Drunk pirate Noodler (Gabriella Hardcastle, 14) threatens to cut the throat of Wendy (Basti Todd, 16) with encouragement from the dastardly Captain Hook (Tom Evans) in Peter Pan the Musical.
Drunk pirate Noodler (Gabriella Hardcastle, 14) threatens to cut the throat of Wendy (Basti Todd, 16) with encouragement from the dastardly Captain Hook (Tom Evans) in Peter Pan the Musical.
A weekly round-up of news snippets, events and oddities from the Bay of Islands and around the Mid North
The story of the boy who can fly and never grows up is being brought to life by the Kerikeri Theatre Company in its upcoming production of Peter Pan the Musical.
Directed by Janna Sicely and performed next week at the Turner Centre the show has a cast of 34 aged six to 56. More than 80 Northlanders have given up their time to make the show a reality, including by building an elaborate pirate ship set.
"It's full of dance and song. It's got fights, pirates, mermaids and fairies, everything you could possibly want," Ms Sicely said.
"The magic of it will get everyone going, especially children."
The show includes stars of previous productions such as Tom Evans as Captain Hook (the ogre in last year's Puss in Boots), Willy Henley as a dog, a pirate and an Indian chief (Jack in Puss in Boots and a transvestite in Stiff) and Dani Bains as one of two Peter Pans (Bobby the Page in Puss in Boots).
Outstanding young actors in their first production include Faraday Haydock, Katie Whitehead and Basti Todd.
Liz Russell of Northern Dance Academy, musical director Tracy de Leeuw, and The Magic Playhouse's Kylie Penn are among 80 Northlanders who have given their time to make the show happen.
The show runs from Wednesday, July 1 to Saturday, July 4, with shows daily at 11am and 7pm. A final matinee will be performed at 11am on Sunday.
Tickets are available ($25 adults, $18 students, $12 under-10s) at Paper Plus Kerikeri and www.iticket.co.nz.
Russell School fair
Russell School is holding an old-fashioned fair this Sunday, June 28, offering everything from cream-pie throwing to a best-dressed dog contest.
As well as the regular stalls, rides, bouncy castles, candy floss and the like, Russell's annual fundraiser features quirky attractions such as a fancy bike challenge, the aforementioned canine dress-up, golden gumboot throwing and old-time games including egg-and-spoon and sack races.
Entertainment will include Bay of Islands College kapa haka, Russell Ukulele Orchestra and a storyteller.
The defending tug-of-war champions, The Duke of Marlborough staff, are expected to face tough challenges from the Russell Boating Club and the staff of 35 Degrees South, who have threatened to take the trophy overseas (ie, to Paihia). There will also be raffles and spot prizes every ten minutes.
The fair will run at the school grounds from 11am-4pm.
Last year's event raised $6850 which was used by the Parent Teacher Friend Association to pay for extra iPads, the junior production, extra teaching resources, and the school's fruit programme.
Fair organiser Tracey Cadogan said the school provided as much fruit as the children wanted every day. On cold days in winter the school also provided soup.
The fruit programme had led to noticeable improvements in attendance, concentration and well-being.
The fair was about having a fun family day out with the added bonus of funding the fruit programme, she said.
Calling all sculptors ...
Artists can win $3000 by submitting a finished or proposed work for a new sculpture park planned in Kerikeri.
Accepted works will be installed along a 1km-long sculpture trail in the award-winning Wharepuke Subtropical Garden just up the hill from the Stone Store.
Internationally renowned sculptor Chris Booth is the judge of an outdoor sculpture contest with a $3000 top prize.
Works can be in any medium but must be suitable for outdoor display and able to survive the elements for the duration of the exhibition (December 2015 to September 2016). They can be sculpture, installation, video, sound, 2D, etc. If for sale the works must have longevity for the buyer.
Internationally renowned Kerikeri sculptor Chris Booth will judge the works. As well as a cash prize of $3000 the winner will get a gallery or garden-based solo show at Wharepuke. See http://art-park.co.nz/ for more information.
The new Kaeo-Kerikeri Union Church, under construction at the corner of the Heritage Bypass and Kerikeri Rd, is issuing an open invitation to artists to design a set of coloured feature windows.
The building, which will be used for worship and community groups, aims to convey a sense of welcome and openness as well as being an oasis of reflection in a busy town. The coloured windows should express that while drawing on the wairua of Northland and the faith at the heart of the building.
For the design brief contact Minister Robyn McPhail at robyn@chirmac.co.nz or 021 0247 6280. Go to www.kaeokerikeriunionchurch.org.nz for more information.
Youth concert in Kerikeri
Up-and-coming musicians from around the Mid North are staging a community concert at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri on Friday night.
A variety of bands and solo artists will perform in the Theatre Bar from 6.30pm. All musicians are students of the Music Place or the Be Free and Play Music youth mentoring programme. Entry by koha.
Helping Kaikohe families
Plunket is organising a meeting this Friday, June 26, to discuss ways of improving support for families with young children in Kaikohe.
The meeting will be held in the supper room at Kaikohe Memorial Hall from 10.30 to noon followed by a light lunch.
The aim is to work with local organisations to find out what support families need, then develop a joint plan to respond to those needs. The meeting will discuss the purpose of the project, models for working collectively, methods for assessing families' needs, and forming a group to guide the project and prepare the plan.
Call Toni Yarrow on (09) 407 9488 for more information. Plunket is coordinating 11 such community-led projects around New Zealand.
Sponsorship for a 21-day Outward Bound course is being offered to one young Far North woman.
Applicants must be aged 18-25 and live in the Doubtless Bay/Kaeo area. The scholarship is offered by the Doubtless Bay Business and Professional Women's group and covers the full cost of the course, but the winner will have to cover travel costs.
Applications close on July 31. For more information contact Lynn Dow at agdow@igrin.co.nz or (09) 406 0136.
Climate talk
Three climate change experts will lead a discussion in Kerikeri on Thursday about what individuals, and the community, can do to help control global climate change.
Speakers will include Green MP Kennedy Graham, Climate Party candidate and researcher Rob Painting, and climate change blogger Bob Bingham.
The meeting starts at 6.55pm on June 25 at the St James Church Hall on Kerikeri Rd (just up the hill from the Stone Store). Entry by donation/koha.
Beware the beast
Do you have what it takes to tame the beast?
The Bay of Islands Beast is the name of a new run, walk or possibly crawl across brutal terrain, which is being held for the first time on Saturday, July 4.
The off-road event is not just a mud run. Included on the 7km course are swamps, fences, steep hills and uneven terrain. Contestants can choose between the full course and a 4.5km Little Beast.
All participants and spectators have to catch a bus from outside the Fullers GreatSights offices on Marsden Rd, Paihia. Prizegiving will be at 3.30pm on the Village Green. Got to www.thebeast.nz for more information.
Fight for education
A film chronicling the struggles of a religious minority in Iran will screen at the Baha'i Centre, 480 Kerikeri Rd, on Saturday, July 4.
To Light a Candle is about the denial of education to members of Iran's Baha'i faith, who are barred from teaching or studying at university. The free screening will start at 7.30pm and be followed by a question-and-answer session.
Do you have news or an upcoming event you'd like to see in this column? Send it to us, including your full contact details, to baynews@northernadvocate.co.nz.
