Covid-19 is pushing New Zealand’s performing artists to the brink

Sam Brooks surveys the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the performing arts community. As Covid-19 took hold across the world over the past few weeks, the ripple effects began to be felt across New Zealand’s performing arts sector. In late February, one of the flagship shows of the Auckland Arts Festival, Place Des Anges, due … Read more

To unpathed waters, undreamed shores: the Pop-Up Globe is leaving New Zealand

The Pop-Up Globe will be popping down at the end of its 2020 season and setting off overseas. Sam Brooks talks to its founder, Miles Gregory, about where the future of the company lies. More than 650,000 tickets; 17 productions; 1206 performances; 212 acting jobs. Regardless of where you stand on the Pop-Up Globe, the … Read more

Make Shakespeare Great Again: What voters can learn from Richard III

President Trump has been compared with Shakespeare’s autocratic Richard III. New Zealanders watching their diminishing KiwiSaver balances should take note. The first thing you’ll notice is this is the business editor writing about Shakespeare. It may be a summer rush of blood to the head; I prefer to think of it as a perk of … Read more

#notyourstoo: On the Pop-Up-Globe’s ‘Abuse of Power’ season

Yesterday, the Pop-Up Globe announced their new season of work, with #metoo and #timesup hashtags flying wild in their marketing. Penny Ashton responds. “Scarce can I speak, my choler is so great: O, I could hew up rocks and fight with flint, I am so angry.”   Mate. Just like York in Shakespeare’s Henry VI right now … Read more

Where art thou women? On the Pop-Up Globe’s regressive casting decisions

After last summer’s successful debut, the Pop-Up Globe is returning to Auckland in February. That’s great news for audiences, says Laura Irish – but less wonderful for New Zealand’s actresses, who’ve been shut out once again. So here’s the thing. I love Shakespeare. I’m a thespian through and through. I’ve studied Shakespeare extensively, performed Shakespeare, … Read more

Why the end of the Pop-up Globe isn’t the end of the world

There’s been a major push to keep the Pop-up Globe in Auckland. Sam Brooks says it’s deeply misguided. If you’ve been lucky enough to walk around Central Auckland over the past three months, then you’ll have seen a large white silo building sitting in the carpark that you might’ve tried to park in when the Civic … Read more

Romeo & Juliet – an unbiased review and interview

Madeleine Chapman employs some good old fashioned nepotism to talk to Christel Chapman about the Pop Up Globe, relating to Juliet, and mispronouncing Shakespeare. The number one blessing and curse with having nine siblings is that you experience a lot of second-hand emotions that you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to. When a sibling is hurt, … Read more