The fine art of manipulation

(From left) Greg Johnson, director Roy Ward, Cameron Rhodes and Laura Hill soak up the atmosphere at the Auckland Art Gallery. Picture / Greg Bowker

Roy Ward and Laura Hill want to make one thing clear: Auckland Theatre Company's latest production, Up for Grabs, might be set in the art world but its director and lead actor say they would hate anyone to think it's elitist.

Instead they say it's a sassy comedy about greed, sex and money made all the more accessible by its references to New Zealand artists and places.

Ward, making his directorial debut for ATC, has spent some time tweaking Australian David Williamson's script to add local touches.

It is not the first time Williamson's play has been altered for relevancy's sake. The setting was changed to New York when it was performed on London's West End with Madonna in the lead role.

"It's full of jokes," says Ward. "The art world provides a good setting for all those issues about how you live a good life in a commercialised society."

Originally set in Sydney, Up for Grabs is about ambitious art dealer Simone Allen (Hill) who underwrites a highly prized, fashionable - and in this case, New Zealand - painting for $2 million.

It is Friday and the deadline for sale is Tuesday so Allen risks it all in a tense private auction where she plays clients off against one another, revealing what their true motivations are for wanting to own the work.

Of course, they have precious little to do with liking the painting.

Hill has recently returned from the perfect holiday to prepare for the role. She spent a couple of weeks in London, supposedly for some r'n'r, before returning to work on Shortland Street and rehearsing for her first leading role with ATC.

Instead, she spent much of her time at art galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate Modern.

"The [Tate] building was amazing but not all of the stuff there grabbed me," Hill admits. "It's good to have it all fresh in my head rather than trying to remember what I saw 12 years ago.

"I love art [she studied art history at university] and this was a great opportunity to look at some of these works and ask myself about my response to them.

"A friend of mine, who is an art dealer, says art should be a dialogue, not a monologue. You should have a response to it."

Ward, too, admits having taken more of an interest in the subject, saying he sympathises with artists whose work sells for record prices, of which they see nothing. "At least writers get royalties."

He says having a good cast has made his directorial baptism far easier, giving him time to concentrate on ensuring the script is right.

Up for Grabs reunites Hill, Shortland Street's nurse Toni Thompson for five years, with former co-stars, as well as Ward, who spent several years writing scripts for the show.

The pair are good friends and say they have managed to keep the line drawn between work and friendship. Hill has also kept a definite distinction between Shortland Street and Up for Grabs, resisting the temptation to learn her lines for the play in filming breaks for the soap.

"It was a big thing to take on while I was still working on Shortland Street but I knew from the beginning it was going to be tricky. The producers have been very generous with scheduling but I think it's an incredibly good idea to let actors do other projects from time to time.

"We get to stretch our 'acting muscles' and the publicity works in reverse - 'she's so-and-so from Shortland Street'. I think it helps keep people around for longer."

Though Up for Grabs is a comedy, Hill's character is really the straight guy or, as she puts it, "the blank canvas on which the quality of the other characters is painted".

* Up For Grabs is at the Maidment Theatre, Aug 11-Sep 3