
Queenstown's sister act
Excitement's building — and just a few nerves — for Queenstown sisters taking to the stage next weekend for Invercargill Musical Theatre's two-week season of Matilda the Musical.
St Joseph's School pupils Rhiannon, 7, and Tatum Hookey, 12, are, respectively, one of three girls playing the title role and one of two sharing the role of Alice.
They've been rehearsing for six months and relocated to Invercargill, with their parents, at the start of the second term.
Rhiannon, who says "I'm excited but also nervous", plays Matilda on opening night next Saturday, then for three other performances, but she'll also be the off-stage Matilda for another four shows in case illness strikes the on-stage lead.
"Rhiannon's learnt a huge monologue, it's blown our mind how she's retained the script," her mum Greer Ell says.
"It's phenomenal for an 8-year-old."
Tatum will play Alice for eight performances including the final night.
"I'm very, very, very excited for the show," she says.
"And I just am so excited for everything that we've done in the rehearsal room to come to life on stage and just be 'revolting children'."
Ell notes "the girls are at every single rehearsal with a mask on just to make sure they don't catch anything in the final hour because there's a lot going around Invercargill at the moment".
She adds the girls, who've been home-schooled this past term, have had great support from their school.
"I have to say it's the most amazing adventure our family has ever had — we've only got wonderful things to say about our experience, and the directors have really pushed the girls to the point where it's a super-professional production, from what I hear."
Like the other parents, Ell says she and husband, Dave Hookey, will only get their first glimpse of the show, and Rhiannon on stage, on opening night — Tatum debuts the following night.
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Otago Daily Times
04-07-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Queenstown's sister act
Rhiannon, left, and Tatum Hookey readying to hit the stage in Invercargill next weekend. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Excitement's building — and just a few nerves — for Queenstown sisters taking to the stage next weekend for Invercargill Musical Theatre's two-week season of Matilda the Musical. St Joseph's School pupils Rhiannon, 7, and Tatum Hookey, 12, are, respectively, one of three girls playing the title role and one of two sharing the role of Alice. They've been rehearsing for six months and relocated to Invercargill, with their parents, at the start of the second term. Rhiannon, who says "I'm excited but also nervous", plays Matilda on opening night next Saturday, then for three other performances, but she'll also be the off-stage Matilda for another four shows in case illness strikes the on-stage lead. "Rhiannon's learnt a huge monologue, it's blown our mind how she's retained the script," her mum Greer Ell says. "It's phenomenal for an 8-year-old." Tatum will play Alice for eight performances including the final night. "I'm very, very, very excited for the show," she says. "And I just am so excited for everything that we've done in the rehearsal room to come to life on stage and just be 'revolting children'." Ell notes "the girls are at every single rehearsal with a mask on just to make sure they don't catch anything in the final hour because there's a lot going around Invercargill at the moment". She adds the girls, who've been home-schooled this past term, have had great support from their school. "I have to say it's the most amazing adventure our family has ever had — we've only got wonderful things to say about our experience, and the directors have really pushed the girls to the point where it's a super-professional production, from what I hear." Like the other parents, Ell says she and husband, Dave Hookey, will only get their first glimpse of the show, and Rhiannon on stage, on opening night — Tatum debuts the following night.


Otago Daily Times
28-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Queenstown crime drama 'huge hit' overseas
A second series of Queenstown-based TV murder-mystery drama A Remarkable Place to Die is set to be shot in the resort from this November till the end of April. The first series, filmed during the first half of last year, has enjoyed excellent viewer numbers in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Germany, as well as on video-on-demand (VOD). Local-based Screentime NZ CEO Philly de Lacey, whose company co-produced the first four-part series with Germany's Real Film Berlin, says she can't comment at this stage. However, Mountain Scene understands a new five-part series is close to being officially green-lit, providing once again a huge shot in the arm for Queenstown, not only for the spend in the resort for the duration of the shoot but in terms of promoting the destination, and NZ, to an international audience. De Lacey says ratings for the first season, which had a budget of about $15million, exceeded expectations. "In NZ it performed phenomenally well, and then the Australian audience exceeded our expectations, with really strong viewing numbers in prime time." It's subsequently been shown in the US — "we were absolutely thrilled with the audience reception to it" — before debuting last month in Germany, where it's titled Queenstown Murders with the sub-title Drop-Dead Gorgeous. "We've hit a really broad demographic, sort of young and old audiences." In an email last month to various bigwigs, including Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, De Lacey relates how A Remarkable Place to Die launched on Germany's ZDF with 2.5 million viewers and a 17.6% channel share, as against an average 15%, in addition to very strong VOD numbers. "It has now been a huge hit in Australia, NZ, the US and Germany, and couldn't be a better calling card/advertisement for NZ, showcasing the stunning scenery of Otago. "In the US, [ selected it in the top five shows to watch on Acorn [in April]." De Lacey tells Scene its success stems from both its genre — "I mean, it's cosy crime, or chocolate box crime" — and having Queenstown as "an absolutely stand-out location". She also reflects on the downstream benefits from last year's shoot, which took just over 70 days. "When you think of all the different sectors film work touches, from construction to medical, to catering, accommodation, choppers, everything, our tentacles spread very wide. "We tried to hire as many people locally as we could but probably about two-thirds [out of about 140 cast and crew] were from out of town, so we're housing people here for six months." De Lacey says locals "just opened their doors to us and helped with props, helped with everything — we felt a lot of love in making the series". That first series also benefited from the producers leasing the former H&J Smith's department store at Frankton's Remarkables Park, which had just become vacant, for wet-weather cover, housing the crew and accommodating four sets, including a police station and a morgue. Since then, Screentime NZ's leased it full-time as Remarkable Studios NZ, for use by any production company. Ahead of A Remarkable Place's second series, Screentime's also shooting there its own cooking competition series, Taste of Art.


Scoop
27-06-2025
- Scoop
Dunedin Brothers Dominate 2025 Wildlife Photographer Of The Year Competition
The results are in for Tūhura Otago Museum's 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and Dunedin brothers Sam and Monty McGee have swept the top awards. Seventeen-year-old Sam McGee has been named Overall Winner for his striking image Water Wings, which captures a white-faced heron in mid-motion with remarkable timing and atmospheric tones. The same image also earned him Wildlife Youth category winner. Sam's photo Lone Lion was named Runner-Up in the Wildlife Youth category, cementing his dominance across the youth section of the competition. 'This stunning image of the heron in its breeding plumage impressed us with its excellent composition and moody, almost monochromatic tones,' the judging panel said of Sam's winning Water Wings. 'The patience in waiting for the heron to dip its beak into the water really paid off, the droplets add dynamic movement to the photo.' Fifteen-year-old Monty McGee was awarded Runner-Up in Wildlife Youth for his image Pūteketeke Yoga, a beautifully composed portrait of the native crested grebe. This photo also earned Monty Youth Photographer of the year, with judges praising the detail and technical skill in his debut submission. Exhibition Manager and competition judge Shanaya Cunningham said, 'Even with an anonymous judging process, the McGees' images stood out. Finding out it was Monty's first time entering took us all by surprise due to the detail and expertise in his image.' As Sam now moves from the youth category into the adult division, there's excitement across the photographic community about what this talented brother duo will create next. Their achievements are a proud moment for Dunedin and a strong example of youth photography excellence in Aotearoa. The annual competition drew over 4,450 entries with images captured from across the globe and saw a major increase in submissions from Queenstown, Wānaka, and Oamaru, highlighting the growing strength of nature photography in the Southern Lakes and North Otago regions. Marketing Manager Charlie Buchan said, 'This competition is growing year on year. It's becoming increasingly popular, not only as a competition but as an exhibition. We're seeing tens of thousands through the doors, and this year looks to be our biggest yet. It's a brilliant showcase of photographic talent and a celebration of nature from New Zealand's wildlife capital.' The 2025 exhibition, Otago's Lens on the Wild World, opens on Thursday 26 June and runs until Sunday 12 October at Tūhura Otago Museum. Entry is free. The exhibition will showcase the best from the competition across four key categories: Wildlife, Landscape, Botanical, and Natural Abstract. Visitors can explore all finalist entries on an interactive digital display, vote for their favourite in the People's Choice Award, and enjoy wildlife-themed crafts and up-close encounters with native species. Otago's Lens on the Wild World is developed by Tūhura Otago Museum with support from The OPERA – Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance, and in partnership with Wild Dunedin, Jonathan's Photo Warehouse, and Canon New Zealand.