KEY POINTS:
Festival
Maori in the City encompasses a creative expo, an entrepreneurial forum and awards celebrations. This is the first in what is hoped to be an annual event. The expo component features music, dance, live art, and more. Musical performances from Che Fu, Nesian Mystik, Ill Semantics and Billy TK Juniorwill be of interest to some, while those looking for a different inspiration can attend one of the many workshops, or perhaps the fashion show on Saturday night.
* Atamira: Maori In The City - Fri-Sun, ASB Showgrounds, Epsom
Family
School holidays are still with us, but don't despair, there's plenty on to keep idle children amused. We all know the story, filled with huffing and puffing and houses blowing down. But there's nothing quite like seeing this sort of thing brought to life on the stage. We Kiwis can relate to the DIY efforts of the pigs in building their own houses, although we would hope to be building homes sturdy enough to withstand a huffing and puffing wolf. Not the case for two of the ill-fated pigs.
* Three Little Pigs - Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Tues 10am/noon; Wed, 10am/noon; Sat Jul 14, 10am/noon, $10
Jazz
Put together by organisers looking to brighten up Rodney's sleepy winter jazz scene, the inaugural Jazz On The Coast happens this weekend. There are four gigs spread over two days at Whangaparaoa College's theatre. Bands playing include Chris Melville and the Grand Central Band, the Mike Nisbet Dixielanders, the June Hayes Quartet, Briar Ross and more. In a positive move, once expenses have been covered, all proceeds will go towards the Meningitis Trust.
* Jazz on the Coast: Winter Concert Series - Whangaparaoa College, Sat 3pm/8pm; Sun 3pm/8pm
Rock
According to Wellington band So So Modern's MySpace page they are looking for people who can sing, dance, prance, bake, shake, transmutate and more to join them on their current New Zealand tour. The best advice would be to catch them somewhere, possibly the Kings Arms this Friday, because they are heading on to bigger and better things for sure. After Friday's show they play several more New Zealand and Australian dates before September gigs in Britain, France, Germany and more. Also on the bill is Cut Off Your Hands.
* Cut Off Your Hands & So So Modern - Kings Arms, Newton, Friday, $15
Theatre
48 hour film-making is nothing - try writing, rehearsing and then performing a play in 24 hours. That's what Urbis 24 Hour Deadline Theatre is all about. Twenty-four hours before the performance on Sunday night at Auckland's Herald Theatre, eight playwrights will be given a mystery prop and a separate envelope containing photos of three Auckland actors. In 12 hours, they must each write a brand new 10-minute play, before it's passed to the directors and the actors for 12 hours of rehearsal.
* Urbis 24 Hour Deadline Theatre - Herald Theatre, Auckland Saturday, 7.30pm
Rock 'n' roll
You've seen him dance with stars, you've seen him play the bad guy on Shortland Street and you've seen him doing sleazy on Outrageous Fortune, and now the multi-talented Shane Cortese is back. His show Class of '58 runs this weekend at SkyCity Theatre. Cortese will bust out the hits of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochrane, Roy Orbison and more. A highlight will be a 20-minute tribute to The King himself, Elvis Presley. Cortese will be testing his acting abilities here, covering the final, heavier years of the Presley's career as well as the athletic early days.
* Rock'n'Roll Heaven: Class of '58 - SkyCity Theatre, Sat-Sun, adult tickets $59.90 at Ticketek
Family
Absolutely an event for the kids here, more specifically, the girls, as the whole Barbie doll thing can be a little confusing for the young lads. You can watch the new Barbie movie, in which she plays a fairy called Elina in Barbie Fairytopia: Magic Of The Rainbow. There are sneak previews of the film today through to Sunday at Whitcoulls Botany Downs. There will be free screenings at 10.30am and 1pm each day, and each girl gets herself a free pair of fairy wings. Awww, cute.
* Barbie Movie Screening - Whitcoulls, Botany Downs, today to Sunday, 10.30am/1pm
Jazz
Vitamin-s is a regular musical improv night at the Wine Cellar in St Kevin's Arcade, K Rd. They come out of the underground this weekend, presenting a unique event at the Herald Theatre tonight and Saturday. Improvessence features some of New Zealand's most innovative "sound providers" as well as special international guest, free jazz legend Kris Wanders. Other highlights include a visit from Dunedin's electro/acoustic post rockers Eye, and Wellington's Anthony Donaldson, a veteran of the jazz improv scene.
* Improvessence - Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre, tonight and Saturday, 7pm
Festival
Anime. If you know what that word means, you may already know about Doujin Overload this weekend at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Auckland. The event showcases the style of animation originating in Japan which created films such as festival favourite Cowboy Bebop. The term doujinshi is used to describe media unofficially produced by the fans of Japanese popular culture, and this day celebrates local doujinshi talent. There will be artworks on display as well as an art competition, a CEL exhibition, and a mini-anime music concert.
* Doujin Overload - Hyatt Regency Hotel, Waterloo Quadrant, Saturday, 9am-5pm
