BATS THEATRE
GUANO 88 APR - MAY 2018
At BATS we have a pretty strong opinion about comedy: it’s great. It should therefore come as no grand shock that we’ll be host to eighteen crack-up shows during Comedy Festival this May. Sketches, skits and stand-up abound from a throng of wickedly talented New Zealand and international comedians. Comedy Festival aside, we’ve got exciting new shows and some of our Studio regulars in the building. Check out the vast array of shows, spanning from drama to musicals to kids’ shows. Come with your friends, your family, your neighbours, your postman or with your good self. Either way, with a lovely community, a fully stocked bar and exciting shows, we’re sure you’ll have a great night out! Love, BATS xxx GUANO 88 COVER ARTIST Rebekah Bakker Rebekah is a Wellington-based Applied Arts student at Te Kāhui Auaha. When she’s not taking photographs, you can find her propping up the BATS bar as one of our friendly front of house staff. Follow her on Instagram to keep up with her work: @rebekah_bakker_photography
BATS is a charity that relies on partnerships and our generous community to ensure our doors stay open for our artists and audiences. Each year we have to raise $20,000 in donations to support our business. Your gift makes a real difference to us and our community. Over the past year, we have supported:
AUDIENCE
ARTISTS
32,183
1,042 performance makers supported and developed
people came to see a show at BATS
*Figures from 2017
SHOWS
PERFORMANCES
130
638
diverse productions staged in our theatre
presented across 3 stages
GIVE TODAY!
Top up your ticket purchase, visit bats.co.nz/lovebats or contact us directly to find out more Call (04) 802 4176 and speak to Waren or email waren@bats.co.nz
Lots of aroha to our core funders
Massive hugs to all of our current sponsors
Guano 87 was printed by the lovely folks at Service Printers
Guano is distributed by the total pros at Phantom
For sweet tunes & entertainment listen to RadioActive
A big thanks to everyone who has made a contribution!
KEY: THE PROPELLER STAGE
TRĂ–LL
THE HEYDAY DOME
APR 3 - 7 | 8pm | $20/$15
Ground Floor - Wheelchair accessible
First Floor - Please contact us about wheelchair access
THE STUDIO
Second Floor - Please contact us about wheelchair access
D KI
LY D N IE R F
TWINKLE Times & dates vary | $12.50 check bats.co.nz
A simple and beautiful story about Twinkle, a small girl who wants to fly, to fly to the moon, to fly to other worlds. A lovely story about imagination, dreams, adventure and friendship. *No show Wed, 25 Apr, Anzac Day
From the makers of The Bookbinder comes a lo-fi wi-fi fable in the vein of Stranger Things. It combines storytelling, music and puppetry into an uncanny tale from the twitchy edges of the digital age. For adults and children 12+.
MOVERS
THE UNIVERSE IS PRETTY BIG AND I’M AFRAID OF SEX
APR 5 - 14 | 6pm | $20/$15
APR 5 - 7 | 7pm | $18/$14
When Tai, a stand-up comedian takes a job at a moving company, he finds new material in Oscar and Bruce, two Pākehā blokes who seem to have leapt right out of a Stuff comment section. An original comedy by Red Scare.
It’s all pretty scary if you think about it... even if you don’t think about it, it’s still pretty scary! This original standup-variety -conversational-comedy-theatre show dives intimately into the awe and awkwardness of sex, space and connection.
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JUST A PHASE MAY 1 - 5 | 6.30pm | $20/$15 Whether she’s a Goth who writes ‘wiccan’ as her religion on the census or a Palaeolithic naturalist who won’t put chemicals in her body/temple (exception: alcohol) - if there’s a new phase, Hayley Sproull sticks to it like shit to a blanket.
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ALICE SNEDDEN: SELF TITLED VOLUME II MAY 1 - 5 | 7pm | $20/$15
Alice Snedden is back with a promise to bring more laughs & more cash (for Alice only)! There will be jokes. There will be laughs. There will be blood.* All you need is a good attitude & a ticket. Or, a bad attitude & a ticket. *B.Y.O Blood
APR 11 - 21 | 8pm | $22/$18
YOUR HEART LOOKS LIKE A VAGINA
Adapted from the ground-breaking German classic by Frank Wedekind, this Tony Award-winning, contemporary and electrifying alt-rock musical rollercoaster explores the troubled journey from adolescence to adulthood. Preview: Tues, 10 Apr, $20.
A one man show about the joys of chronic illness. Combining poetry, comedy and theatre, Dominic tells the real life journey of developing Ankylosing Spondylitis (a rare form of arthritis) to reclaiming his life (it’s funnier than it sounds!)
SPRING AWAKENING
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APR 17 - 21 | 6.30pm | $22/$16
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JAMIE BOWEN: IT HAPPENED THEN, NOW
WE STILL LIVE WITH OUR PARENTS
Jamie witnessed an event. A moment in time. A child, eating a sandwich. This is an exploration of that moment; that happened then, now. It’s a show by a person who thinks about thinking. A lot. It’s a show for that girl. With her sandwich.
2017 Class Comedian graduates Lucy Forrestal (2017 Wgtn Comedy Awards Best Newcomer Nominee), Tui Christie and Roman Ratcliff weren’t alive in the 80s, but their hair, clothing and all-round suburban outlook on life beg to differ.
MAY 1 - 5 | 8pm | $22/$16
MAY 1 - 5 | 8.30pm | $20/$15
A TIME LIKE THIS
COLOUR ME CECILY
Following a sell-out season in Gisborne in 2017, A Time Like This comes to Wellington. The horrors of WW1 haunt old Douglas Chapman in his twilight years and a secret he has carried all that time threatens to undo him. *No show Wed, 25 Apr, Anzac Day
Following her divorce, Cecily befriends an eccentric group of women, intent on living life to the fullest. Her journey takes some hilarious twists, as she navigates her way through the minefield that was 1980s, Upper Hutt. *No show Wed, 25 Apr, Anzac Day
APR 24 - 28* | 8pm | $20/$15
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APR 24 - 28* | 6.30pm | $20/$15
L VA I ST E F
SANTA FE
HUMBLE
MAY 1 - 5 | 9pm | $14-$22
MAY 2 - 5 | 9.30pm | $22/$16
2017 Billy T Award loser Paul Williams hasn’t taken the hint and is back with his sophomore show. Fresh off the Edinburgh Fringe stage, where he performed to impressively small audiences, Paul is back on the adventure of a lifetime!
The bros are back! After sell out shows and years of bragging, Jamaine Ross, James Roque and Pax Assadi embark on a journey to learn true humility. All new, unparalleled sketches, for your utter and inevitable enjoyment!
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MELODRAMA MAY 8 - 12 | 6.30pm | $14-$22 After winning Best Newcomer in the 2017 NZ Comedy Festival, Melanie Bracewell returns with her second solo show, detailing her awkward and overly dramatic perspectives of young adulthood.
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WHY DOES THIS FEEL SO GOOD? MAY 8 - 12 | 7pm | $20/$15
Brynley and Rhiannon are delivering the sort of “cool,” “fresh” educational show that today’s youth are crying out for. They’re gonna try to spread their limited knowledge of sex, puberty and sexuality to you, their class of high school teens.
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BARCELONER
FAKING IT
MAY 15 - 19 | 8pm | $14-$22
MAY 15 - 19 | 8.30pm | $18/$14
Winner of the 2017 New Zealand International Comedy Festival Billy T Award, Angella Dravid is back with a WIP show. She went to Barcelona to do the Eat, Pray, Love thing but it didn’t quite work out.
Lana Walters, a rising star in NZ comedy, is bringing her hour stand-up show to Wellington! Why not laugh at the messiness of life? From jokes about love and sex, to being fat shamed by grandma, Lana leaves no holds barred.
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PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS: A NEW DAWN
YOU DO YOU BABES
MAY 8 - 12 | 8pm | $22/$16
MAY 8 - 12 | 8.30pm | $22/$16
The new Labour Government takes on its first major challenge: Budget Day and all the chaos it entails. Witness a new dawn for PSA as it returns for its ninth year taking hilarious aim at everyone on the political spectrum.
2018 Billy T nominated Donna Brookbanks takes her signature awkward charm to new heights. Follow her attempts to navigate anxious social spheres, accept the cat lady she is becoming, all while trying very, very hard to be happy.
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MY FAT/SAD
GIGGLY GERTIES
MAY 15 - 19 | 9pm | $14-$22
MAY 16 - 19 | 9.30pm | $25/$18
Uther Dean is fat and sad and you can be too! From eating your feelings to feeling your eatings, this deliciously dark hour of stand-up covers every stretch mark on the modern body and mind.
Chris Parker (the tall one) and Tom Sainsbury (the Paula Bennett one) gleefully lampoon kiwis of all shapes’n’sizes in this series of sketches.
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TESSA WATERS: FULLY SIK
TOTAL EPIC-NESS
MAY 8 - 12 | 9pm | $16-$25
MAY 9 - 10 | 9.30pm | $20/$15
High octane sketches and improv smash together as multi-award-winning comedian Tessa Waters (Over Promises, WOMANz) takes her audience on a joy-ride through her Fully Sik sense of humour. Broad City meets the Boosh.
Sophia and Cohen return to Comedy Fest, but this time on horseback with swords and spears ducking and weaving under drawbridges for an epic one hour of sketch comedy.
I AM NOT MARGARET MAHY (BASED ON NOTES OF A BAG LADY)
SAFE. FOR THE MOMENT.
MAY 22 - 26 | 6.30pm | $20/$15
MAY 22 - 26 | 7.30pm | $18/$14
Margaret Mahy was one of our most original and versatile writers. Her stories are witty and enticing, vivid and exhilarating. Mahy’s delight in the world around her and her irreverent sense of humour are reflected in this smart adaptation.
From the creators of Don Juan, Jekyll & Hyde and Death and the Dreamlife of Elephants comes a blend of cocktail party, surreal dream, neo-noir mystery and community meeting. A playful storytelling concoction.
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WMBADx: IDEAS WORTH SPREADING
SELF-HELPED
MAY 15 - 19 | 6.30pm | $20/$15
MAY 15 - 19 | 7pm | $20/$15
Former comedian Robbie Nicol, once called a ‘satire genius’ by Jacinda Ardern, has been reborn. Now, he presents a seminar to warn you of the evils of political satire. Some call it theatrical comedy, but, please, take it seriously.
Tom Sainsbury (the snapchat dude) takes you on a spiritual journey to reach your full potential. His stand up and skits will inspire and motivate you* (*content may not motivate, see your life coach if symptoms persist).
bats.co.nz (04) 802 4175
BOX OFFICE OPENS 5PM SHOW DAYS
@bats_theatre
FEMME NATALE
BATStheatre
MAY 23 - 26 | 8pm* | $18/$14 Come share a night of skits, comedy and revelry with Wellington mums (and one dad!), inspired by the extraordinary experiences of motherhood. Celebrate that you’re surviving and thriving in the hardest job you’ll ever do. *2pm matinee on Sat, 26 May
@BATS_Theatre subscribe to BATSmail at bats.co.nz
STUDIO REGULARS Fun times on the second floor Check bats.co.nz for dates and times
PLAYSHOP LIVE! FRIDAY NIGHTS | 9pm | $16/$12 Playshop LIVE is late-night improvised comedy without limits: fast, physical, and unpredictable. A night with Playshop is completely unique and feels like a party with the quickest, loveliest, naughtiest actors you’ll meet.
We hope that you enjoy what’s flying into BATS in the coming months. BRACKETS APR 14 | 9pm | $15/$10 A monthly smorgasbord of queer entertainment - everything from plays to podcasts to poetry slams.
He mihi atu ki a koutou katoa. Mā te wā. We look forward to seeing you soon!
VISIT US AT BATS.CO.NZ
FAQs Q: How early should I arrive before a show? A: We recommend arriving at least 20 minutes before the show so you can collect your tickets from the Box Office and grab a drink from Lumen Bar! Q: How do I book tickets? A: Head to bats.co.nz to book tickets online or call our Box Office on (04) 802 4175 after 5pm. If you prefer to keep things a bit fast and loose, rock up to the Box Office on the night, as we often have last minute door sales available. Q: Do you have wheelchair accessibility? A: BATS has a stairclimber for access to and from The Heyday Dome and The Studio. BATS staff are trained in operating the device but to ensure two trained staff are available to assist, please provide 24 hours notice. The Propeller Stage is on the ground floor and has 3 movable seats that can be taken out to provide wheelchair spaces. Please let us know by 4.30pm on the day of your show if you require a wheelchair space.
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EVENT HIRE AT BATS
You could hire BATS Theatre! Hold your workshop, seminar, launch party or special event in one of BATS’ unique spaces.
email harriet@bats.co.nz to find out more about rates, dates and what we offer.