

ATC and PIPA last year collaborated on the kids' show Pollyhood in Mumuland, based on Little Red Riding Hood. It proved so popular the season was extended for a week. This time they've reunited the production team with Shortland Street hunk Pua Magasiva, who stars as the magical fairy F.O.B. in Sinarella.

Like Pollyhood, it adds modern humour and a distinct Pasifika flavour to the traditional tale. In this retelling, Sinarella finds her Prince at the Siva Social, where he's celebrating his 21st birthday, and when she flees at midnight she leaves behind a glass jandal.

And just how does a modern Prince find his dream girl? He makes use of social media, of course, and posts her picture on "Fazeboog".

Music - think adapted pop favourites - plays a big part in the production and Tama Waipara and NZ Idol winner Rosita Vai are on board to provide the sounds. They're among a small contingent of professional performers working with the largely student cast on the production.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Meanwhile, Phineas Phrog Productions celebrates its 10th year this year with a characteristically bold and bright show when it gives a Kiwi twist to the Aesop's fable The Hare and the Tortoise.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

Do regular facials actually improve your skin?

06 Jul 06:00 AM
New Zealand

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

06 Jul 12:48 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

Weighted vests trend: Fitness experts weigh in on benefits and myths

05 Jul 11:00 PM

Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Do regular facials actually improve your skin?

Do regular facials actually improve your skin?

06 Jul 06:00 AM

New York Times: Here’s what dermatologists think.

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

NZ actress accuses Australian policeman of using CCTV to spy on her

06 Jul 12:48 AM
Premium
Weighted vests trend: Fitness experts weigh in on benefits and myths

Weighted vests trend: Fitness experts weigh in on benefits and myths

05 Jul 11:00 PM
Noel Edmonds to marry again: British TV star proposes in hot tub in NZ

Noel Edmonds to marry again: British TV star proposes in hot tub in NZ

05 Jul 09:00 PM
Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
sponsored

Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP