The hour-long work starts with a shaft of light spilling on to a large leaf as if through the forest canopy, before a spider walks over to a woman emerging from shadow.

The local production of Henry V, with an all-female cast of 29, steers a path somewhere between the two extremes.

It's a dog-eat-dog world in this uncompromising reworking of John Gay's 1728 The Beggar's Opera.

I can't travel without ... Great walking shoes. At least two pairs.

The Bard's complex meditation on the power of love sparkles into life on a bare stage of compelling physical intimacy.

The Pop-up Globe's Twelfth Night gives an idea of the atmosphere at the original Globe Theatre over 400 years ago.

Tributes to a "wonderfully spirited woman" are flowing as news of Kiwi actress Sophia Hawthorne's death spreads.

This Pride Festival cabaret co-directed by Okareka Dance's Taiaroa Royal and Taane Mete is an enjoyable pick'n'mix of 14 diverse pieces, Janet writes.

This intriguing solo Pride show is misleadingly billed as "Real Housewives meets Krishnan's Dairy," Janet writes.

Cast of nine ensure laughs come thick and fast in satire on city's moneyed classes, Paul writes.

It's not every night frogs rain down on stage at a theatre, but in The Book of Everything that's what happens - sort of.

Harsh realities of modern life in the Pacific are portrayed in a stunning stage work, writes Dionne Christian.

The latest instalment of the multi-million-dollar Harry Potter franchise launches in London in July, not a film but a stage show.

Transgender actress Lexie Matheson appears in an all-women version of Shakespeare's Henry V at Auckland's Pop Up Globe Theatre this month.

An Italian actor died after a scene in an experimental play by hanging himself.

Chris Crowe takes Dionne Christian behind the scenes of theatre production.

Chris Crowe takes Dionne Christian behind the scenes of theatre production.

Chris Parker achieves a fine balance between poignancy and humour in his autobiographical tale about a boy's passion for dance and his journey of self-discovery.

Australia's appalling human rights record is in the limelight at the moment, thanks in part to the referring of Australia Day as "Invasion Day".

Auckland theatre seeks singing, dancing boy lead for debut musical Billy Elliot.

For performer Ian Michael, the story of Australia's Stolen Generations - Aboriginal children forcibly taken from their families - is personal.

Festival-goers will be treated to the work of a pioneer of modern movement, writes Bernadette Rae.

Kiwis are culture vultures and we love the Bard, so the world's first full-scale working replica of the second Globe Theatre might stay open for longer than initially planned.