Latest production at Tabard Theatre ‘an absolute standout’

A scene from the play 'Things I Know To Be True', directed by David Coddington. Photo / Supplied

The director of an upcoming show says that in the 50 years he has been involved with theatre, both in an amateur and professional capacity, he has had the good fortune to work on some stunning plays and with incredibly talented actors - but the latest one is “an absolute standout”.

“Things I Know To Be True is funny, poignant and heart-breaking. It examines the dynamics of a family and how they understand truth in the face of tragedy,” says director David Coddington.

“No wonder it played to full houses at the Court Theatre in Christchurch, and Circa Theatre in Wellington.”

The play, by award-winning playwright Andrew Bovell, is about a family. The parents have brought up four kids, paid off the house, and loved each other for more than 30 years.

It should be time for Fran and Bob to slow down and smell the roses - but the lives of their wildly complicated adult children are about to come crashing through the back door.

Coddington began his directing career in Hawke’s Bay, directing shows for CHB College, Waipukurau Little Theatre, Hastings Group Theatre and Te Aute College, before he was invited by Raymond Hawthorne to direct at Auckland’s Mercury Theatre.

He spent three years there before becoming one of the three founders of South Seas Film and Television School, where he was associate director and developed and ran the on-screen acting course. He left South Seas to develop the Manukau Institute of Technology’s Performing Arts degree course for five years.

During his 25 years in Auckland, he continued directing and producing shows in virtually every theatre in the city. Since his return to Hawke’s Bay, he has directed many shows, including Bad Jelly the Witch, The Wind in the Willows and Death and the Maiden.

Things I Know To Be True is on at the Tabard Theatre from November 23 - 26 and is powered by a very experienced and talented cast, including Lisa-Jane Easter, Alan Powdrell, Kylie Vanston, Maite Dechering, Stephen Evans and Isaac James.

Tickets are $35 and on sale at ITICKET.