Talent on fire for Erupt festival
07 Apr 2010
Erupt Festival, Lake Taupo
6 - 16 May 2010
Arts and entertainment movers and shakers will gather at the North Island lake resort of Taupo in May for Erupt - a festival inspired by the fiery elements of the region’s volcanic plateau.
Taupo is the site of the world’s largest eruption in the last 5000 years, and the results of its earth shattering creation are evident throughout the region.
The volcanic eruption has provided a dramatic theme for the festival which has become Taupo’s largest cultural event, attracting more than 20,000 people to the region.
Erupt 2010
Erupt 2010 features 11 days of international and national theatre, dance, music, cabaret, comedy, visual arts, literature, gourmet food and community events.
The programme includes more than 60 live performances in a series of day and night time events held at a variety of indoor and outdoor venues.
The epicentre will be the Great Lake Centre, the library and Taupo museum in the centre of town. All venues are within a few metres or a short walk of each other.
Music and theatre
Entertainers include New Zealand’s Whirimako Black and the Matariki Jazz Band who will perform beside the lake at Little Waihi - a historically significant Māori settlement and marae at the southern end of Lake Taupo.
The diverse musical programme also includes Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, Oenomatopoeia, New Zealand String Quartet and singer/songwriter Karen Hunter.
Salon - a novel cabaret performance by the creators of the multi-award winning play Hotel - will be staged in the real hair salon Hair Mechanix of Taupo, and features Kiwi songstress Jackie Clarke.
Other theatrical highlights include Mark Twain and Me in Māoriland - a gun-toting production based on the true account of Mark Twain’s 1895 Australasian lecture tour.
Tama Ma by the Okareka Dance Company and Whitireia performing arts celebrates the unique cultural identity of New Zealand with energetic performances involving dance, drama and the spiritual power of Māori culture.
New Zealand live circus Adagio, which features a highly-skilled group of physical performers, will take circus out of the tent and into the theatre fusing music, dance, comedy, illusion and fluid jazz with acrobatics.
Visual arts
Visual arts exhibitions and an extensive programme for schools with performing arts and education workshops also feature throughout the festival.
Two creative exhibitions at Taupo Museum include Magpie - new adventures in jewellery which brings together the creations of 24 New Zealand and international jewellers working in a diverse range of mediums.
Knitterati - Out the Back at the Taupo Museum and Art Gallery features skilled artists who will be knitting, knotting, weaving and crocheting the Taupo landscape using recycled materials.
Other entertainers include two New Zealand writers, Dave Armstrong and Te Radar who will combine forces to give an insight into writing comedy.
A 'Lahaha Comedy' series will also feature Te Radar and Joel Salom’s Gadgets with circus tricks and a laser show.
Autumn change
Originally launched in 1996, Erupt was revamped in 2008 when the timing was changed from February to May to coincide with autumn’s blazing colours.
Lake Taupo was created by a massive eruption, and the region is full of active volcanic peaks, steaming cliffs, geysers, boiling lakes, bubbling mud pools and floating pumice rocks.
The inspiration for Erupt comes from the volcanic history, and projects such as Underland Domain - an interactive multi-media exhibition, explore the ever-changing and active nature of the earth through live digital images and sound.
Most performances and events are in-keeping with the Erupt theme which capitalises on the unique volcanic plateau, one of New Zealand’s most popular tourist destinations.
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