Nau mai, haere mai ki te pānui o Basement Theatre – pānuitia mō ngā whakaari hou koutou!
In the Theatre, catch Strawberry Baby, Fiona Saunders is bringing a bold, camp, and colourful solo dance work exploring beauty standards, neurodivergence, and queerness through movement, humour, and expressive design. Also in the Theatre, Bull Rush brings improv chaos and comedy.
In the Studio, catch Decadunce, Marshall Lorenzo’s outrageous new sketch comedy feast of fraud, excess, and stupidity, plus every ticket bought puts you in the draw to win a $2000 Karangahape Road Decadent Night Out!
Mā te wā,
Basement Theatre x
Strawberry Baby
19-23 August, 8pm. Theatre.Strawberry Baby is a bold, camp, and colorful solo dance work exploring beauty standards, neurodivergence, and queerness through movement, humor, and expressive design. Set in a bright pink bedroom, this vibrant performance peels back the layers of societal expectations, revealing the intimate struggle of self-acceptance. Audiences will be taken on a playful, rebellious, and thought-provoking journey through an immersive dance performance that challenges beauty norms while celebrating the joy of self-discovery.
Decadunce
21-23 August, 6.30pm. Studio.The award-winning Kiwi comedian Marshall Lorenzo (Canada’s Drag Race) is back with a brand new sketch comedy extravaganza ‘Decadunce’. Let’s just say we’re a gun law away from finally eating the rich and Marshall Lorenzo is ready to pull the trigger. ‘Decadunce’ is the third chapter in the eight-time NZ Fringe award-nominated ‘Baby Gorgeous’ sketch comedy trilogy. While 2024’s ‘Baby Gorgeous’ was the amuse-bouche and Baby Gorgeous Build Ups was the main course, get ready to eat good in the decadent and dizzying dessert of the Baby Gorgeous trilogy: ‘Decadunce’. Now fully committed to living a lifestyle outside of his means, Decudunce is a brand new show about fraud, excess and stupidity. Featuring various unforgettable characters (Including the Briscoes lady!), and biting commentary on the dilapidated state of it all! Come see the sequel to the comedy show audience members called ‘freakin hilarious’, and ‘on another level’.
Bull Rush
15 August, 10pm. Studio.No Friday night will ever be the same again.
With a roster of Tāmaki Makaurau’s best and brightest performers, expect spit-take- worthy gags, epic stories, heartbreaking tales, and live improvised music at Bull Rush.
- Sponsor Promotion -
So gather your mates for a night of never before seen, totally made up, improvised comedy every Rāmere Friday.
Mess with the bull, feel the rush.
Since 2020, Bull Rush have been making it up as they go. With several seasons (Jingle Bull(Rush), Ghoul Rush, 1822) under their belt, these self-professed improv nerds know how to put on a bloody good show.
Winners of Best Improv Group at the 2024 NZ Comedy Guild Awards, among other accolades (not to brag.
E Ngaro Ana Koe?
26-30 August, 8pm. Theatre.E ngaro ana koe? (Are you lost?) is a full-length multimedia dance work that questions: How do we break bread with our taniwha?
This work embodies the shedding of skins, the practice of growing new niho, and the act of morphing—again and again and again. It is an archival space. It is a place to wade, yield, sigh… exist. But more than that, it is a karanga to face the raruraru that often sits deep within the puku of those who feel disconnected from their whakapapa.
Will we allow our taniwha to consume and engulf us—or will we cradle her with care?
Weaving pūrākau and personal journeys, E ngaro ana koe? highlights eight powerful movement artists as they find communion in confronting their individual and shared taniwha. Guiding us along their sacred awa of shared concerns, joys and dreams—inviting us to reflect, witness, and feel.
Each night is a unique experience of movement, poetry, archival film, sculpture, and connection to the virtual ether.
We invite you to consider:
What brought you here?
The whenua you reside on?
And where you might be headed next.
May Mga Uod Ang Utak Mo (There Are Worms In Your Brain)
27-30 August, 6.30pm. Studio.Welcome to the wake that never ends
[stream interrupted]
[restarting session: Funeral_001]
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The father dies
The funeral starts
Sean speaks
The father dies
The funeral starts
Sean speaks
The funeral runs its course
Time folds in on itself
The coffin twitches
A pepe the frog weeps
A troll bleeds
Voices distort
Music rots
The algorithm is watching
May Mga Uod Ang Utak Mo is an autopsy of the self. Looping through ritual and ceremony- Sean Rivera wrestles with the death of his father in an arena of internet echoes. 4chan, reddit, the manosphere- a universe hopping, red-pill popping extravaganza that throws time in the bin and warps the fabric of reality itself.
Pay respect to Sean Rivera’s solo debut, a twisting labyrinth of grief in the digital age made with support from Creative New Zealand.
[opening file grief.exe]
[WARNING: THIS FILE CANNOT CLOSE
Live Reel: BigShark SmallBoat
27 August, 8.30pm. Studio.Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…
This August, Live Reel brings Shark Week energy to Basement. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of JAWS, they’ll honour it the only way they know how – by performing it from memory.
Will they need a bigger boat? Maybe, if they remember that bit!
Let It Die
2-6 September, 6.30pm. Studio.The world is collapsing in on itself. What’s the point again?
From a mercurial, chaotic world appears the perfect storytellers: a small, lumpy cast of puppets.
They’re cute, petty and sassy – and have no idea how or why they got here.
Trippy visuals. Techno beats. Weird laughs. Mixing Buddhist philosophy, surreal visuals and a teeny splice of hope, Let it Die is validation for anyone alive right now.
ROADKILL: The Uber Cool Musical
3-6 & 24-27 September, 6pm. The Slab.ROADKILL: The Uber-Cool Musical takes you on a wildly immersive journey through love, life and rock ’n’ roll — all from the back seat of a van. This intimate one-man musical combines humour, heart and unforgettable tunes for an experience like no other.
Strap in for the rollercoaster ride of your life as we take a regular mundane occurrence of driving in an Uber and blow wide open the private life, memories and miss happenings of our hero, and driver, Terry.
Carpool karaoke, meets intense love story, meets wild murder mystery.
Much more than a musical, its an experience, its a journey and an attraction!
Winner of BEST IN FRINGE and EMERGING ARTIST OF THE YEAR at the Dunedin Fringe and Winner of MOST INNOVATIVE at the NZ Fringe awards this year!
With only 9 seats available each ride, grab your mates and have a private experience in the fast lane!
The hottest ticket in town- be sure to experience the ride of your life!
The van will be stationary and parked outside The Basement Theatre for this season.
ROADKILL shows for two seperate weeks on The Slab at Basement –
Week One: 3-7 September
Week Two: 24-28 September
Support Basement Theatre, supporting artists, supporting a vibrant Tāmaki Makaurau.
Basement Theatre is where the ideas, artists and arts leaders of tomorrow are being formed. We are hell-bent on supporting artists to develop their craft and build sustainable careers. We need your help to make this happen and there are a number of easy ways you can support us.
You can choose to make a one-off donation or set up a recurring donation to support our mission for a sustainable sector.
