The March hare is one of the characters in the upcoming Wonderland Glow Show coming to the Municipal Theatre.
The March hare is one of the characters in the upcoming Wonderland Glow Show coming to the Municipal Theatre.
With a March hare on the loose, an 8-metre caterpillar, dancing flamingos, card shuffles and giant flowers, there’s a lot to be glowing about when the Wonderland Glow Show comes to town on Friday, June 23. A Givealittle page has been set up to try to raise enough to fund 2000 free tickets for Hawke’s Bay children.
The Wonderland Glow Show is coming to the Napier Municipal Theatre.
“When we saw and heard the catastrophic events in and around Hawke’s Bay, I thought, ‘Little Green Man should gift all Glow Show tickets to those so affected’,” says puppet designer and the show’s creative director Sarah Burren.
“I thought, ‘we can do this’ and then, ‘how are we going to pay for this?’ We have staged glow shows at Napier Municipal Theatre before and the community always loved them.”
Burren says Creative Communities funding from Napier has helped underwrite costs in the past.
“This was in doubt after the cyclone. I called Glenys Fraser, manager of Napier Municipal Theatre and she was so receptive. Glenys is such an action and community-minded person and got back in touch within two days, after discussions with council and Civil Defence.”
More than 80,000 people have already seen the show since 2017. Burren has been involved in the concept, design and production of more than 100 stage shows and live events in New Zealand and internationally.
“From 1999 to 2011, I designed five family shows staged each year in Auckland. Each of those shows had a UV scene and I always questioned ‘what if there was a show that was all glow-in-the-dark?’”
The Wonderland Glow Show promotes literacy and reading being a “superpower”, with Te Reo Mãori and the highly visual art of ultraviolet puppetry, combined with an “incredible soundtrack”. The show is back this year with a “Kiwified” interpretation of Alice in Wonderland.
“I started working on the show in 2016 and knew it had to be really magical and uplifting and relating to children of now.”
The show is produced by The Little Green Man Productions, the company set up by Burren’s partner John in 1998 after a children’s book he had written.
Getting the Glow Show on the road has had its share of setbacks.
“We have been knocked sideways over 2020-2022, with multiple tour changes, capacity allowances and cancellations but, like many, [we] just had to get on with it, and create resilient pathways to find alternative ways of working.”
A “beautiful glow show whanau - full of collaborators” is the secret to the show’s success.
“Nothing happens without a team. We actively engage with emergent artists and seasoned theatre practitioners to deliver best practice and pass on new, and dynamic skills in the art of black light theatre.”
Sarah says they work alongside many funding bodies and councils to expand their reach nationwide.
“We plan years in advance and have a unique and innovative high-quality artform designed specifically for children. We constantly gauge audience feedback and respect the huge amount of diverse work teachers, ECE, kõhanga, educators, parents are navigating in 2023. There is so much they can take away with them after the show.”
The puppets are operated by a team of performance artists. Their costumes glow with a scientific blend of light and paint.
“There is a lot of trial and development in the creation of them.”
Glow in the dark flamingos will take to the stage when Wonderland Glow Show comes to town.
Burren says the show is designed for up to 7-year-olds.
“The show is full on 35 minutes in duration. We have cool bookmarks to give away and we’re working alongside many libraries nationwide.”
With the theatre having seating for 1000, Burren says she has suggested they stage two shows.
“Therefore, we’ll have the capacity to gift 2000 tickets. We have just launched Givealittle to raise these funds to cover costs required to make this happen. We will be working with Civil Defence and emergency operations to reach those most affected.”
To donate to Wonderland Glow Show visit Givealittle
