Silo Theatre Explained

Silo Theatre is a theatre production company based in Auckland, New Zealand established in 1997. In 2024 Silo Theatre's director was Sophie Roberts.[1] Silo Theatre has produced plays featuring many well-known New Zealand creative people including Toa Fraser, Tusiata Avia, Rachel House and Chris Parker.

Background

Silo Theatre started out as a 'boutique underground theatre' in a venue off Queen Street in central Auckland in 1997.[2] Silo moved out in 2007 and this venue is now the home of The Basement Theatre.[3]

Shane Bosher was director from 2001 - 2013, while he was there he also directed over 12 productions. Some of the works programmed in this time include playwrights Neil Labute, Caryl Churchill, Patrick Marber, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, and New Zealand authors Toa Fraser, Jodie Molloy and Jackie Van Beek.[4] Whilst at Silo, Boscher was an 'Aucklander of 2005' and in 2007 included in the 'Most Influential People Under 40' list both by Auckland based Metro magazine.[5] Sophie Roberts was appointed artistic director in 2014.[6] [7]

Staff have included Jessica Smith (Executive Director) and Ahi Karunaharan (Associate Artistic Director).

Silo Theatre produces an annual season of local and international work their work is presented in venues and spaces across Auckland, New Zealand and sometimes overseas. Their purpose is stated to:

Programming

Some of the notable productions produced by Silo Theatre include Bare by Toa Fraser (1998) and Wild Dogs Under My Skirt by Tusiata Avia (2019), a co-production by Auckland Arts Festival.[9] [10] In 2021 part of their programme for Matariki was a participatory audio play, Mauri Tau, written and directed by Scotty Cotter featuring Nicola Kāwana, Rachel House, Tanea Heke and Te Kohe Tuhaka. This production came as a result of COVID-19 effects on creating live stage productions. Cotter collaborated with sound designers Fran Kora, Matt Eller, and Komako Silver for this streamed event.[11] [12]

In 2015 Silo produced Hudson & Halls! a play about New Zealand TV cooks and personalities Peter Hudson and David Halls. It premiered at the Herald Theatre, Auckland and was directed by Kip Chapman starring Todd Emerson, Chris Parker and Jackie van Beek.[13] [14] Silo's development series Working Titles in 2017 included Modern Girls in Bed by Alex Lodge and Cherie Jacobson, The Defendant by Dan Musgrove and Burn Her by Sam Brooks.[15]

Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe was a solo play in 2020 about suicide and mental health that had two leads that alternated each night, Jason Te Kare and Anapela Polata’ivao. [16]

Words from Pacific Island poets was curated into a Silo production called UPU, created by Grace Iwashita-Taylor and directed by Fasitua Amosa. It premiered at the Auckland Arts Festival and then was presented at the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington in 2021.[17]

Other events that Silo host include talks such as the one off Once in a Black Moon in 2022 created in partnership with Black Creatives Aotearoa with panelists Adorate Mizero, Keagan Carr Fransch, Michelle Mascoll Michelle Mascoll and Vira Paky.[18] This was to accompany the play seven methods of killing kylie jenner by Jasmine Lee Jones at the Basement Theatre.[19]

The 2022 Silo production of The First Prime-Time Asian Sitcom, was the theatre debut of writer Nahyeon Lee presented at Q-Theatre and directed by Ahi Karunaharan.[20] The play is a commentary on Asian representation in New Zealand.[21] Lee, who is of Korean heritage, said of the play that it questions, "how we define ourselves in a system that doesn’t always have our best interests in mind, but has never predominately had Asian diaspora interests in mind until now".[22] Reviewer Jess Karamjeet encouraged people to see it if, "you want to understand what it feels like to have none of the answers, and all of the rage."

Sophie Roberts, the director, announced for 2023 that Silo Theatre would not stage any shows to focus on development of three plays and in a response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the theatre company and the industry in Auckland and New Zealand.[23] A full programme was announced for 2024. Four plays were programmed in 2024, ScatterGun: After the Death of Rūaumoko created and performed by Ana Chaya Scotney, Scenes from the Climate Era by David Finnigan, A Slow Burlesque created and performed by Freya Silas Finch, and Camping created and performed by Chris Parker and Tom Sainsbury with Kura Forrester and Brynley Stent.[24]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Silo Theatre. 2021-08-13. Australian Performing Arts Market. en.
  2. Web site: 2013-05-16. Bosher bids farewell to Silo. 2021-08-15. The Big Idea. en.
  3. Web site: Sills. Ethan. The Basement: The little theatre that could. 2021-08-15. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
  4. Web site: Shane Bosher. 2021-08-15. Auckland Theatre Company. en-NZ.
  5. Web site: Loose Canons: Shane Bosher. 2021-08-15. Pantograph Punch.
  6. Web site: Sophie Roberts . 2022-09-17 . The Court Theatre . en.
  7. Web site: Beckett . Tyson . 2022-08-27 . Playing dress ups with theatre maker Sophie Roberts . 2022-09-17 . Stuff . en.
  8. Web site: 2021-06-14. Silo Theatre Governance Roles. 2021-08-13. The Big Idea. en-NZ.
  9. Web site: Job Opportunity — Executive Director. 2021-08-13. Silo. en.
  10. Web site: Silo Theatre. 2021-08-15. Theatre Aotearoa Data Base.
  11. Web site: New Silo Commission Platforms Our Stars To Herald Matariki. 2021-08-13. Scoop News.
  12. Web site: Matariki audio play a first for Silo Theatre. 2021-08-13. Māori Television. en.
  13. Web site: New Zealand Theatre: theatre reviews, performance reviews - Theatreview . 2022-09-17 . www.theatreview.org.nz.
  14. Web site: Pair whip up comedy gold . 2022-09-17 . NZ Herald . en-NZ.
  15. Web site: Christian. Dionne. 2016. Silo Theatre goes back to where it all began. 2021-08-15. NZ Herald. en-NZ.
  16. Web site: EVERY BRILLIANT THING - Touching, hilarious and honest . 2022-09-17 . www.theatreview.org.nz.
  17. Web site: Ora . Ethan Te . 2021-06-17 . Kia Mau Festival: UPU celebrates indigenous reality over colonial myth . 2022-09-17 . Stuff . en.
  18. Web site: Once in a Black Moon - A Critical Conversation . 2022-09-17 . Eventbrite . en-au.
  19. Web site: Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner . 2022-09-17 . Blackcreatives . en.
  20. Web site: Karamjeet . Jess . November 8, 2022 . REVIEW: The First Prime-Time Asian Sitcom (Silo Theatre) . Theatre Scenes.
  21. Web site: Mathias . Shanti . 2022-11-10 . Representation is always going to be imperfect . 2024-11-10 . The Spinoff . en.
  22. Web site: The First Asian Prime-Time Sitcom . 2024-11-10 . Asia New Zealand Foundation . en.
  23. Web site: Amituanai . Edith . Metro — 2023 is Cancelled. . 2024-03-01 . www.metromag.co.nz . en.
  24. Web site: 2024 ARTISTIC STATEMENT . 2024-11-10 . Silo . en.