Category: Arts & Culture

Sep 21
Diversity Rules Emmy Awards

Image: ABC News Diversity was the name of the game at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards. With recognition being given to celebrities of a variety of ethnicities, queer talent and stories were also big winners! Following the recent controversy surrounding an excess of white nominees and winners during the Academy Awards, television proved it is the medium of diversity with […]

Sep 19
Queer Cabaret with a Side of Quirk

Amy Jane Bedwell talks to cabaret comedy duo Frisky and Mannish about their upcoming show, queer politics on stage, and taking the piss!   How did Frisky and Mannish come to be, and why do you think you’ve had so much success? It was a glorious accident that came about when we were both unemployed and a friend […]

Sep 19
Artists of Outrage

Join Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra at their festival to the disgraced! This final instalment of the Newstalk ZB Series celebrates some of the world’s greatest banned and slandered compositions. Like predecessors Degenerate and Denounced, Outraged pays homage to the ground shakers and rule breakers of the musical past. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – The Marriage of Figaro In […]

Sep 18
Cut-Throat Theatre: The Triumph of Sweeney Todd

With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has perplexed and delighted musical theatre audiences since its adaptation in 1979. Gratuitously violent and frequently comical, a show which is best described as a musical horror of epic proportions invaded theatres to mixed reviews, with […]

Sep 12
Review: Queen of Ireland

Drag queen Panti Bliss, otherwise known as Rory O’Neill, was astonished at how fast he was catapulted into the public consciousness after giving a interview on an Irish current affairs program recorded during the campaign for marriage equality in Ireland. The wrath of conservative Ireland descended upon him and it would be fair to say his interview helped galvanise the […]

Sep 06
Tale of Wahine Toa

Author, performer, and musician Courtney Sina Meredith spoke to express about global roaming, artistry and her debut collection of short stories, Tail of the Taniwha.  Courtney Sina Meredith is a force to be reckoned with. At thirty-years old, this openly bisexual, multicultural master of words has conquered artistic scenes both in New Zealand and worldwide. […]

Sep 06
Sweeney Todd: At Last, The Arts are Complete Again!

Amy Jane Bedwell talks to  Sweeney Todd cast member Cameron Barclay about being on stage, theatrical horror, and the virtues of opera. Cameron Barclay is a member of the twelve person ensemble featuring in the New Zealand Opera’s staging of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, as well as being the understudy for the role […]

Sep 02
Mika’s Multicultural Melting Pot

The cultural make-up of the Mika Haka Foundation is an absolute multi-ethnic melting pot. Meet some of Mika’s magnificent mentees and learn more how MHF is supporting diversity in the Arts.  Since 2008 the Mika Haka Foundation has been supporting and nurturing talented young people in the arts. A safe space for talented young people, […]