The PumpHouse: Auckland Shakespeare in the Park 2021

As the summer evenings settle, enjoy traditional presentations of two of Shakespeare’s finest plays performed outdoors in The PumpHouse Amphitheatre.

Now in our 25th season, Shoreside Theatre’s Auckland Shakespeare in the Park is presented by a company of professional and community actors, production crew, enthusiasts and supporters with the aspiration to stage real Shakespeare. As always, both plays feature fabulous costumes and passionate performances.

HAMLET – book here

Directed by James Bell
Indecision, revenge and retribution, deception, ambition, loyalty and fate lie at the core of arguably Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has multiple woes.

The ghost of his father haunts Elsinore; his uncle, Claudius, has married Queen Gertrude, his mother, and assumed the throne; and  Fortinbras of Norway threatens Denmark with an invading army.

Hamlet’s complexity, philosophical richness, the unforgettable language and imagery of Hamlet’s soliloquies offers an incomparable portrait of a brilliant but tortured Renaissance scholar whose world has been destroyed.

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – book here

Directed by Jason Moffatt
Love, verbal-sparring, villainous schemes and mistaken identity are delightfully interwoven in Much Ado About Nothing, which brings us the unforgettable romance of Beatrice and Benedick, surely Shakespeare’s best loved romantic duo.

Returning from the wars, Don Pedro, the Prince of Aragon, and his retinue arrive at the home of Leonato, the governor of Messina. Amongst Don Pedro’s companions are Benedick, a sworn bachelor, and Claudio, a young nobleman smitten with Leonato’s daughter, Hero.

Love and masquerade, wit and warfare, perception and reality – all collide in one of Shakespeare’s cherished comedies.

 
Encore Theatre Collective is proud to present a dazzling new production of Seussical The Musical, based on the immortal works of Dr Seuss. Seussical brings to life many infamous and well-loved Dr Seuss characters, including Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Mayzie La Bird and, of course, the Cat in the Hat. These characters and stories weave together in a whimsical and wacky musical extravaganza, played out against an uplifting score, and highlighting the show’s universal messages of love and acceptance – reminding us all that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”

Since launching in 2019, Encore Theatre Collective has made an incredible mark on the Auckland theatre scene and redefined the standard of youth theatre in New Zealand. Hot on the heels of their sold-out season of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, the June season of Seussical features 120 of the country’s finest young talent, ranging in age from 9-23.

With spectacular choreography, unbelievable production design, and slick vocals, Encore Theatre Collective’s Seussical The Musical is the theatrical offering of 2021 that you will not want to miss!