Wendyl Nissen: Thespians may have to eat their spiteful words

I should have known something was up when thespians around the city were unable to mention celebrity stage and screen actor Ethan Hawke's name without a great deal of eye rolling, expelling of large amounts of air and dripping hatred with every syllable, as only actors can.

"God you're not going to that play, the one with E-thaan Hoik," they hoicked.

I was confused. There was much excitement in my house as we digested the news that coming to Auckland was an international ensemble cast to perform two classic plays - Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale.

"It's very long," droned one thespian, referring to The Winter's Tale. "Three hours ... good luck." I felt as though I was off to the Beehive for Helen Clark's valedictory speech.

"What is their problem?" I asked my husband. "Why would local actors find the thought of this company touring here so abhorrent? Surely they would leap at the chance to see such great performances."

He replied: "The same problem our actors have always had. It's funding and audiences they won't be getting."

And so when news broke that The Edge had lost $500,000 on the two plays there were theatrical shrieks of delight and pointing of the fingers at such a ludicrous waste of money.

I'll tell you what is a waste of money. The hundreds of local drama productions I have sat through where our actors finesse and hone their craft at my expense using up hours of my life I won't be able to claim back from ACC - the Acting Compensation Corporation.

The awful overacting which sees every emotion driven home so hard, you are craving a Valium by the end of it, if you last that long. Or they simply don't bother and walk through the production because quite frankly you are incredibly privileged that they are even on the stage tonight. They have to do Shortland Street in the morning.

And I have seen some wonderful performances, the first as a fifth-former watching Jennifer Ward-Lealand play an astonishing Ophelia at Theatre Corporate.

I couldn't believe that a girl just a few years older than me could capture her audience so completely and make a play I was finding tedious suddenly come alive. I have never forgotten it, and she launched in me a passion for theatre, and a desire to support actors and theatre companies, as difficult as that has been at times.

And it has been a long time, in this country anyway, since I have headed off for a performance knowing the $100 I paid for the ticket would deliver a rare production which had me sitting on the edge of my seat, gasping at the performances, loving the timing, the delivery and the results of exceptional directing, in this case by Sam Mendes.

It wasn't all about Ethan Hawke, who I've always found rather drippy. I much preferred Rebecca Hall's work, the actor who owned Woody Allen's movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which is quite a feat when you are playing opposite Scarlett Johansson and Penelope Cruz in Acting Overdrive.

But what Ethan Hawke did do was entice many people to the theatre who wouldn't have gone otherwise. Young women in too-tight evening dresses and hopeful looks on their faces.

A young rugby player who was under the mistaken impression that you talked all the way through.

And the pretentious visitor from the suburbs who tapped my husband on the shoulder and apologised for "interrupting the love" but could he possibly take his arm from around my shoulders as she couldn't see.

I've never known any seats in the Aotea Centre to cause visual obstruction from arms resting on shoulders.

"That's okay," my husband replied as I fumed at her impudence. "We're having a trial separation anyway. I'm quite relieved not to have to keep up this fake display of affection."

She didn't see the humour and moved at half time.

Perhaps some of these newcomers to theatre discovered, as I did in the 70s watching Jennifer Ward-Lealand, something wonderful that night. A passion for one of the oldest forms of entertainment.

And just maybe, our local thespians will benefit from their new-found enthusiasm in months to come as they seek out more. Which I think makes that $500,000 a good investment, after all.