New season needs new actors

SMALL-TOWN MYSTERY: Joe Dekkers-Reihana and Emily Campbell gave haunting performances in When Sun & Moon Collide, when it was performed in Auckland in 2017. Picture supplied via NZ Herald

Evolution Theatre Company is on the hunt for celestial bodies to audition for When Sun & Moon Collide this Saturday.

Written by arts laureate Briar Grace-Smith, When the Sun & Moon Collide centres on the mysterious disappearance of two Danish tourists near Horowhenua in rural New Zealand.

Someone knows something and they are not saying.

“Each season I try to include a piece that is designed to inspire conversation around issues we face in our community,” said artistic director Dinna Myers.

“This play deals with a variety of issues including eating disorders, domestic violence, systemic racism and small-town life in New Zealand.

“But it is a story of courage, poetic truth and changeability. It solves a tangible mystery while unlocking those deeper mysteries within ourselves.”

The play features four actors, two young males and two young females. Actors must be vaccinated. Auditions start at 11am this Saturday.

On the same day, Evolution Theatre Company is involved in the Big Theatre Open Weekend from 4 to 6pm.

The programme is part of Musical Theatre New Zealand and takes place at theatres around the country.

“We will be having an open house where people can come down and get a backstage tour and a sneak peek at the set for The Secret Garden (opening March 17).”

Actors and parents can chat with the artistic director about the upcoming theatrical season, Evolution Theatre's Rising Stars programme for tamariki and rangatahi and the opportunities there are for volunteers and artists.

The event is free with coffee, tea and biscuits provided. Vaccination and masks are required. Visit evolutiontheatre.org.nz for more details.

When Sun & Moon Collide auditions. Evolution Theatre Company, 75 Disraeli Street, Saturday, 11am.