Issuu

SUPPORTING THE SHOW FROM THE FRONT ROW

We believe a life well lived is worth celebrating, which is why we are proud to support The Court Theatre, where stories come to life, and bring people together. Whether it’s world-class entertainment, a thought-provoking performance, or a good laugh, The Court Theatre creates something for everyone.

Our residents share a diverse range of passions and interests, and we’re proud to support a place where creativity thrives, just as it does within our own communities.

Proud 2025 Season Sponsor of The Court Theatre.

Discover the Ryman lifestyle.

SEARCH RYMAN

Ross Gumbley Actor

Andrew Todd Sound Designer

Dan Bain Director

Louise Topping Rehearsal Stage Manager

Harold Moot Production Designer

Jo Bunce Stage Manager

Acknowledgements

Haydon Dickie Operator

Tabitha Fletcher, Nicole Barriball, Rodney McKeown, Glen Kelman, & Courtney Martin (Kitchen Concepts) Ted Eason (Photography), Charlie Rose of Charlie Rose Creative (Photography), Sarah Rowan (Video Editing), Sandra Roberts of Skip Ink (Publicity), Steve Brownlow (Kitchen Things), and Annabelle McClure of My Glam Booth. Proudly printed by Caxton.

Running Time: 80 minutes with no interval Content Advisory: References to death and grieving.

End of Summer Time staged at The Court Theatre 21 June - 16 August 2025.

From front-page exclusives to in-depth investigations, The Press delivers the stories that shape Canterbury and beyond — no intermission, no final act. Visit thepress.co.nz/subscribe SUBSCRIBE TODAY Pay Weekly

$1.99 per week for 16 weeks, then $5 per week. Pay Annually $149 for your first year, then $199 annually.

Welcome to Sir Roger Hall’s End of Summer Time. Sir Roger is a legendary figure of New Zealand theatre. He is among several in this year’s season who can be considered the vanguard of professional theatre in Aotearoa. In fact, although it was not a deciding factor in programming, it is wonderfully fitting that Sir Roger pays homage in his title to the Aotearoa classic that opened the Stewart Family Theatre, The End of the Golden Weather.

Protagonist, Dickie Hart, has gained his own sort of iconicity. The former cow cockie was first introduced to audiences with C’mon Black (1996), followed by You Gotta Be Joking (2013). Verging on stereotype, Dickie is the epitome of the “kiwi bloke”, but in capturing Dickie’s continual struggle to understand the moving times, Sir Roger also captures an essential truth; all with the signature humour that has earned him such enduring fandom. This third in the series holds at its core a more fundamental change in Dickie’s life than moving to the city. We wouldn’t want to spoil it here, but it is profound, and profoundly relatable.

Continuing the theme of theatre icons, it is pretty iconic to have Ross Gumbley, previous Artistic Director of The Court Theatre and Artistic Advisor on our new Court in the City, embody Dickie Hart. Ross’s storied career began with acting, and he is simply one of the best. Even Ross knew, however, that if he were to take on this role, he needed a director with a sharp intellect and equally sharp comedic skills to spur him on. Needless to say, when Ross learned we had approached Dan Bain to direct, any hesitation disappeared. It is brilliant to have these two leaders of the craft working together, (and in the rehearsal room and theatre that Ross helped make a reality, no less)! They are joined by skilled designers, Harold Moot—whose superb design for Dickie’s fancy new kitchen has been realised by sponsors Kitchen Concepts (thank you!)—and Andrew Todd, whose sound design completes the world.

We are grateful to our loyal season sponsor Ryman Healthcare, to our core funder, Creative New Zealand, to our show sponsor, Stuff, and to all our valued supporters, funders and donors. It is our privilege to bring this production of End of Summer Time to you, and we could not do it without these supporters, or without our loyal audiences.

Ngā mihi ki a koutou.

Steve Wakefield Chair of The Court Theatre Trust Board

Alison Walls Artistic Director

a gag man. Physical gags. Broad jokes. Subtle jokes. Puns. Elaborate comedy sequences. That’s my bread and butter. And Ross? Oh, he loves a gag as well. Set it up, knock it down, boom boom.

There’s a version of this play that is just that. A sequence of high-speed gags and routines, leaning hard on the jokes in Roger’s script, and supplementing them with sight gags and funny voices. Job done, right?

While I think that would be a fun night out, swinging easily from gag to gag, I think that would do a great disservice to the piece. A comedy has a comedic conceit at its heart. A contradiction, or an irony that is explored and resolved. At the heart of End of Summer Time there is… a deep, aching sadness. And what happens when your life disintegrates.

And bravery in the face of that.

We’ve spent a lot of time trying to avoid the easy option. Where there’s an opportunity for glibness, we’ve instead questioned—is there something here that is more resonant? Should we explore that? And could we find a way for that to be funny as well? The jokes are still there, the physical business is still there as well, but we’ve done our best to keep them real. To avoid lowhanging fruit. To not allow the truth of the circumstances of the play to be overshadowed by our nonsense and mummery.

WE ARE CREATURES OF NONSENSE. THIS WAS VERY HARD.

But I think in the end, it was for the best. I hope you enjoy this production of Sir Roger’s latest play and that, along with the jokes and the charm, you find some of the moments that theatre does best, sharing the experience of being human in a room with other humans.

Dan Bain

. Roger has returned to this character to see how he fares in changed circumstances.

Roger was born in England in 1939 and emigrated to New Zealand in 1958. He is New Zealand’s best-known dramatist and has written more than sixty plays, musicals (with Philip Norman), and pantomimes (with Michael Nicholas Williams and Paul Jenden) and a similar number of sitcom episodes for television in New Zealand and the UK.

He worked as a teacher and editor with the Education Department before winning the Burns Fellowship at the University of Otago in 1977. Roger was based in Dunedin as teaching fellow in the English Department where he taught the playwriting course, until he moved to Auckland in 1995.

Roger began writing sketch material in the 1960s while a student and contributed to a series of late-night revues at Downstage Theatre in

first stage play, , and became almost immediately this country’s most commercially successful dramatist.

His plays have been produced in many other countries. Perhaps his most well-known plays since Glide Time (made for television as Gliding On), are Middle Age Spread which won the Comedy of the Year award from the Society of West End Theatres in 1979 and was later made as a feature film; Social Climbers, Market Forces, Who Wants to be 100?, Four Flat Whites in Italy, A Shortcut to Happiness, You Can Always Hand Them Back, Last Legs and Winding Up.

Roger has been the recipient of many awards. In 2003 he was named Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services as a playwright, in 2015 he was awarded the Prime Ministers Award for Literary Achievement and was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2019.

Ross became a trainee actor at The Court Theatre in 1985. Now, 40 years later, he has appeared in over 100 productions throughout New Zealand including Court Theatre productions of Stones in His Pockets, Great Expectations, Milo’s Wake, Humble Boy, Ladies’ Night, King Lear, The Rocky Horror Show, Alone It Stands, Lady Windermere’s Fan; Happy Coupling, The Country Wife and The Birthday Boy. Also a highly accomplished improvisor, Ross was a founding member of The Court Jesters.

Living in Palmerston North throughout the late nineties he was Trainee Artistic Director at Centrepoint under the Artistic Directorship of Alison Quigan and anchored his own radio show Gumbley’s Better Breakfast for Classic Hits. Ross and Alison have co-written six plays, four of which have been produced at The Court Theatre, including the critically acclaimed Flagons and Foxtrots.

In the director’s chair, Ross’ credits include Spreading Out, Ying Tong, Flagons and Foxtrots, Bombshells, Heroes, his own stage adaptation of Buchan’s novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, Who Wants To Be 100? (Anyone Who’s 99), Year of the Rat, the 2008 touring show Skin Tight, Letter to

Blanchy: Stir Crazy, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Gods of Warm Beer, The Great Gatsby,

In The Shed, Ross directed A Shortcut to Happiness, Side by Side by Sondheim, Much Ado About Nothing, The Slapdash Assassin, Grease, The Women, Amadeus, SNAP!, The Mikado, When the Rain Stops Falling, Plum, One Man, Two Guvnors, Le Sud, Romeo and Juliet, The Ladykillers, Exit the King, Mary Poppins, Macbeth, Ropable, Songs for Nobodies, Easy Money, The Biggest, Mum’s Choir, A Christmas Carol and Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

Ross’ first solo venture as a playwright, Happy Coupling, premièred at The Court Theatre in 2006, the same year that he became the theatre’s Artistic Director. In 2016 he co-wrote the play Ropable with Allison Horsley, which he also directed for its 2017 debut. He returned to the stage as an actor in February 2019 playing Kjell Bjarne in the critically acclaimed Norwegian comedy Elling.

For the last five years Ross was Artistic Advisor for the design team for The Court Theatre in the City.

He co-created cult improv sensations Perfuct Storm and Improv Seduction and is the creator of the bafflingly popular sleep-aid podcast Dan Bain’s Sleepy Time Mumbles. As a multiaward winning standup his comedy reflects his unique perspective and cheerful vulgarity, all filtered through his desperate attempts to appear clever.

One of Aotearoa’s most experienced theatre directors, Dan’s credits include Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, Titus Andronicus, Stephen King’s Misery, Ideation, and The Arsonists for The Court Theatre; Around the World in 80 Days and The Odyssey for CCC Summer Theatre; and Cancel Santa and O Little Town of Beckenham for Little Andromeda.

His work as a writer for theatre includes the silent children’s shows A Paintbox of Clowns, Why Are My Parents So Boring? and Cat Vs. Dog; the Young and Hungry commissions Gameplan

Play, Best Adaptation, and Best South Island Play in the 2024 Playmarket Awards.

Dan was Associate Director of The Court Theatre from 2017 - 2020 and Artistic Director of The Court Jesters from 2014 - 2020.

He is currently the Artistic and Programming Director of Little Andromeda Fringe Theatre and the Head of The Malthouse Drama School.

Harold has worked in the professional theatre industry for nearly 40 years. He originally joined The Court Theatre as a member of the set construction team, and since 1990 has been freelancing as a designer, set builder, and scenic artist. He has designed extensively for The Court Theatre, including the inaugural production at The Shed in 2011, A Shortcut to Happiness. Other Court Theatre shows include Grease, Mary Poppins, Macbeth, Legally Blonde The Musical, Chicago, Misery, Jesus Christ Superstar, Jersey Boys, and Frankenstein.

His Showbiz Christchurch credits include Grease, Jesus Christ Superstar, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Wicked, and Come From Away. He designed the set for the New Zealand premiere of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Miss Saigon, and Matilda for NZ Music Consortiums, and worked with G&T Productions on Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots. He has also designed shows for Wellington Musical Theatre, Downstage, and Circa. Harold has worked in film, TV, and advertising, including at Weta Workshop.

In 2021, he received Sir Roger Hall’s Out of the Limelight Theatre Award.

Andrew is a multidisciplinary creative professional from Ōtautahi. Since joining The Court Jesters in 2006, his theatre career has encompassed writing, directing, acting, design, and more, across more than 70 productions.

Court Theatre highlights include creating video projections for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Hedwig and the Angry Inch; adapting H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine into an award-winning children’s play; and playing a depressed horse in The Wind in the Willows and an anxious murderer (spoilers) in Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express. His play The Consummate Professional, cowritten with partner Cathasaigh Ó Fiannachta, won the 2025 McNaughton South Island Play Award.

Outside of theatre, Andrew works as a screenwriter, filmmaker, and narrative consultant, with multiple feature film and television projects in development, and serves on the board of the New Zealand Writers Guild. He also records music, makes animated short films, and performs stand-up comedy.

STAGE 5 NOW Selling

Rangiora’s best location to live, learn and grow.

Situated in West Rangiora, Townsend Fields presents a living space that enhances your outdoor experience with open countryside, surrounded by reserves, waterways, native planting and recreational walkways and paths. Simply put, it is the town’s newest, eco-friendly location to call home.

Whether it is retirees looking for a tranquil, peaceful setting or families wishing to raise their children in a safe, family-friendly environment, Townsend Fields is the natural choice for living.

To make an appointment or if you have any questions, phone or email Chris.

Titles expected Oct 2025

Section sizes from 603-893m2

Sections priced from $425,000

Services to the boundary

Te Matauru Primary School zone

townsendfields.co.nz

TALLOTT Chris

027 4906 042 | 03 313 6158 sales@townsendfields.co.nz

Louise studied Stage Management at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London. Her UK theatre credits include There Came a Gypsy Riding (Almeida Theatre), The 39 Steps (Criterion Theatre), The BFG (National Tour), Sh*t-M*x (Piccadilly Studios), and Resident Stage Manager at The Bush Theatre (Wrecks, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover… at Christmas, I Caught Crabs in Walberswick, Stovepipe). Her Australian theatre credits include Tales from the Vienna Woods, Waikiki Hip, and The Vertical Hour (Sydney Theatre Company).

Louise has also worked extensively in television production, including Planet Earth Live, Animal Planet, Live ‘n’ Deadly, Deadly 360, Food and Drink, The One Show, Sport Relief (BBC), Dickinson’s Real Deal (RDF Television), Pobol-y-Cwm (BBC Wales), Live Well, Better Homes and Gardens (Seven Network, Australia), Style the Nation with Gok (Ensemble Australia), and most recently as Production Manager for Flashworks Media (NZ).

Jo is a long-term theatre professional with over 30 years of experience in live theatre and film. She graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Arts in 1994 and went on to earn a diploma in Technical Production from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1996.

Throughout her career, Jo has worked as a stage manager, lighting designer, and operator both in New Zealand and internationally. Her passion for live performance has seen her involved in over 60 productions for The Court Theatre since 1996, where she currently serves as the head stage manager. Some of the highlights of Jo’s career at The Court Theatre include her work on iconic productions such as Cabaret, Othello, Amadeus, End of the Rainbow, Blood Brothers, Niu Sila, Waiora, Steel Magnolias, Venus in Fur, Stephen King’s Misery, Elling, Ladies Night, Ideation, Frankenstein, Flagons and Foxtrots, Appropriate, Sense and Sensibility, Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, Fun Home, and A Doll’s House.

In 2025 Jo won an Arts Foundation Te Tumu Toi Out of the Limelight Award, recognising dedicated theatre practitioners in Aotearoa.

Nestled in the heart of Christchurch, The Victoria Free House is a warm and inviting pub where great drinks, delicious food, and good times come together. We pride ourselves on our welcoming atmosphere, friendly service, and a lively lineup of events From live music to comedy, there is always something happening at The Vic 779

E S T A P P E T I Z E R S

We make it easy to quench your thirst with a quick pint, a fine local wine, or a snappy cocktail. With 20 beers on tap, including crisp lagers, bold IPAs, and smooth stouts, including, Guinness there’s always the perfect pour waiting for you

We have a selection of snacks, and generous sharing platters, and a fast, pre-theatre dinner service. If you're after a quick bite with your drink with friends, or a hearty meal before the show, we serve up quality, flavour, and fast service.

Haydon is both a stage and screen creative. His screen credits include Truth. exe (Actor/Crew, Official Selection: Boston and Sydney Sci Fi Film Festival’s, Changing Face International Film Festival, Winner - Best Student Film, Miami International SciFi Film Festival), and The Bostrom Scenario (Producer/ Actor, 2024 International Film Festival Circuit). Haydon was a member of The Court Youth Company 2019/2020. His performance credits with the company include The Quarantine Diaries, Brainstorm, Boudica, and Jekyll & Hyde.

Recently, Haydon has pursued a more behind the scenes path. His stage management credits include RENT, Appropriate, Next to Normal, The Haka Party Incident, Something Rotten!, Strictly Ballroom The Musical (Assistant Stage Manager), Boys, The Unauthorized Biography of, Cinderella, 42nd Street, A Doll’s House and FairyStories (Stage Manager) to name a few.

Haydon recently finished directing his first musical, Catch Me If You Can (North Canterbury Musicals), and is also a playwright with two published works, Reminisce (2022) and Tell Me Where to Start (2024).

Time for an upgrade?

For a kitchen that can take centre stage, look no further than Kitchen Concepts.

As seen in End of Summer Time.

End of Summer Time marks the sixth Roger Hall play I have had the privilege of designing for. Fittingly, my first set design at The Court Theatre’s previous home in Addington was also a Roger Hall play—A Shortcut to Happiness. Now, as I take on my first design at The Court Theatre’s new home, I find a satisfying parallel in working on another of Sir Roger’s works.

As always, the design process has been highly collaborative. Dan Bain (Director) provided his initial set notes, outlining his vision for the space: a naturalistic kitchen, set in a modern apartment on the North Shore of Auckland. The kitchen includes a breakfast island, fully equipped with running water, power for appliances, and ample surfaces for movement and activity, which allows Dickie to physically engage with his environment; making toast, brewing tea, and performing the domestic tasks that subtly underscore his emotional states.

At its core, the play explores disintegration—not decay, but rather

vanishing and fading. This concept is reflected in the boundaries of the set, where the floorboards fracture at the edges, blurring the transition between space and void. While the location never changes, the storytelling relies on shifts in perspective, delicately conveyed through sound design and lighting.

The Court Theatre is fortunate to collaborate with Glen Kelman and his talented team at Kitchen Concepts, who have helped bring my design to life. Their expertise has been invaluable - without them, the set wouldn’t have had the same authenticity.

Harold Moot