Hawke’s Bay talent in national theatre show coming to Hastings in late July

Hawke's Bay's Anna Barker (left), and Phoebe Caldeiro perform in The Ballad of Briar Grant, showing July 30 at Toitoi in Hastings. Photo / Emily K Brown

When Anna Barker steps on to the Toitoi stage later this month, it won’t just be another stop on a national theatre tour, it will be a “full-circle” moment.

Barker, who grew up in Hawke’s Bay’s theatre scene, is bringing the play The Ballad of Briar Grant back to where her journey began.

“I grew up doing youth theatre with the Napier Operatic Society and the Hawke’s Bay Youth Theatre, went to the National Youth Drama School in Havelock North, and did all the school shows at Napier Girls’. I was fully immersed,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.

The connection runs deeper than her own experience.

“My grandfather, Robin Barker, was involved in Waipawa Musical and Dramatic Society as a technician alongside his father and mother, who did quite a lot in Central way back in the day with the British Drama League,” Barker said.

“Hawkes Bay’s arts scene truly fostered my love of theatre, so it feels so special to bring some independent art back home.”

Anna Barker performing in the Napier Operatic Society's production of Annie Jr in 2016.

After debuting in Wellington and travelling to Auckland and Palmerston North, The Ballad of Briar Grant will take the stage in Hastings on July 29 and 30 as part of a five-city national tour.

Written by award-winning playwright Jack McGee, the play explores identity, unbalanced love, and the complexities of female friendship.

It follows Hayley, a woman reeling from a fallout with her best friend, Briar Grant. When their relationship abruptly combusts, Hayley finds herself unexpectedly shipped off to an apple orchard in the south of France, where she meets another Kiwi, also named Briar Grant.

“It’s a brave and tender show,” Barker says.

“It explores how friendships can shape us, what we can control, and how we’re seen by others.”

This isn’t Barker’s first time touring work back to the Bay.

In 2024, her company brought Long Ride Home to Toitoi and performed it for over 120 students from across Hawke’s Bay. That outreach continues this year, with a dedicated schools-only performance scheduled for July 30.

“That’s the sort of thing I wish there was more of when I was doing schooling in the Bay,” she said.

“Being able to bring independent theatre back that is more accessible is so important to my personal kaupapa as an artist.”

Barker is also looking forward to reconnecting with whānau and old friends while showing her colleagues around the region.

“I’ll be touring the team across Hawke’s Bay. I can’t wait.”