A LIFETIME OF TRICKERY: TRICK OF THE LIGHT THEATRE CELEBRATES A DECADE WITH TWO PUBLIC EVENTS AND A PARTY

The Griegol. Photo credit: Philip Merry - Axylotl Photography

One windy evening in the capital, a young couple sat around their kitchen table and cooked up a story. This story turned into a play. This play turned into a company that would head out and take on the world.

This is the story of Trick of the Light Theatre.

This November, the company are celebrating a momentous first decade (it’s actually 11 years but we’re not counting lockdowns) with a party and play reading of their first ever show – The Engine Room at BATS, and the Wellington premiere of their latest show - The Griegol at Te Auaha.

Partners in life and work, co-founders and creatives Hannah Smith and Ralph McCubbin Howell have come a long way since the early days in Aro Valley. From their first production, made on the smell of an oily rag, they have evolved into a creative force in the arts scene in Aotearoa, which has seen them employ close to 100 creatives, and stage over 750 performances. They’ve also been in demand offshore, successfully touring to Australia, Canada, South Africa, the UK, and USA.

International touring, although risky financially, was hugely inspiring creatively “We went to see hundreds of shows by people we didn’t know - the fresh input to our creative practice was incredible. We were hooked. We wanted to tour our work, we wanted to see other people’s work”says Hannah Smith.

Through extensive touring they have collected many behind the scenes memories. From performances at the Lincoln Center to the attic of NZ’s oldest bookbindery, from getting Elton John to turn down his sound check while they were performing, to doing a show to an audience of ten squashed onto the staircase of their flat; the story of this company is both colourful and hugely successful.

Popular with actors, designers and audiences, Trick of the Light has also been loudly applauded by critics and festivals. They have taken home an incredible nineteen awards including Outstanding New Playwright of the Year Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards 2011 (The Engine Room), Production of the Year, Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards 2013 (The Road That Wasn’t There), International Excellence Award Sydney Fringe Festival 2014 (The Bookbinder), Best Theatre, Dunedin Fringe Festival (Beards! Beards! Beards!) and Outstanding Theatre Award — Fringe Review, Edinburgh, 2019 (Tröll).

The reviews have also been stunning:
“A real delight” - The Guardian, UK
“Trick of the Light manage to conjure a truly rare thing; a story about magic that actually feels magical” - The Wireless, NZ

The company is adamant that their success is due to the exceptional creatives that they have worked with along the way. “Our trick has always been to surround ourselves with talented people, and we wanted to celebrate the motley crew who’ve got us where we are. That’s why we’re throwing this party.” says Ralph McCubbin Howell.

To mark a wild ride of creativity and hard-won success Trick of the Light will present a reading of their first ever play - The Engine Room on Friday 11 November at BATS. This political satire tracks John Key and Helen Clark through the ’81 Springbok Tour and 2008 election. The reading will be followed by a party with live music from their shows, and an exhibition of iconic props and behind-the-scenes imagery in the BATS Pit Gallery.

Five days later on 16 November The Griegol will run for a four-day season at Te Auaha. After premiering as part of the Auckland Arts Festival, the company is thrilled to be bringing it home. The Griegol is a mythic, dark fantasy for older children and lovers of atmospheric theatre, that combines silhouettes, puppetry, live music and animation in a strikingly inventive performance. It shows off Trick of the Light’s recognisable style and heart-warming storytelling, making it the perfect show to celebrate the past ten plus years.

Don’t wait another decade – join the Trick of the Light party season and experience the magic created by one of our most original and inventive theatre companies.

THE ENGINE ROOM
Performed by Alex Greig, Erin Banks, Paul Harrop, with special guest Anya Tate-Manning
BATS Theatre at 7:30pm on Friday 11 November
Tickets available at bats.co.nz

THE GRIEGOL
Performed by Elle Wootton, Stevie Hancox-Monk, Paul Waggott and Ralph McCubbin Howell. With live music from Tristan Carter
Te Auaha at 7pm from 16–19 November and at 1pm on 19 November.
Tickets available at teauahaevents.com

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Website www.trickofthelight.co.nz