Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Heathcote Valley Road Programme

WHAT IS THE MEASURE OF A FULL LIFE?

At Ryman, we believe the measure of a full life is one that gets richer with age.

Rediscover lost passions and plunge headfirst into new ones. Surround yourself with new people, old friends and close family. Live with opportunities and experiences at your doorstep.

That’s why we’re creating communities that challenge the expectations of ageing, and investing in organisations that bring joy and meaning to our residents and team members.

Ryman are proud sponsors of The Court Theatre.

KERI Ryman Resident

Welcome

Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Heathcote Valley Road. Backstage farces hold a particular kind of delight for us “theatre people” and we know that this brilliant farce from Gregory Cooper will delight you too.

It is wonderful to have long-time Court collaborators and theatrical powerhouses, Mark Hadlow and Lara Macgregor, back in The Shed. Who better to embody professional actors, facing the unexpected calamities, drama, and comedy of theatre, relationships, and life?! There is something so satisfying in seeing two such accomplished actors spark off each other and dig into a vibrant script with the confident verve that comes from craft and a trusted scene partner. Some frequent and some new collaborators are found in the superb design team, who have put their thoughtful and intelligent creativity to work to strikingly capture Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Heathcote Valley Road in set, sound, lights, and costume. This production has also been a great opportunity to partner with Whakatū, Nelson-based, The Professional Theatre Company.

Gretchen

La Roche Executive Director

Alison Walls

Artistic Director

Theatre is full of ghosts, traditions, and superstitions (including not saying the title of “the Scottish Play”!), perhaps because there is a kind of magic in the echoes of past performances, the characters and stories brought to life anew and fleetingly each time, and in the spark and crackle between performers and audience. Amidst all that is sublime, there is plenty of the ridiculous— perfect fodder for unrestrained comedy—as you shall see!

Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Heathcote Valley Road is also about a relationship: a pair of collaborators in life and art. It is amazing to reflect on the many relationships and collaborations at the heart of The Court Theatre and what we do. This show is the first production of the year with Gretchen La Roche as Executive Director and an opportunity to celebrate the evolution of the theatre and our friends, colleagues, and collaborators, old and new.

We are grateful as always to our season sponsor Ryman Healthcare, to our show sponsor Christchurch Casino, to the whole Court company, extended friends and whānau, and to our audiences. Enjoy the show!

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

The Professional Theatre Company wishes to acknowledge

THEIR FOUNDING FIFTY MEMBERS: Garry Munro (The Tides Hotel), Nick Smith, Jamie Harrington, David Orsbourn, Jill and Stuart Hebberd, Steve Thomas, Matt & Ollie Reid, and Linda Hansen.

T HE PROFESSIONAL THEATRE COMPANY BOARD: Colleen Marshall (Chair), Euan McIntosh (Deputy Chair) Mark Hadlow, Arko Biswas, Matt Stringer, Sarah Frost, Monica Pausina, Mark Christensen, Phillipa Pattison.

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Sally Fisher, Penrith Ltd; Steve and Rueben Eggers, Lift N Shift Ltd; Blaire Lodge-Perry, Manatū Taonga; Eliane Pollack, Manager Theatre Royal; Mark Thompson and Mike Kumagai, Nelson Airport Ltd; Rebecca Leach, NRDA; Matt Stringer, Johnston Associates; Tony Bowater, Bowater Motor Group; Phillipa Pattison and Lee Wright, MediaWorks; Euan McIntosh, Sarah Frost, Forsyth Barr; Arko Biswas, Cutting Edge Signs; Steve Thomas, Production Manager, The Professional Theatre Co.; Jason Stewart, Jason Stewart Builders; PlaceMakers Nelson-Marlborough Region; Geoff & Sheree Sherlock; Tim Lusk, Life Member of The Professional Theatre Company.

The Cast

Tom - Mark Hadlow

Jo - Lara Macgregor

Voice of Timmy - Bob Bickerton

Production

Director - Gregory Cooper

Set Design - Mark McEntyre

Lighting Design - Sean Hawkins

Costume Design - Pauline Farley

Music Composition and Sound - Bob Bickerton

Choreographer - Natalia Harrington

Props Coordinator - Aisha Cumming

The Professional Theatre Company

Production Manager - Steve Thomas

The Court Theatre Stage Manager - Jo Bunce

Lighting and Sound Operators - Giles Tanner, Geoff Nunn

Wardrobe Assistants - Rae Thomas, Georgina Stephens & Linda Hansen

Set Construction - Jason Stewart Builders & ET Engineering

The Court Theatre Workshop - Matthew Duffy, Seth Edwards-Ellis, & Edward Roche

The Court Theatre Wardrobe Department - Daniella Salazar & Findlay Currie

The Court Theatre Properties Manager - Julian Southgate

Photographers - Martin de Ruyter & Charlie Rose Creative

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - Matt Short, taylor Boutique, & Sarah Louise.

RUNNING TIME - 2 hours (including 20-minute interval)

CONTENT ADVISORY - This production features strong language, lighting and fog/smoke effects.

Photography and videography of this production is strictly prohibited.

TREAT YOURSELF TO $15 MEALS DEALS

AT CHRISTCHURCH CASINO

These deals are available between 12pm-10pm at The Café with your Players Club card. If you're not a member already, signing up is free!

Gregory Cooper Writer and Director

Director’s Note

In July 2022, I received a call from my dear friend Mark Hadlow.

He was on a bus on Courtenay Place, Wellington and couldn’t wait to share with me an idea he’d had for a new play called Mr&MrsMacbethofHeathcoteValleyRoad (previously Dodson Valley Road). It was a fantastic pitch, but he wasn’t finished there. He went on to say he wanted this to be the first production for a new professional theatre company he was involved in establishing in Wakatū/Nelson.

Thinking back to that conversation now, I’m pretty sure if anyone else had said they were setting up a new theatre company barely two years after COVID had decimated the live entertainment industry, I’d have replied with something like, “Yeah, right”. But because it was Mark, I replied with something like, “Yeah, right, I’d love to be involved.”

Being involved in bringing this show to life has been a unique privilege. I have never encountered such a positive, passionate, and proactive group of people all focused on creating a play for everyone to experience and be proud of. A play about two people who love the language of a 400-year-old playwright who have forgotten how to love the language of each other.

An old theatrical superstition would have you believe saying “Macbeth” in a theatre will cause disaster. If you’ve already said it don’t worry, you’ll find out how to break the curse very soon. But once you’ve left The Court Theatre please say “Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Heathcote Valley Road” to as many people as possible and tell them they’ll be the ones cursing if they don’t buy a ticket.

The Cast - Tom Mark Hadlow ONZM

Mark Hadlow, ONZM, has been a professional actor and director for over 40 years. Performances on stage, in film, television, corporate entertainment, and voice overs in the thousands have established him as a robust and credible industry professional.

Mark is particularly devoted to live performance and has worked at nearly all the professional companies in New Zealand, from 2nd spear carrier on the right to supporting characters and finally leads in many, many productions, making him a draw card on any stage.

MAMIL(MiddleAgedManinLycra) written by good friend Gregory Cooper has been playing to New Zealand audiences for 8 years and accumulated a following of over 65,000 people and still counting. Return seasons in most main centres have been as packed as the first time.

His film career has seen him performing in many Peter Jackson movies such as The Hobbit, King Kong, MortalEngines, and Meet the Feebles, a cult spectacular. A film made in Motueka by Stef Harris partnered Mark up with long-time friend and colleague, Jed Brophy, to play the co-leads in Blue Moon, which has won multiple best film awards around the world at film festivals.

In 2020, Blue Moon was invited to play at the Cannes Film Festival and Mark won Best Actor in the IPFF in Italy in 2022. DieLikeaShark, a film produced by mate Shane Rangi saw Mark pick up best supporting actor for his role as a South African kick boxing coach.

Covid having decimated the entertainment industry, especially live theatre, has been the driver for Mark in establishing the Professional Theatre Company in Whakatū, Nelson, to reengage with the community on how important live theatre performance is for the future of local professional talent and our next generations of up-and-coming talent.

The Cast - Jo Lara Macgregor

Lara works as an actor, director, and performance coach around New Zealand.

She studied acting in New York City with Uta Hagen, Anthony Abeson and Tony Greco and subsequently worked for ten years as an actor in the U.S.

She holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Directing from The National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney and has directed over 40 productions in the last decade.

In 2009, Lara was appointed Associate Artistic Director at The Court Theatre, and in 2010 became Artistic Director at Fortune Theatre in Dunedin. Her directing and acting highlights at The Court Theatre include Misery,WhentheRainStopsFalling,ThingsIKnowtoBeTrue,TheCuriousIncidentoftheDogintheNightTime and the musical RENT.

She currently free-lances across all disciplines with multiple companies including South Pacific Pictures, Auckland Theatre Company, The Court Theatre, Circa Theatre, Centrepoint Theatre, The Actors’ Program, the Pan Asian Theatre Collective, and the University of Otago Theatre Studies.

Recent Film and TV acting credits include Deborah in BadBehaviour, (Dir: Alice Englert), Mrs Roidern in One ofUsisLying, Sgt Gillian Carmichael in Clickbait on Netflix, and currently Moira Pierce on Shortland Street.

Lara is Chairperson for He Waka Eke Noa Charitable Arts Trust, and has played an integral part in supporting the development of The Factory Theatre and Kete Aronui venues in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland.

Lara is represented by the wonderful team at Gail Cowan Management.

Lara is dressed by

Director and Writer Gregory Cooper

Gregory’s career began as an improvisor and actor at The Court Theatre in 1993. His previous Court Theatre credits include The CompleteHistoryofNewZealand,TheUnderpants,TheHoundofthe Baskervilles,NiuSila,UncleVanya,EasyMoney,AChristmasCarol, Elling,LesLiaisonsDangereuses, and The Wind in the Willows.

His other theatre credits include The Complete History of Christchurch, The Complete History of World Rugby; Howzat! The Complete History of Kiwi Cricket (CCC Summer Theatre season), Le Sud (Auckland Theatre Company), Niu Sila (Fortune Theatre), and The Complete History of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).

He wrote MAMIL (MiddleAgedManinLycra), The Streaker, Mr & Mrs Macbeth of Dodson Valley Road, and co-wrote the suffragist rock musical ThatBloodyWoman. His directing credits include MAMIL(MiddleAged Man in Lycra), Hamlet: The Video Game (The Stage Show), Steel Magnolias (The Court Theatre), 2Graves (LAF) and the pantomimes Cinderella and Beauty&TheBeast (GMG Productions).

Set Designer

Mark McEntyre

Mark is best known in the theatre world for his set designs for Tawata Productions, Pacific Underground, NZ International Festival of the Arts, Melbourne Arts Festival, Christchurch Arts Festival, Taki Rua Productions, The Court Theatre, and The Auckland Theatre Company.

Mark has represented New Zealand in the Prague Quadrennial of Scenography and Theatre Architecture. The last two years have been busy designing for a range of productions including The Court Theatre’s productions of FlagonsandFoxtrots and RENT, and Tawata’s production of NgāRorirori at Circa.

Mark has teamed up with Tony De Goldi to form the GOM Design Collective. As a team they have designed the production of Dawn Raids, a collaboration between Pacific Underground and Auckland Theatre Company, Lucia di Lammermoor for Wellington Opera, The Court Theatre’s production of Appropriate, and OlePepelo, leGaoi,malePala’ai for production company IKENSO in collaboration with Auckland Theatre Company and Auckland Arts Festival.

Costume Designer Pauline Farley

Mark is currently working on the design of Transmission Beta for Stuart McKenzie and Miranda Harcourt. This project will be staged at Circa Theatre in May.

Mark is also the Academic Manager of Performing Arts and a supervisor in the post graduate programme Masters of Creative Practice, Ara, Te Pūkenga.

Pauline is a graduate of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (Bachelor of Visual Arts and Design).

Her previous credits include CHONA (Nelson Professional Theatre Company), SummerShakespeare,TheTwits (Body in Space), BloodBrothers, (Theatre Alive). For many years Pauline has worked with Community Theatre groups in New Plymouth, Queenstown and Nelson and still never looses the thrill of seeing her costumes come to life on stage.

Pauline is excited to be a part of The Professional Theatre Company, working with Mark, Greg and Lara, and looking forward to seeing her work on The Court Theatre stage for the first time.

Lighting Designer

Sean Hawkins

Sean has been working professionally as a lighting designer for 15 years and has a Diploma of Entertainment Technology from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School. Sean has worked internationally as The Head of Lighting at Soho Theatre in London’s West End and was previously employed as House Technician at The Court Theatre for 5 years.

He has designed more than 25 productions for The Court Theatre, and his experience ranges from children’s theatre to full scale musicals to lighting installation pieces. Highlights include Songsfor Nobodies,StagWeekend,Hamlet:TheVideoGame(TheStageShow),ExittheKing (The Court Theatre), Di and Viv and Rose (Fusion Productions), Cabaret, and AComedyofErrors (NASDA).

He has also been responsible for designing a number of well-known items including the large, illuminated tunnel in the Tīrama Mai celebration and the St Andrews College graduation performance of “Stairway to Heaven” that went viral at the end of 2023. Sean and Mark Hadlow have worked together for many years, as Sean is responsible for the touring lighting design of MAMIL(MiddleAgedManinLycra) working together in a director/designer team on a number of productions. Sean is very excited to bring this wonderful piece of theatre to The Court Theatre stage.

Music Composition & Sound Design

Bob

Bickerton

Sean is currently employed at The Light Site, Christchurch’s premiere lighting company for events and theatre.

Bob Bickerton is a Whakatū, Nelson-based musician, composer and recording engineer with a long career in the New Zealand performing arts industry. In his own words, he says he simply makes music happen and has produced a myriad of concerts and festivals and has performed music right around New Zealand.

His fascination with synthesis, love of orchestral music and passion for traditional Celtic music collide in this production to create a multi-faceted soundscape.

Stage Manager Jo Bunce

Jo graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School with a diploma in technical production in 1996 and has been working in theatre for over 25 years. She freelanced for many years in Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington as a lighting designer/operator and stage manager as well as working overseas in London and Edinburgh. She has also worked in film and was an on-set production assistant for KingKong.

Jo is the Head Stage Manager at The Court Theatre and has been involved in over 50 Court Productions going back to 1996 including Cabaret,Othello,Art,TheSeagull,Amadeus,PacificPost,TheMotorCamp,Endofthe Rainbow,BloodBrothers,OneMan,TwoGuvnors,NiuSila,TheLadykillers,Waiora:TeUKaiPo-The Homeland,SteelMagnolias,VenusinFur,EasyMoney,StephenKing’sMisery,Elling,LesLiaisons Dangereuses,FreshOffTheBoat,AStreetcarNamedDesire,LadiesNight,Frankenstein,TheGirlontheTrain, FlagonsandFoxtrots,SenseandSensibility,Appropriate, and AgathaChristie’sMurderontheOrientExpress.

Jo graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Arts in 1994.

Lighting and Sound Operator Giles Tanner

Giles is a graduate of Hagley Theatre Company (Diploma in Performing Arts), where he concentrated on technical production, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from the University of Canterbury.

Currently Head Technician at The Court Theatre, Giles has worked on more than 50 Court productions including Amadeus,WhentheRain StopsFalling,Constellations,EducatingRita,Waiora:TeUKaiPo-The Homeland,TheEvents,VenusinFur,TitusAndronicus,IntheNextRoom,orTheVibratorPlay,StephenKing’s Misery,HedwigandtheAngryInch,Once,TheWindintheWillows,AStreetcarNamedDesire,TheGirlonthe Train,SenseandSensibility,DanceNation, and AgathaChristie’sMurderontheOrientExpress.

Giles was one of 2023’s The Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Out of the Limelight Awards, recognising dedicated theatre practitioners in Aotearoa.

Lighting and Sound Operator Geoff Nunn

Originally from Manchester, Geoff has been in New Zealand since 1994. He is a qualified baker and at first worked in the hospitality industry as a chef and then restaurant manager from Queenstown through to Mount Maunganui. He then decided on a complete change in career and went to Circo-Arts for a year and then studied for two years with The Hagley Theatre Company.

Geoff joined The Court Theatre on a casual basis in 2000 and has since worked as an actor, drama tutor, designer, technician and stage manager, becoming a full-time technician in 2005 and taking over the head technician position in 2008. In 2010, Geoff took up a scholarship to work and train as an early childhood educator. After the earthquake he set up his own small catering company which ran for 12 years in Christchurch. He has done lighting designs for NASDA, St Andrews College, Halswell School and The Light Site. Geoff is back on the full-time company list at The Court Theatre since the start of 2023. Geoff has also directed shows for Original Scripts Theatre School, The Hurunui Theatre Group and Christchurch Boys High School.

COMING SOON TO THE

COURT THEATRE

Neil and Kaye McKenzie are proud supporters of The Court Theatre

THE COURT COMPAN Y

Executive

TEACHING

Education

Customer

Box

SPONSORS

Academy Funeral Services

Adgraphix

Carol Caldwell

Chamalang Plasterers & Painters

CIPM Limited

Coca-Cola

Elastomer Products Ltd

Fresh & Clean

Garden City Chemdry

Metalcraft Roofing

Phantom Billstickers

Raewyn Murray Photography

Team Architects

The George Christchurch

TotalPOS

CORE FUNDERS

SEASON SPONSOR

Pamela Webb Charitable Trust

The Robert & Barbara Stewart Charitable Trust

Elizabeth Ball Charitable Trust

Farina Thompson Charitable Trust