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Latest FromDionne Christian

The many objects in the Margaret Olley Art Centre. Photo / Supplied

TRAVEL

Murwillumbah: Pleasing patterns of Tweed

19 Apr, 2019 1:00pm
5 minutes to read

The drive to Murwillumbah is almost as great as its gallery, writes Dionne Christian.

Visitors to the Mandela My Life: The Official Exhibition which opens in Auckland this weekend.

ENTERTAINMENT

Mandela and me: Exhibition curator on bringing together a life

13 Apr, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Mandela My Life: The Official Exhibition opens in Auckland today.

Greg McGee's latest novel is Necessary Secrets, a gripping story about modern family life in New Zealand.

ENTERTAINMENT

Author Greg McGee on what's been keeping him up at night

13 Apr, 2019 5:00am
10 minutes to read

Author Greg McGee on the necessary secrets that kept him awake at night.

Pop-up Globe is going nationwide with a New Zealand tour of

ENTERTAINMENT

Pop-up Globe to hit the road as 'cockpit theatres'

8 Apr, 2019 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Get ready Dunedin, Nelson, Christchurch, Wellington, Napier, Hamilton and New Plymouth.

ENTERTAINMENT

Forget Wonky Donkey, here comes Dinky

7 Apr, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Sequel to best-selling Wonky Donkey to be released this year.

Rufus Knight and Mijutie Lepoutre stand in almost nothing, their room at Objectspace Gallery in Ponsonby. Photo/Dean Purcell

ENTERTAINMENT

The art of crafting a living room

6 Apr, 2019 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Art and craft of living central to a first-of-its-kind exhibition at an Auckland gallery.

Dancer Diana Prieto, drummer Alfdaniels Mabingo and musicians Shaab Ramhormozian, Oliver Bramah and Hanna Wiskari make music. Photo/Doug Sherring.

ENTERTAINMENT

Cultural festival creates musical harmony

5 Apr, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Musicians unite in harmony for Auckland International Cultural Festival.

ENTERTAINMENT

Alliance urges creative approach to good health

3 Apr, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Arts and well-being united in creative alliance aimed at making NZ a healthier place.

ENTERTAINMENT

New look, new perspective for city art gallery

30 Mar, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

New-look art gallery poses the question 'are we too big to care?'

Sarah Bisley (left), Conductor of the Aorangi Symphony Orchestra based in Nelson receives the Pro Cultura Hungarica Award in Budapest, Hungary. Photo / Supplied

ENTERTAINMENT

Classical artists unite for peace

29 Mar, 2019 5:00am
2 minutes to read

Classical musicians and singers dedicate concert to Christchurch.

Narrative Muse works like a dating app - only it matches you with the perfect books and movies.

ENTERTAINMENT

New matchmaking service aims to change the stories we tell

23 Mar, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Fancy a hot date with a book or movie? A new matchmaking site could be perfect for you.

Songs and dance, steeped in South African traditions, help audiences on the epic journey that is A Man of Good Hope. Photo / Keith Pattison

ENTERTAINMENT

Theatre review: A Man of Good Hope - the road is long but well worth taking

18 Mar, 2019 12:02pm
4 minutes to read

"A Man of Good Hope" is musical theatre at its most relevant, writes Dionne Christian.

Artist Max Gimblett, pictured here working this week in Onehunga, will receive an Honorary Doctorate from AUT.

ENTERTAINMENT

Acclaimed NZ artist to receive honorary doctorate

10 Mar, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

One of our most recognised painters to get honorary doctorate 64 years after graduation

It's back to the future for Levi Kereama, the teen star of comedy play Astroman.

ENTERTAINMENT

Astroman rockets back to the 1980s

9 Mar, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Watching TV was part of the work for the cast of a new comedy which celebrates 80s NZ.

A star-studded cast turns up the volumne for Toku Reo Waiata.

ENTERTAINMENT

Stacey Morrison: I was embarrassed because I couldn't speak my language

9 Mar, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Hits host Stacey Morrison on what it means for Auckland Arts Fest to foster te reo Māori

The four books short listed in the Ockham NZ Book Awards' Acorn Foundation Fiction prize.

ENTERTAINMENT

Are these New Zealand's best books? Finalists for Ockham book awards named

6 Mar, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

And the finalists are - the short-list for the Ockham NZ Book Awards is announced.

Stan Walker, pictured at the Victory Convention Centre in Auckland, will help to lead a massive outdoor community sing-along to launch Auckland Arts Festival. Photo / Jason Oxenham

ENTERTAINMENT

Hallelujah! Arts festival champions te reo

5 Mar, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Auckland festival unveils new programme to champion te reo through the arts.

Colourful, haunting and evocative, UK art duo Semiconductor use data from real voclanic eruptions and earthquakes, including the Kaikoura quake, to show how the Earth moves.

ENTERTAINMENT

UK duo shaking up art and science to visit New Zealand

2 Mar, 2019 5:00am
6 minutes to read

How to make art from our earthquakes? UK duo set to show in Wellington this autumn.

ENTERTAINMENT

Resilient hero on epic journey of hope

2 Mar, 2019 5:00am
6 minutes to read

How did an 8-year-old boy survive war and famine to become a man of good hope?

Members of the Hobson Street Theatre Company Shadow and Kelly Tunui perform in

ENTERTAINMENT

'That's What Friends Are For' performance is part play, part experiment

26 Feb, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Group will see whether actors can befriend people in the audience in just one hour.

Artist Virginia King exhibits work at Waiheke Island's Sculpture on the Gulf as well as in Venice this year.

ENTERTAINMENT

Walk this way - biennial event gears up to be a triumph again

23 Feb, 2019 5:00am
9 minutes to read

Need to know: How to make the most of Waiheke Island's stunning Sculpture on the Gulf.

Ross McCormack is regarded as one of our most visionary dancers and choreographers; now he's making work inspired by giant sculpture. Photo/Andi Crown

ENTERTAINMENT

As it stands - how giant sculpture inspires top NZ dancer

16 Feb, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Dancer Ross McCormack looks at one of NZ's biggest steel sculptures and wants to move.

Kate McGill joins her own mother Ginette McDonald in the play Joan. Photo/Michael Smith

ENTERTAINMENT

Theatre review: Joan

15 Feb, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Theatre tribute to a fierce and feisty mother will leave you smiling through tears.

Dancers from China and New Zealand star in Hemispheres, a cross-cultural collaboration.

ENTERTAINMENT

Dancers explore common ground

13 Feb, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Cultural exchange between China and New Zealand leads to dynamic new dance tour.

A Superoo room at the Ovolo, Wolloomooloo, in Sydney. Photo / Supplied

TRAVEL

Room Check: The Ovolo, Woolloomooloo

11 Feb, 2019 7:00am
3 minutes to read

Dionne Christian checks into the Ovolo, Woolloomooloo, Sydney.

Author Graeme Simsion says his Rosie books are as much about family and forgiveness as anything. Photo/Rebecca Rocks

ENTERTAINMENT

Three Cheers for Rosie book project

9 Feb, 2019 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project was a surprise international hit; book 3 is better.

Art lover Rodney Bowen who is downsizing his art collection and has made some items available for auction at Depot Artspace's Pre-Loved Re-Loved exhibition and sale. Photo / Dean Purcell

ENTERTAINMENT

What do you do with unwanted art? One gallery has a solution

9 Feb, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

The decluttering "Kondo fever" has spread to the New Zealand art world.

Actor Adrian Hooke at Pop-up Globe's Ellerslie base, where he'll mark his 300th performance with the company. Photo/ Christian Tjandrawinata

ENTERTAINMENT

What a piece of work actor's next role will be

6 Feb, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

It might be madness, but there's method in young NZ actor's prep for major role.

The exterior of a house in the Mansfield Gardens becomes a canvas for a production exploring the line between fantasy and reality.

ENTERTAINMENT

Is there a Sasquatch on the loose in Hamilton?

2 Feb, 2019 5:00am
6 minutes to read

Is there a Sasquatch in Hamilton Gardens? Performers aim to track it down.

ENTERTAINMENT

Trailblazing show opens Auckland Pride Festival

30 Jan, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

How far has gay liberation really come? Pride Festival begins with a provocative play.

Kozo Kaos joins the international performers at Auckland's annunal international buskers festival. NZH 26Jan19 - NZH 26Jan19 -

ENTERTAINMENT

Kiwi's life on the cutting edge of knife juggling

26 Jan, 2019 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Devonport's knife juggler Kozo Kaos is slicing through to super stardom

Alexa Wilson curates our first experimental dance week. Photo/Bea Rodrigues

ENTERTAINMENT

Dance week experiments with new ways to move

25 Jan, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Auckland's summer of festivals is joined by a new one celebrating experimental dance.

The Sarjeant Gallery was saved and is ideally placed to be part of a lower North Island art trail. Photo / Supplied

NEW ZEALAND

Why its worth spending millions on arts in the provinces

19 Jan, 2019 5:00am
10 minutes to read

Are Whanganui and Whāngārei about to show NZ how art can transform regional centres?

Former All Blacks captain David Kirk is now a champion of culture. Photo / Photosport

ENTERTAINMENT

Rugby great now a champion of the arts

19 Jan, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Former All Black Captain David Kirk is now a champion of the arts.

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. Photo / Getty Images

TRAVEL

Sydney: Fine art days

18 Jan, 2019 12:00pm
5 minutes to read

Art lovers are well served by two Sydney exhibitions, writes Dionne Christian.

Madiba the Musical celebrates the life of visionary South African leader Nelson Mandela with a mix of musical styles, dance and story-telling techniques. Photo / Supplied

ENTERTAINMENT

Musical celebrates the life of Nelson Mandela

16 Jan, 2019 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Madiba the Musical reminds us why looking back is sometimes needed to go forward.

Actor Stephen Butterworth as Richard III in Pop-up Globe's production of Shakespeare's play.

ENTERTAINMENT

Can you prove your blood runs blue?

6 Jan, 2019 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Pop-up Globe has a special offer for Kiwis with links to the notorious English king.

New Zealand-born Graeme Isaako stars in the upcoming musical Aladdin, which plays in Auckland until March. Photo/Brett Phibbs

ENTERTAINMENT

Disney musical star takes his mum on journey of his life

30 Dec, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

He's gone from child performer to Disney musical star - all thanks to mum.

Paul Slade Smith as Willy Wonka. Photo / Brian Geach

TRAVEL

Chockbuster hit tipped as dark delight

24 Dec, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

The Candy Man - aka Willy Wonka - is about to bring his sweet touch to Sydney.

Paula Morris is a novelist and short story writer and the 2018 Katherine Mansfield Fellow. Photo/Michael Craig.

ENTERTAINMENT

Meet the 2018 Katherine Mansfield Fellow

12 Dec, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Christmas comes early for the recipients of prestigious arts and book awards.

Britomart's Christmas art work, by Charlotte Graham, stays away from traditional seasonal decoration. Photo/ Joe Hockley

ENTERTAINMENT

Putting the 'art' into Britomart

9 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Huge Christmas artwork unveiled at Britomart but no reindeer, snow or Santa to be seen.

Sang-Sool Shim and Keum Sun Lee are the winners of this year's Portage Ceramics Award. Photo / Courtesy of Te Uru

ENTERTAINMENT

Korean ceramicists win major NZ award

3 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Korean artists Sang-Sool Shim and Keum Sun Lee never gave up on winning pottery prize.

Knitter Alice Gumbley with a nativity scene she knitted. Photo / Chris Steel

ENTERTAINMENT

Uplifting ride on nonexistent mule

3 Dec, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

Just how did the Donkey ended up in the Christmas story?

The Jordan Luck Band will perform at Music in Parks.

ENTERTAINMENT

When music hits parks, things can go very right - and a bit wrong

1 Dec, 2018 12:00pm
9 minutes to read

What's it like playing in a park on a hot sunny day? We asked performers how they cope.

Author Deborah Challinor wants more stories told of New Zealand's past.

ENTERTAINMENT

NZ author Deborah Challinor on why we need to tell it like it was - or might have been

1 Dec, 2018 5:00am
7 minutes to read

Top NZ author Deborah Challinor: it's insulting not to engage with our own history.

RNZB dance educator Bea Lee-Smith, takes room 13 year 5/6 students of Manurewa Central School, through some moves before the whole school attend the RNZ Ballet's The Nutcracker. Photo/Michael Craig

ENTERTAINMENT

Class act as ballet trip has entire school dancing for joy

1 Dec, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

School's out: South Auckland school delivers five-figure (ballet) lesson in learning.

Darryl Chin and his interactive clothing, on display during the Elam Artists Graduate Show, while Dr Peter Shand takes a tour in the VR gallery Chin helped create. Photo / Dean Purcell

ENTERTAINMENT

More to interactive garments than meets the eye

25 Nov, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Investing in the future - exhibition showing next generation of NZ artists on this weekend

Mike Tyus has had to overcome more obstacles than most to perform with Cirque du Soleil. Photo/Aaron Felske

ENTERTAINMENT

First they broke his legs, then they told his parents to send him to dance classes

24 Nov, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

A childhood illness nearly crippled Mike Tyus; now he stars in Cirque du Soleil's Kooza.

Lloyd Scott, John Landreth and Sepe Mua'au star in the NZ play Movers. Photo/Roc + Photography

ENTERTAINMENT

Comedy finds screen legend shifting gear

14 Nov, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

New play brings back to the stage the NZ star of one of our most iconic TV commercials.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gives her keynote address to the Labour Party conference in the Dunedin Town Hall earlier this month.

ENTERTAINMENT

Wherefore art thou, Jacinda? Ardern inspires new play

11 Nov, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

PM Jacinda Ardern joins the list of world leaders who are inspiring writers and artists.

Pop-up Globe actors (from left) Stephen Butterworth, Ripeka Templeton, Jess Loudon, Dave Fane and Natasha Daniel show off the period costumes designed for this year's plays. Photo/Will Bailey

ENTERTAINMENT

Shakespeare stories told in lavish Pop-up Globe costumes

10 Nov, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Spinning it - the first glimpse of the sumptuous costumes for this year's Pop-up Globe.

Thomas Schumacher, president & producer of Disney Theatrical Productions, has seen its favourite stories transformed into blockbuster theatre. Photo/Andrew Tauber

ENTERTAINMENT

How Disney made fairy tales go major

10 Nov, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

The inside story on how Disney took fairy tales from the screen to the stage.

Adapted from Deborah Harkness' book, the romantic thriller 'A Discovery of Witches' stars Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer.

ENTERTAINMENT

The charmed life of author Deborah Harkness

6 Nov, 2018 5:00am
6 minutes to read

History professor Deborah Harkness works her magic again with new book and TV series.

Tim Melville with a soon-to-be-auctioned artwork. Photo / Doug Sherring

ENTERTAINMENT

Art goes under the hammer to support world first Māori gallery

4 Nov, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Significant art goes under the hammer to raise funds for world's first Māori art gallery.

Bernie Harfleet and Donna Turtle Sarten used 540 wooden pallets to illustrate the journey to refuge. The work appears at the NZ Sculpture OnShore fundraiser for Women's Refuge. Photo/Jason Oxenham

ENTERTAINMENT

Art explores difficult journey

2 Nov, 2018 5:00am
4 minutes to read

Why Don't You Just Leave? The art challenging us to see why women don't leave violent men.

Kids will enjoy the Wellington Writers Walk on the capital's waterfront.

TRAVEL

Wellington: Lit lovers, walk write this way

30 Oct, 2018 2:00pm
3 minutes to read

Dionne Christian finds there's no need to be lost for words in the capital.

Damien Hirst Looking for Sharks, by Cool Shit.

TRAVEL

Sydney: Kiwis making waves

27 Oct, 2018 3:00pm
5 minutes to read

Three NZ artists are taking part in Sculpture by the Sea, writes Dionne Christian.

The Guerrilla Collection is a future-focused arts festival asking Aucklanders what they want the region to be like in 30 years time.

ENTERTAINMENT

Pacific artists marshal forces for a new look at tomorrow's Auckland

27 Oct, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

How do we want Auckland to be in 30 years? This time, it's artists not planners asking.

Topp Country: A Culinary Journey Through New Zealand with The Topp Twins

LIFESTYLE

Their kitchen rules: Topp Twins on new cafe and book journey

27 Oct, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

They're Topp entertainers, now the country's favourite twins are about to rule the kitchen

Comfrey Sanders and Chris Parker star as teen tearaways and best friends Nick and Rachel in Shortland Street the Musical. Photo/ Jason Oxenham.

ENTERTAINMENT

Shortland Street gets musical makeover

27 Oct, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

What was it about Shortland Street the Musical that made comedian Chris Park want to cry?

Benjamin Henson, who will direct Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

ENTERTAINMENT

Auckland Theatre Company's dramatic year

27 Oct, 2018 5:00am
5 minutes to read

Auckland Theatre Company releases 2019 programme, promising the next year will be epic.

Long-serving general manager of Auckland Theatre Company Lester McGrath will join the Royal NZ Ballet in 2019.

ENTERTAINMENT

Arts leader en pointe for move to ballet

25 Oct, 2018 5:00am
3 minutes to read

The arts leader with the Midas touch exits stage left to head Royal NZ Ballet.