FLAGONS & FOXTROTS

Written by Alison Quigan and Ross Gumbley

Directed by Melanie Luckman

Featuring: Will Alexander, Cheryl Amos, Nadya Shaw Bennett, Kathleen Burns, James Foster, Jared Kirkwood and Phil Vaughan

New Zealand Comedy

14 November – 12 December

Set in the backdrop of the Saturday night dance hall era, Flagons & Foxtrots is an unmissable kiwiana comedy. Sid Jenkins has been running the local dance hall for years – with a bit of help from Aunty Ina, who runs the local switchboard and provides the legendary curried eggs – but tonight will be unlike any other!

The audience was hysterical… enough to send them into paroxysms of delight. The Listener

The Archie Moore Trio dream of stardom and the first step is to play at the Saturday night dance. However, grumpy Sid does not trust that the young lads are up to it. Will they get to play?

To complicate things, young Jack has gone and entangled himself with two sheilas. He must choose between his long-time girlfriend Jill and the alluring Rita.

It's a winning combination and a rocking night out. Theatreview

Director Melanie Luckman says, “This play is a true celebration of what it meant to be young in NZ in the 1960s. The spirit of the music at that time embodied an emerging rebellion against the old establishment and the show reflects this.”

This show is sure to be an immensely entertaining evening out! The jokes will have you rolling in the isles and you won’t be able to help but tap your feet to the beat of the Archie Moore Trio. Revelations and surprises unfold in an evening of fun, laughter and rampant hormones.

Don’t miss Flagons and Foxtrots, a fun nostalgic celebration as we head down to the hall for a night of music, dance and hilarity.

A nostalgic feel good show that got the audience to its feet – to dance and to applaud. Capital Times

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CAST Will Alexander, Cheryl Amos, Nadya Shaw Bennett, Kathleen Burns, James Foster, Jared Kirkwood and Phil Vaughan CREW Writer Alison Quigan and Ross Gumbley Director Melanie Luckman Set Designer Peter King Set Builder Richard Clark Lighting Designer Stephen Kilroy Costume Designer Maryanne Wright-Smyth Sound Designer Lindsay Gordon Stage Manager Monique Webster Properties George Wallace KEY

EVENTS / DATES

Lunchtime Bites / Thursday, 5 November, meet at 12.15pm in the Dunedin Public Library, ground floor. The actors will perform an excerpt from Flagons and Foxtrots with an opportunity to win tickets. Reading will commence at 12.30pm followed by afternoon tea. This is a FREE event.

Opening Night / Saturday, 14 November, 7.30pm, Fortune Theatre.

Members’ Briefing / Sunday, 15 November, meet at the Fortune bar at 3.00pm for a lively informal chat about Flagons and Foxtrots.

Forum / Tuesday, 17 November - join the cast and crew for an open question and answer session following the 6.00pm show.

About the writers

For 18 years Alison Quigan was Artistic Director of Centrepoint Theatre, Palmerston North. In this role, she followed a policy of programming one of the highest proportions of New Zealand plays of any professional NZ theatre. Between 1997 and 2000, Alison wrote a succession of critically acclaimed plays with Ross Gumbley. In 2001 and 2002, she continued these successes with Lucy Schmidt as her writing partner. In 2003 Alison started writing on her own with Mum's Choir being a major success in Palmerston North, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Her later play Ladies For Hire was produced at Centrepoint Theatre in November and December 2009.

Ross Gumbley became a trainee actor at The Court Theatre in 1985. Now, 28 years later, he has appeared in over 100 productions including Stones in His Pockets; Great Expectations; Milo’s Wake; Humble Boy; Ladies Night; King Lear; The Rocky Horror Show; Alone It Stands; Lady Windermere’s Fan; Happy Coupling; The Country Wife and The Birthday Boy. Also a highly accomplished improviser, Ross was a founding member of The Court Jesters. Living in Palmerston North throughout the late nineties he held an Associate Directorship at Centerpoint Theatre under the then Artistic Director, Alison Quigan, and anchored his own radio show Gumbley’s Better Breakfast for Classic Hits. Ross and Alison have co-written six plays, four of which have been produced at The Court, including the critically acclaimed Flagons and Foxtrots. In the director’s chair, Ross’ credits include Mum’s Choir; Spreading Out; Ying Tong; Flagons And Foxtrots; Bombshells; his stage adaptation of Buchan’s novel The Thirty-Nine Steps; Who Wants To Be 100? (Anyone Who’s 99) ; Year of the Rat; the 2008 touring show Skin Tight; Letter to Blanchy: Stir Crazy; Arsenic and Old Lace; The Gods of Warm Beer; The Great Gatsby; Backstage; The Female of the Species; The Sunshine Boys; Don’t Mention Casablanca and Midnight In Moscow. In the new theatre, Ross has directed A Shortcut to Happiness; Side by Side by Sondheim; Much Ado About Nothing; Heroes; The Slapdash Assassin; Grease; The Women; Amadeus; SNAP!; The Mikado; When the Rain Stops Falling; Plum; One Man, Two Guvnors; Le Sud; Romeo and Juliet and most recently The Ladykillers. Ross’ first solo venture as a playwright, Happy Coupling, premièred at The Court in 2006, the same year that he became the theatre’s Artistic Director.

Production Dates 14 November – 12 December, 2015

Running Time 1 hour and 50 minutes including an interval

Venue Fortune Theatre, 231 Stuart Street, Dunedin

Performances Tuesday, 6.00pm, Wednesday - Saturday, 7.30pm, Sunday, 4.00pm (no show Monday) Tickets Gala (first 5 shows) $34, Adults $42, Senior Citizens $34, Members $32, Tertiary Students $20, High School Students $15, Group discount (10+) $34

Bookings Fortune Theatre, 231 Stuart Street, Dunedin,

Box Office 03 477 8323 or visit www.fortunetheatre.co.nz

For further information, imagery or interview/photo opportunities please contact: Lucy Summers, Marketing Manager T: (03) 477 1292 ext. 2 M: 021 108 3046 E: marketing@fortunetheatre.co.nz www.fortunetheatre.co.nz