Consider yourself in for a musical treat with ‘Oliver!'
Theatre enthusiasts are being encouraged to put on their best Sunday clothes as the South Canterbury Drama League prepares to hold auditions for its next musical Hello, Dolly!
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Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Final funding push for Broadway experience
Students from Ella Thomas Vocal Studio model hats at the Timaru Festival of Roses, as part of their two-year long fundraising efforts. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Local singing students are making one final push to get to Broadway. A concert, held at the South Canterbury Drama League's Playhouse next weekend, will be the final fundraising effort for teenagers from the Ella Thomas Vocal Studio (ETVS) to get to New York for a once-in-a-lifetime theatre experience. To fund the adventure, the group of 30 — which includes 10 adults — have been fundraising for almost two years. The students had sold sunscreen, dumplings, held sausage sizzles and made 10,000 cheese rolls, collectively raising over $40,000 which would help with the cost of flying, accommodation and Broadway workshops. Singing teacher and business owner Ella Thomas said the students had planned an exciting adventure which included workshops and seminars in New York's Broadway theatre district as well as sightseeing and live theatre. They had trips to six Broadway shows planned, including: Wicked, Hadestown, and The Outsiders. Also on the agenda was a tour of legendary Radio City Music Hall. She said tailor-made singing workshops for the group would be run by professionals who were both accomplished performers and in-demand teachers. "The students will experience vocal training with industry professionals, tours of internationally renowned venues and nights out on Broadway itself. "The workshop tutors will provide a real-world, engaging experience that will encourage the kids to improve their skills and develop their confidence." "I'm very excited for what these students can achieve in New York." She would be performing in next weekend's concert, alongside the students, as well as guest artist Alice Sollis. Tickets for the two concerts — Saturday night and a matinee performance on Sunday — can be purchased from or by emailing jill@ There would also be a silent auction at the Saturday night concert. — APL
Otago Daily Times
29-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Creatives called to take to the stage
A theatrical dose of madness is set to return to The Playhouse. After a successful inaugural event last year, the call has been put out again for South Canterbury creatives to showcase their talent as part of the One Act of Madness showcase. The event is the local round of Theatre New Zealand's TheatreFest and challenges playwrights, actors and directors to perform one-act plays with the potential opportunity to go on and compete against teams from all around New Zealand. Last year, two South Canterbury teams progressed through the local and regional rounds to be selected as part of the six teams to compete at the national showcase in Wellington. Organiser TJ Ramsay said it was an easy decision to bring the event back for another year. "We put the systems in place last year and I had a great team. I've got to know the South Canterbury Drama League people really well and they came on board to help and do all the important crew kind of jobs. It all came together really nicely and bless their hearts because they've all come back again. "I'm hoping it will look similar to last year because it all worked really well and it seemed to get good feedback. The Q&A session also worked well so we'll be keeping that too. "The shape will mostly be [the] same. The only thing that will differ, of course, will be the number of productions and whether it runs over one day or two." She said there was a good number of entries last year but she would love to see even more take part this time around. "It would be lovely to have more entries — it's always the hope. Last year we did Saturday afternoon [and] Saturday evening but it would be nice to drop another one or two plays in and if we had to spill over into Sunday morning that would be fine as well. "For people to enter they need to be a part of Theatre New Zealand and all the information on how to get involved is on their website. It's actually quite simple. "There is a cost per play to enter and that covers the adjudicators and everything like that. The main thing is to be aware that you could be put through to the next levels so you'd want to be able to have a team that can commit to that." The event is open to performers of all ages and original and non-original plays can be entered. One Act of Madness will take place from August 15-17. Entries close on July 18. More information can be found on the Dramatix Facebook page.
Scoop
15-05-2025
- Scoop
Flying Nun Power-Pop Band Voom Release ‘Something Good Is Happening' Today!
The release of the latest Voom album has taken just short of two decades. Is this pace glacial, or considered? Sloth-like, or discerning? The Tāmaki Makaurau-based foursome will tell you the nineteen years since their much-loved 2006 record, Hello, Are You There?, have been spent jamming and gigging, writing, rewriting and sifting, reflecting on what surely must be some of the strangest times in human history to present fans with their latest offering. Something Good is Happening is the child of strange seasons and tides, strange minds, pedals and fingers. After accumulating literally hundreds of demos over the years, Flying Nun Records thought it was about bloody time Voom got at least some of these songs packaged up and released into the wild. The band agreed, and so have been painstakingly whittling and curating and bashing these tracks into shape, to form the 2025 album Something Good Is Happening. Each track has walked a different path into being a part of this record. Written and recorded in a variety of locations, with a plethora of different equipment, over decades of seasons and life stages, but always steered by the unsteady hand and watchful ear of frontperson Buzz Moller — seen by some as one of NZ's most treasured songwriters. All members of Voom (Buzz Moller, Murray Fisher, Nick Buckton, and Josh Sorenson) are multi-instrumentalists and producers in their own right, consequently this combination of minds has helped forge the sound and vibe of this new album. While this is fresh material, existing fans hearing Something Good is Happening will recognise the Voom-ness of it all – an eclectic rumble of raucous pop ear-worms and heartfelt ballads, with sonic experimentation wedged in to keep things sensible. Voom's songs have an earnestness to them that feels refreshingly free of irony; a quality that sets them apart in a musical landscape often dominated by cynicism. Voom embraces a raw, unfiltered honesty that resonates deeply with listeners. Their tracks are often brimming with youthful defiance, but it's not the jaded, world-weary attitude you might expect from a band with such a reputation. Instead, they channel a certain innocence and optimism into their sound, even when grappling with themes of frustration or disillusionment. On Something Good Is Happening, the band stays true to this unpretentious style, weaving together skewed pop melodies that are as endearing as they are infectious. Despite the thick layers of playful cynicism and an occasionally rebellious edge, the album doesn't stray from the fresh, heart-on-sleeve sincerity that has earned them a loyal fanbase. It's that rare combination of vulnerability and attitude that makes Voom's music feel both timeless and immediately relatable. To celebrate, the band have announced a four-date New Zealand tour, taking their new songs (and some beloved classics) on the road for the 'Something Good Is Happening Tour'. Beginning at Auckland's hottest new venue Double Whammy on Friday 23 May, the band head off the beaten track to Raglan's The Yard on Saturday 24th before firing up the following weekend with shows at The Loons in Lyttelton on Friday 30 May and finally San Fran in Wellington on Saturday 31 May.
