Pōneke performing arts Feb 19-25, 2024

Nau mai, haere mai to my weekly round-up of every public performing arts event in Pōneke/Wellington (that I know of). I list the next 4 weeks of shows below, and also keep a chronological spreadsheet for the rest of 2024.

Recently announced

NZIFF confirms its return - to four cities only this year. Wellington festival dates are July 31 to August 11.

Submissions to Circa Theatre’s 2025 programme are now open, till May 31.

This week

NZ Fringe is in full swing, and joining it are NZ Festival of the Arts and Performance Arcade. It’s the busiest week of the performing arts year!

Non-festival things this week are Stagecraft’s A View From the Bridge, Sam Brooks’ Lads on the Island, and KAT Theatre’s Puss in Boots.

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* = continuation of season

Advisory: Please double check the dates/times/venues of events when you book tickets!

Mon 19-Sun 25 February

Not a festival:

• *Tue 20-Sat 24 Feb, various times - A View From the Bridge | Stagecraft @ Gryphon Theatre

• *Tue 20 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm (4:30pm Sun) - Lads on the Island | Sam Brooks @ Circa Theatre

• *Sat 24 & Sun 25 Feb, various times - Puss in Boots | KAT Theatre @ Khandallah Park

NZ Festival & Performance Arcade:

• Tue 20-Sat 24 Feb, various times - Hatupatu | Kurungaituku: A Forbidden Love | Taki Rua @ Tāwhiri Warehouse

• Wed 21-Sun 25 Feb, various times - Walking Scores | Noel Meek + Elliot Vaughan @ Wellington Waterfront

• Wed 21 Feb, 6:30pm - Te Aro Pa Poets | Rachel Buchanan, Debbie Broughton, Hana Buchanan @ Wellington Waterfront

• Thu 22-Sun 25 Feb, various times - The Drifting Room | Stephen Bain @ Wellington Waterfront

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, various times - Our Own Little Mess | A Slightly Isolated Dog @ Circa Theatre

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm - Dance as Document | Amaara Raheem @ Wellington Waterfront

• Fri 23-Sun 25 Feb, various times - Jungle Book Reimagined | Akram Khan Company @ St James Theatre

• Sat 24 Feb, 1pm & Sun 25 Feb, 2pm - Koki Ake Te Oro | Debbie Broughton @ Wellington Waterfront

• Sat 24 Feb, 8pm - Meow Meow’s Pandemonium | Meow Meow @ Michael Fowler Centre

NZ Fringe:

• Mon 19 & Tue 20 Feb, 8pm - Goody Goody Glam Pop | Bethany Miller, Logan Hunt, Megan Connolly @ Circus Bar

• Tue 20-Sat 24 Feb, 6pm - Icky | Viki Moananu @ BATS Theatre

• Tue 20 & Wed 21 Feb, 6:30pm - Punsing Up | Wordplay Productions @ Cavern Club

• Tue 20-Fri 23 Feb, 7pm - A Year and a Day | Raising Cain Productions @ Hannah Playhouse

• Tue 20 & Wed 21 Feb, 7:30pm - Ben Pope: Holy Cow | Ben Pope @ Fringe Bar

• Tue 20-Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm - Nga Tai Kaha - The Strong Tides | Hearty Ngati Productions @ BATS Theatre

• Tue 20 & Wed 21 Feb, 8pm - Fever Dream | Rao Morusupalli @ Cavern Club

• Tue 20-Fri 23 Feb, 8pm - Have You Tried Audacity? | David Stuart @ Pow Wow Room

• Tue 20 Feb, 9pm - Praise Thon! | Chris Prosser @ Thistle Hall

• Tue 20-Sat 24 Feb, 9pm - Whore’s Eye View by Kaytlin Bailey | Kaytlin Bailey @ BATS Theatre

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 6pm (& 3pm Sat) - Lick Off My Tears, Death is Also Dying | L!ick Dance Theatre (Sofija Milic) @ Te Auaha

• Wed 21-Fri 23 Feb, 6pm - The Whack Attic Variety Hour | A Bunch of Hacks (George Fenn) @ Whisky & Wood

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 6:30pm - Death + Honey | Salty Lizard Productions @ Te Auaha

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 7pm - Flow State | Gabby Anderson & Lesa Macleod-Whiting @ Circus Bar

• Wed 21 Feb, 7pm - Loose Change Wellington Qualifier | Happyfeet & Projekt Team @ two/fiftyseven

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm (& 4:30pm Sat) - Hāpaitia | Parekawa Finlay & Raureti Ormond @ Te Auaha

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm - Mad, Innit?! | Alan McElroy @ Siglo

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 8pm - Bars Behind Bars | Erin Bickley @ Ivy Bar

• Wed 21-Fri 23 Feb, 8pm - Sexy Gold Boy | George Fenn @ Whisky & Wood

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 8pm - The Myth-Adventures of Vincent Andrew-Scammell | Vincent Andrew-Scammell @ Te Auaha

• Wed 21-Fri 23 Feb, 8:30pm - Hot Dog Time Machine | SAS Comedy (Aidan Hyland, Sam Howard, Summer Begalka) @ Hannah Playhouse

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 9pm - Celebrity Trevor Island | Ruff As Gutz @ Te Auaha

• Wed 21-Sat 24 Feb, 9:30pm (& 5pm Sat) - Happy Campers | The Awkward Company @ Te Auaha

• Thu 22-Sun 25 Feb, 6pm - The Man from Gonville | Intrepid Weka @ Fringe Bar

• Thu 22-Sun 25 Feb, 6pm - Twenty Minutes to Nine | Sticky Tape and Rust @ two/fiftyseven

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, 6:15pm - We Are the Drama | Cissy Rock @ Te Auaha

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, 7pm - Think About It | Miranda Camden @ Cavern Club

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm - Delightfool | Jak Darling & Booth the Clown @ Fringe Bar

• Thu 22 Feb, 7:30pm - Precious One | Benny’s Videos @ Erskine College

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, 8pm - Baby Gorgeous | Marshall Lorenzo @ two/fiftyseven

• Thu 22-Sun 25 Feb, 8:30pm (6:30pm Sun) - A Hot Girl and Her Suzuki Swift | Ocean Denham @ Cavern Club

• Thu 22-Sat 24 Feb, 9pm - Burlesque and Blues: The Devil’s Own | Ms. Weeds and Dr. Blue @ Fringe Bar

• Fri 23 & Sat 24 Feb, 7pm - Seen. | Matt Bentley @ Te Auaha

• *Fri 23-Sun 25 Feb, various times - Mesmerous | Well Fare State @ Awhi Yoga & Wellbeing

• Fri 23 & Sat 24 Feb, 8:15pm - Coyote | Michelle Wiley @ Te Auaha

• Sat 24 Feb, 2pm - Trojan Horse (play reading) | James Cain @ Circa Theatre

• *Sat 24 & Sun 25 Feb, various times - Small Acts of Queerness | Gabbycraftyclark @ two/fiftyseven

• *Sat 24 Feb, 7pm - Exes and Nos | Rachel Mercer @ Vogelmorn Bowling Club

• Sat 24 & Sun 25 Feb, 7pm - Saxofun | Eilish Wilson & Karen O’Leary @ Hannah Playhouse

• Sat 24 & Sun 25 Feb, 7pm - The Visual Vernacular | Arms Incorporated @ Newlands Community Centre

• Sat 24 Feb, 7:30pm - Dialogue Before Sunset | Temporary Show @ Wellington Museum

• Sat 24 & Sun 25 Feb, 9pm - Pasodoblecircus - La Primera Tourné | Pasodoblecircus @ Hannah Playhouse

• Sun 25 Feb, 1pm - Cubed: An Elevated Journey Through Pain | Skin Deep @ Meanwhile

• *Sun 25 Feb, 4pm - The School of Night | The School of Night & Iona Productions @ Southern Cross Bar

• Sun 25 Feb, 7pm - Waiting for Godot… But They’re Clowns | The Levack Brothers @ Vogelmorn Bowling Club

• Sun 25 Feb, 8pm - Some Regrets | Sam Gibson @ Cavern Club

Mon 26 Feb-Sun 3 Mar

Not a festival:

• *Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm - Lads on the Island | Sam Brooks @ Circa Theatre

• Sun 3 Mar, 1pm - Romeo & Juliet | The Barden Party @ Old St Paul’s lawn

NZ Festival:

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, various times - The Savage Coloniser Show | Tusiata Avia @ Circa Theatre

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7pm - Witi’s Wāhine | Hapai Productions @ St James Theatre

NZ Fringe:

• Mon 26-Wed 28 Feb, 6pm - Space Hole | Troubadette @ Circus Bar

• Mon 26-Wed 28 Feb, 6:30pm - From Boro With Love… | Michael Macaulay @ Cavern Club

• Mon 26-Wed 28 Feb, 7pm - Pure Grime | Warped Productions @ Gryphon Theatre

• Mon 26-Wed 28 Feb, 7pm - Silver Tongues - Comedians Over 50 | NZ Comedy School @ San Fran

• Mon 26-Wed 28 Feb, 7:30pm - Eve Ruined Everything | Eve Wingerath @ Circus Bar

• Mon 26 Feb, 8pm - Some Regrets | Sam Gibson @ Cavern Club

• Mon 26-Wed 28 Feb, 9pm - Bimillennial Woman | Aimée Borlase @ Circus Bar

• Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, various times - Suitcase Show | Trick of the Light @ Gryphon Theatre

• Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 6pm - No No No | Grammelot Productions @ BATS Theatre

• Tue 27 Feb-Fri 1 Mar, 7pm - Vegan Fun Terror | James Hilary Penwarden @ Hannah Playhouse

• Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm - Sweeties | Brynley Stent & Ella Hope-Higginson

• Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm - The Lounge Comedy Line Up | Lounge Comedy @ Hashigo Zake

• Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 8pm - Manage Your Expectations | House of Sand @ Te Auaha

• Tue 27 & Wed 28 Feb, 8pm - Ryan McGhee - Work in Progress | Ryan McGhee @ Cavern Club

• Tue 27 Feb-Fri 1 Mar, 8:30pm - So My Dad F*cked the Nanny: And That’s Okay! | Isabella Charlton @ Hannah Playhouse

• Tue 27 Feb-Fri 1 Mar, 8:30pm - The Hilary Duff Film Re-Enactment | Nicola Macri @ Gryphon Theatre

• Tue 27 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 9pm - An Almighty Yes | Emma Lange @ BATS Theatre

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 6pm - Rituals of Similarity | Dance Plant Collective @ Te Auaha

• Wed 28 Feb-Fri 1 Mar, 6:30pm - The Eleventh Trip of Lilibet W. | Continuum Theatre Co. @ Whisky & Wood

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 6:30pm - Why Do Dogs Return to Their Vomit | The Bunker Collective @ Te Auaha

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7pm - Don’t Touch Me! A Tale of Cats and Hugs | Stevprodukt @ Te Auaha

• Wed 28 Feb-Fri 1 Mar, 7pm - Music From an Alternate Universe | Severin Gourley @ Pow Wow Room

• Wed 28 Feb-Fri 1 Mar, 7:30pm - Bears Aren’t Real | Patch Lambert & Daniel Bohan @ Fringe Bar

• Wed 28 & Thu 29 Feb, 7:30pm - Praise Thon! | Chris Prosser @ Pyramid Club

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm - Show Do Café | Andança Company @ Te Auaha

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm - Songs in the Key of Love | Vocal Blokes @ Salvation Army Hall

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 9pm - 100% Wrong 2024 | Stabitha & D’bear @ Fringe Bar

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 9pm (& 3pm Sat) - After the Storm | Emma Salzano @ Te Auaha

• Wed 28 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 9:30pm (& 5pm Sat) - Tiny Dog @ Te Auaha

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, various times - Embrace | Insideoutside Dance @ Te Auaha

• Thu 29 Feb-Sun 3 Mar, 5:30pm (7pm Sun) - Mark Pleases You | Mark Vigeant @ Gryphon Theatre

• Thu 29 Feb-Sun 3 Mar, 6pm - Twenty Minutes to Nine | Sticky Tape and Rust @ two/fiftyseven

• Thu 29 Feb-Sun 3 Mar, various times - Crunch | Laura Gaudin & Izzi Lao

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7pm - Sad Boi, Funny Guy | Simon Kay @ Cavern Club

• Thu 29 Feb, 7pm - The Rocking Rainbows @ Moon

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 7:30pm - Mo and Ralph: Chaos Theory! | Mo Munn & Ralph Hilaga @ Circus Bar

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 8:30pm - Blue Skies | Grouchy Crouch @ Te Auaha

• Thu 29 Feb-Sat 2 Mar, 8:30pm - Sisters | Samantha Hannah & Sowmya Hiremath @ Cavern Club

• Thu 29 Feb-Sun 3 Mar, 8:30pm - What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? | Dussler&Mulholland @ two/fiftyseven

• Fri 1-Sun 3 Mar, 6pm - The Unluckiest Magician | Wilbury Entertainment @ Fringe Bar

• Fri 1-Sun 3 Mar, 7pm - Romeo and Juliet, Summer Shakespeare in Paekākāriki | Circle of Fifths @ Campbell Park, Paekākāriki

• Fri 1-Sun 3 Mar, various times - VERBS | Dandelion Meadows @ Thistle Hall

• Fri 1 Mar, 7:30pm - The French Touch @ Ivy Bar

• Sat 2 Mar, 11am - Flora, Fauna and Friends | Gridley by Victoria & Horse With No Name @ Innermost Gardens

• Sat 2, Sun 3, Tue 5 Mar, various times - Antarctic Endeavours | Ruckus Theatre @ Gryphon Theatre

• Sat 2 Mar, 4pm & 8pm, Sun 3 Mar, 7pm - The New Blue - A Portrait of Pixie Williams | Blue Smoke Records @ Hannah Playhouse

• Sat 2 & Sun 3 Mar, 7pm - My Beautiful Trauma | Georgiana @ Two Todman

• Sat 2 Mar, 8pm - The Pre Conditioned Hori | Charles n Charge @ Rogue and Vagabond

• Sat 2 & Sun 3 Mar, 8:30pm - Daddy’s Girl | Pretty Little Sweethearts @ Gryphon Theatre

• Sat 2 Mar, 9pm - Serpent Dream - Ritual Lullabies for the Void | Serpent Dream @ two/fiftyseven

• Sat 2, 9, Sun 3, 10 Mar, various times - You and A.I. | Binge Culture @ Te Auaha

• Sun 3 Mar, 6:30pm - Morgan and Justin Get Ambitious | Morgan Hunter-Bell & Justin Ngai @ Cavern Club

Mon 4-Sun 10 Mar

NZ Festival:

• Thu 7-Sun 10 Mar, various times - Gravity & Grace | Eleanor Bishop & Karin McCracken @ Circa Theatre

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 8pm - An Unfunny* Evening with Tim Minchin and His Piano | Tim Minchin @ St James Theatre

• Fri 8 & Sat 9 Mar, 7:30pm - Whenua | NZ Dance Company @ Tāwhiri Warehouse

NZ Fringe:

• Mon 4-Wed 6 Mar, 6:30pm - Good to Be Here: A Standup Comedy Show | Danny Sewell @ Cavern Club

• Mon 4-Wed 6 Mar, 7pm - Moonlight Leki | Leki Lyons @ Circus Bar

• Mon 4-Wed 6 Mar, 7pm - What Are Sisters For? | Wallflower Productions @ Gryphon Theatre

• Mon 4 Mar, 8:30pm - Daddy’s Girl | Pretty Little Sweethearts @ Gryphon Theatre

• Tue 5 & Wed 6 Mar, 6pm - Everyone’s Got an Errol | Dambats @ BATS Theatre

• Tue 5-Thu 7 Mar, 7pm - Jimmy | Weirdo Productions, with songs by the cast & Cole Hampton @ Hannah Playhouse

• Tue 5-Sat 9 Mar, 7:30pm - The Wave of the Woman | Kaysee Savali @ BATS Theatre

• Tue 5-Sat 9 Mar, 8pm - The Way We Wilt | EKC Choreography (Elizabeth Cocks) @ Te Auaha

• *Tue 5 Mar, 8:30pm - Antarctic Endeavours | Ruckus Theatre @ Gryphon Theatre

• Tue 5-Thu 7 Mar, 8:30pm - Stand Up So Cool It Has Sunglasses On | Hoh-Mamma-Jamma (Hoani Hotene & Itay Dom) @ Cavern Club

• Tue 5-Sat 9 Mar, 9pm - blackpill | Rachel McLean & Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin @ BATS Theatre

• Tue 5 & Wed 6 Mar, 9pm - Tonight on the Outer Rim with Yozveza | Drug of Choice Productions @ Fringe Bar

• Tue 5-Sat 9 Mar, 9:30pm - Woodwork | Oh That Theatre Company @ Te Auaha

• Wed 6-Sat 9 Mar, 6pm (& 3:30pm Sat) - Pane Provocations | Teherenui Koteka @ Te Auaha

• Wed 6-Sat 9 Mar, 6pm - Sandwich Artist | Squash Co. Arts Collective @ Te Auaha

• Wed 6 & Thu 7 Mar, 6pm - The Man Whose Mother Was a Pirate: The Musical | Nino Raphael @ Welsh Dragon Bar

• Wed 6-Sat 9 Mar, 7:30pm (& 3pm Sat) - Ominous | Jenire @ Te Auaha

• Wed 6-Sat 9 Mar, 7:30pm - Rat Tales! | Hootie-Patudi Productions @ Newtown Community Centre

• Wed 6-Fri 8 Mar, 7:30pm - Renegade Cabaret | Spark & Flare @ Leroy’s

• Wed 6-Sat 9 Mar, 8:30pm - False Idol | Andy Manning @ Gryphon Theatre

• Wed 6-Sat 9 Mar, 9pm (& 4:30pm Sat) - Images in Motion | Creative Motion Collective @ Te Auaha

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 5:30pm - Endhoe | Anna Dooley @ Gryphon Theatre

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 6pm - Jez Watts: Jokes About Sex & Death (& No Other Topics) @ Fringe Bar

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 6pm - The Butterfly Who Flew Into the Rave | Oli Mathiesen, Lucy Lynch, Sharvon Mortimer @ BATS Theatre

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 7pm - Leave to Enter | Nick Robertson @ two/fiftyseven

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 7pm - Left Unsaid | Next Door Improv @ Gryphon Theatre

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 7pm - My Feet Hurt | Neil Thornton @ Cavern Club

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 7pm - Neurodi-versatile | Andreas Lepper @ Salvation Army Hall

• Thu 7 & Fri 8 Mar, 7pm - The Best of Wet Soup @ Pow Wow Room

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 7:30pm - Roll for Initiative | Campbell Wright @ Circus Bar

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 8pm - The Raw Poetry Slam | Humorous Arts @ Fringe Bar

• Thu 7-Sat 9 Mar, 9pm - The Best Man Show | Mark Vigeant @ two/fiftyseven

• Fri 8 Mar, 7pm & 9pm - Cinematic Light Orchestra - Album Release @ Hannah Playhouse

• Fri 7 Mar, 7pm & 9pm - Māreikura Lumina | Kirsten Te Rito & Jamie Berry @ Public Trust Hall

• Fri 8 & Sat 9 Mar, 7pm - Seen. | Matt Bentley @ Te Auaha

• Fri 8 & Sat 9 Mar, 8:30pm - I’m Working on It | Advait Kirtikar & Mike Fowler

• Sat 9 Mar, 5:30pm & 8pm - Xerox @ Circus Hub

• Sat 9 Mar, 7:30pm - Poets Before Me | Mozie (Moana Leota) @ Hannah Playhouse

• Sat 9 Mar, 8:30pm - Fringe Freak Out! (An Afterparty) | Eastern Sound Collective @ Rogue and Vagabond

• *Sat 9 & Sun 10 Mar, various times - You and A.I. | Binge Culture @ Te Auaha

Mon 11-Sun 17 Mar

• Thu 14-Sun 17 Mar, 7pm (5pm Sun) - NZ Festival of the Arts: Belle - A Performance of Air | Movement of The Human @ St James Theatre

• Thu 14-Sun 17 Mar, various times - NZ Festival of the Arts: Lost Lear | Dan Colley @ Tāwhiri Warehouse

See you next week!