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Arts
Blonde Poison in Berlin Stars Dulcie Smart
Germany-based actress New Zealander Dulcie Smart performs in the Berlin production of Blonde Poison, on until 3 October at the city’s Brotfabrik theatre.
In the one-woman play, Smart plays…
Musician Julien Dyne Ups the Tempo on Teal
New Zealander Julien Dyne’s forthcoming album Teal is “a joyful exploration of afro-influenced percussive house and electronic soul”, according to Anton Spice writing for Britain’s music and arts enterprise,…
Paul Ewen’s Francis Plug Saviour of Comic Fiction
New Zealand-born author Paul Ewen’s creation Francis Plug, sociopathic stalker of literary celebrities, returns in, Francis Plug: Writer in Residence. Ben Myers reviews the book for The Spectator.
“Plug first appeared as…
Artist Angela Tiatia Holds On in Tuvalu’s Tides
Auckland-born, Sydney-based artist Angela Tiatia, who was a finalist in the 2018 Archibald Prize, is a person of movement, of restless tides. Her solo show, Holding On, is exhibited…
Robinson Releases Heartachingly Honest “Medicine”
“Robinson’s upbeat electronic pop anthem ‘Nothing To Regret,’ has over 50 million streams online, and went gold in her home of New Zealand. Now, she’s seeking global stardom with…
Ashleigh Young’s Evocative Prose is Irresistible
“New Zealander Ashleigh Young’s Can You Tolerate This? is an extremely charming essay collection, comprised mainly of snapshots of Young’s life from childhood onwards; walking…
Rosé a New Zealand-Born K-Pop Idol
A member of one of the most popular female K-pop girl groups, Auckland-born Park Chae Young, aka Rosé, 21, is gaining popularity in her own right for the sweet…
Imogen Taylor Wins Wallace Arts Trust Paramount Award & Frances Hodgkins Fellowship
New Zealand artist Imogen Taylor has won this year’s Wallace Arts Trust Paramount Award with her work Refusal to Yield and has received the Frances…
Taika Waititi Speaks at Toronto Master Class
“I dreamt of becoming a filmmaker in my 30s, it was an arranged marriage,” New Zealand director Taika Waititi told the audience at a recent…
Gemma New Leads St. Louis Symphony Opener
This month, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) opens its 2018/2019 season on 22 and 23 September, at Powell Hall. Resident conductor, New Zealander Gemma…
Broods Release “Lovably Bizarre” Video for “Peach”
Brother-sister duo “Broods are back with a new music video for ‘Peach,’ marking the first visuals for their upcoming album, which…
Anna Paquin Stars in New Film Tell It to the Bees
New Zealander Anna Paquin’s new film, Tell It to the Bees may be set in a small Scottish village in the 1950s, but it deals…
Video of One Honky-Tonky Wonky Donkey Goes Viral
A Scottish grandmother’s reading of New Zealander Craig Smith’s 2009 children’s picture book The Wonky Donkey to her grandson in a home video has seen demand…
Lorde Is an Author of Adolescent Evolution
“You could drink the water content out of the air the first time I heard Lorde on the radio,” according to South Florida-based NPR journalist Cyrena Touros. “Spun between…
Harry Potter Musical Casts Gareth Reeves in Lead
Playing the boy who lived – well, the man who lived, given that Harry Potter and the Cursed Child takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts –…
Dancer Brendan Cole Announces Big Strictly News
In an exclusive interview and photoshoot for Hello!, former Strictly Come Dancing star Christchurch-born Brendan Cole, 42, has announced that he will be writing a weekly column on the…
Oregon-Based Paul Nicholson’s Life of Purpose
Retired Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) executive director Paul Nicholson is interviewed by Oregon daily newspaper, Mail Tribune as part of the publication’s periodic ‘Community Builder’ series.
Nicholson, who moved to the…
Zaha Hadid Architects Unveil Auckland Vision
Five competing visions for a landmark new hotel and residential tower on Federal Street in Auckland – including one by UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) – have been unveiled.
The…
Natasha Wright to Open First Solo Show
New Zealand artist Natasha Wright is opening her first solo show on September 19th in New York. Her work “combines figuration and abstraction from a…
Lucy Tupu And Max Gimblett Collaborate To Create Beauty At Your Feet
“With her Polynesian heritage and love for all things bright and bold, coupled with Max’s artistic talent Lucy Tupu has just launched her first collaboration.”
“Drawn…
Superorganism Adapts to Remixes and Popularity
The press has embraced Superorganism not just for its cuddly psychedelia, but also for its story – eight members, including a fresh-out-of-high-school Japanese-American lead singer, who have come together…
Rising Star Robinson Hits Huge Streaming Figures
Young New Zealand singer-songwriter who goes by just her surname, Robinson, has had a lot to get excited about recently, NME reports. Her latest tune “Nothing to Regret” has…
Artist Tom White Collaborates With AI
Tom White, artist and computational design lecturer at Victoria University’s School of Design, is taking part in a group exhibition in Dehli, India, which features works created entirely by…
Gibbs Sculpture Park #1 Guardian Favourite
“We didn’t think anything manmade could compete with the grandeur of New Zealand’s natural beauty. Then we went to Gibbs Farm Sculpture Park, near Auckland,”…
Heather Morris on the Books That Have Inspired Her
At first, New-Zealand-born Heather Morris hadn’t intended on writing a novel.
When Morris first struck up a friendship with an elderly man named Ludwig Sokolov, she had imagined his incredible…
New Zealand Artists on Show in London
As a season of summer blockbuster exhibitions come to a close in London, autumn is hot on its heels in September, with a range of shows opening in the…
Adapting Ruth Park’s Novels for the Stage
New Zealand-born author Ruth Park’s novel, The Harp in the South caused an uproar in 1948 for its portrayal of working-class life. Now, the Sydney Theatre Company has turned…
Comic Thom Monckton Embodies Art of Laughter
“Thom Monckton has demonstrated what an outstanding physical comedian he is during several previous Fringe visits. In The Pianist he used his gangling frame and rubbery face to puncture…
Neil Finn and Son Liam Get Dreamy on Lightsleeper
“Lightsleeper is the result of another crowded house at the Finn residence. The album principals, father Neil and son Liam, get the rest of the family involved – mother…
Dreaming of Miles Humphreys-Designed Cempedak
New Zealand-born Bali-based architect Miles Humphreys’ 20-villa resort on the private Indonesian island of Cempedak, is one of 10 hotels Wallpaper magazine editors list as having them “longing for…
Connan Mockasin Announces LP and Film Project
“It’s been a little while since we’ve heard from he has emerged with no small amount of ambitious projects,” Rob Hakimian writes…
Wes Anderson-Like Cool in New Zealand
“An Instagram account dedicated to photos of locations that bear an uncanny resemblance to a stylised Wes Anderson film set – think balanced symmetry, pastel facades and cinematic setups…
Miranda Harcourt on “The Changeover” And Whānau Values In NZ
“As a sought-after acting coach, Miranda Harcourt has worked with numerous major talents, including Nicole Kidman for her Oscar-nominated performance in Lion” and her “award-winning performance on HBO’s Big…
Michael Brett Draws on Bram Stoker for Ballet Score
The task of piecing together the music for the West Australian Ballet production of Dracula has fallen to the company’s Auckland-born music coordinator, Michael Brett.
The assignment extended to Brett…
Sam Neill Cooks up a Storm in New TV Doco
Few performers can match the easy charm of New Zealander Sam Neill either on camera or off, but he is braced for outrage in response to his latest outing,…
Neil and Liam Finn Video Premieres
Despite its young cast, Neil and Liam Finn’s new video for guitar ballad “Anger Plays a Part” deals with grown-up problems in the real world. The single is on the duo’s new album,…
2008 Ladyhawke Debut Still Resounds
“ Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected President of the…
Rose Matafeo Scoops Coveted Fringe Comedy Award
New Zealand comic Rose Matafeo, 26, has won the biggest comedy award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for her show Horndog, becoming only the fifth female comic to win…
Get to Know the Brother-Sister Duo Broods
New Zealand duo Broods, comprised of Georgia and Caleb Nott, explain to Billboard magazine that they were born in Blenheim, but grew up in a town called Nelson. The…
Smokescreens Blend NZ Pop and NY Art Rock
Smokescreens is a New Zealand band currently based in Los Angeles. Founded by Chris Rosi following the demise of his previous band, Plateaus, the group recently performed at the…
Edinburgh Hosts Comic Alice Snedden
“New Zealander Alice Snedden is well established in her native country as a comic, television writer and newspaper columnist, Fringe….
Conductor Gemma New Expands Her Horizons in Boston
It’s been a summer of unicorns and rainbows for New Zealand-born Gemma New, according to the Hamilton Spectator’s Leonard Turnevicius. For the second summer in a row, New, music…
Jemaine Clement Stars in New Comedy The Festival
One half of the world’s favourite (and only) digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy-folk double act, Jemaine Clement has more than a Flight of the Conchords reunion tour on his plate this year….
Horndog is Rose Matafeo’s Moment
New Zealand-born comic Rose Matafeo’s show Horndog was a highlight of this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and it is also one of the London Evening Standard’s top picks to see in…
Rolling Stone Loves The Beths’ Future Me
This spring, Elizabeth Stokes, 27, quit her day job teaching trumpet to kids in Auckland. The reason: She was ready to tour the world with The Beths, the exuberant…
Travelling to Potter Paul Lorimer’s Okinawa Haven
Few people visit the Japanese village of Shinzato in Okinawa with its attractive but modest residencies and kitchen gardens. The evident lack of a centre to the settlement made…
Thomasin McKenzie Joins Top Gun Sequel
Kiwi actress Thomasin McKenzie joins the cast of Top Gun sequel Top Gun: Maverick opposite Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller. Dave Trumbore reports…
Skateboard Photographer Jake Darwen Takes Off
Skateboard photographer Jake Darwen, 25, who grew up on Auckland’s North Shore and is now based in Los Angeles, shoots for the likes of New Balance and Element, often…
Meet the Feebles Inspires Happytime Murders Writer
Danny Mulheron, Meet the Feebles writer, and American scriptwriter Todd Berger – for the R-rated puppet comedy, The Happytime Murders – recount almost 30 years of bad taste for…
The Meg An “Utterly Outrageous Thrillfest”
“The Meg is Jaws turned up to 11, an over-the-top creature feature starring a 20-metre-long prehistoric killing machine that comes from the very bottom of…
Castle Rock Star Melanie Lynskey Loves It Creepy
Melanie Lynskey talks to Entertainment Tonight about her role on the hotly anticipated series, Castle Rock. The New Zealand-born actress opens up about why this…
David Farrier Flies into the City of the Dead
“The capital city of Turkmenistan is blisteringly dry and hot, dumped in the middle of the desert. It also holds the record for the highest density of buildings made…
Taika Waititi Joins Watts and Waltz on Venice Jury
New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi and actors Naomi Watts and Christoph Waltz join the main jury of the Venice Film Festival, which will be presided over by director Guillermo…
Royals Makes Top Best Female Songs of the Century
An NPR Music list of the 200 Greatest Songs by 21st Century Women has put Lorde’s debut smash hit, the 2013 “Royals”, in the top 10.
According to NPR, the…
Pitchfork Fave Created by Parris and Ciara
The Parris Goebel-choreographed “Level Up”, a track sung by American singer-songwriter Ciara, who joins New Zealand’s ReQuest Dance Crew on the dance floor, is one of American online music magazine Pitchfork’s…
Antipodean Women Deliver Summer of Laughter to UK
This summer, an influx of female antipodean standup comedians, variety acts and sitcom stars are reshaping the way Britain views New Zealand and Australia. Observer arts and media correspondent…
