Stories

Hamish Noster is an art lover and ace art hanger. He’s got years of experience hanging everything from paintings to rugs, and he knows how to keep things level. Here are Hamish’s top tips on where and how to hang art like a pro. Rearranging existing art Hanging new art is an opportunity for change. Ask the professional to organise and rearrange what you already have while they’re there. Before you hang Lean art against the wall you’re thinking of hanging it on. Leave it there for a while so you can get a feel for how it will look in that place. Brighten dark rooms Give darker rooms a lift with light-coloured artwork. Avoiding sunlight fading Some types of art, like watercolours, are more susceptible to fading when hung in a sunny spot. You can frame art behind special glass that reduces fading. Hanging heavy things away from a stud...

Will Alexander is playing Duke Orsino in the upcoming Top Dog Theatre production of Twelfth Night. He chats to Cityscape about the Bard, big birthdays and being home. You grew up here, trained in London, toured the world, featured on TV and on stage – what’s your number one career highlight? Performing at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Birthday party was pretty amazing, the salmon was raised specifically for the occasion but I think the Champagne they gave us was a bit watered down. Also cutting someone’s tongue out onstage in Amsterdam and throwing it into the audience comes to mind as a highlight.  Pro-tip for would-be actors? It’s likely if you’re auditioning for things then you’re going to need to deal with rejection. Don’t take it personally. See auditions as a chance to perform, do a good audition and then forget about it. If you can have the resilience to be...

Ahead of Play Space Productions' The Last Martini, Cityscape meets some of the eccentric family members hosting this party-turned-murder-investigation. Who are you, how do you fit into the Martini family? Edith: I am the matriarch of the Martini family. James: As the first son I am the heir to the Martini Estate, and Canterbury's most eligible bachelor. Isabella: I am the only daughter, the eldest by 18 months. Why would a partygoer suspect you as the murderer? Edith: Gosh! I was his devoted wife for 25 years! How could anyone suspect me? James: Oh they wouldn't suspect me, would they? I guess I WAS the last to see him... Isabella: Well, it’s certainly true that I’m the most intelligent one in the family. Though nobody seems to take notice. What’s your best party trick? Edith: Hosting the party. My parties are always the talk of the town. That is my party...

Meet the man who sold his name… twice. He’s the founder of Good Times Comedy Club and he’s got things to say about Christchurch, comedy, Comet the dog, and kiwi. OK Mr man-of-many-names, let’s start with the basics – why are you called Snap? It’s just my name, dude. I had weird parents. Cool. And Rusewebsites? That’s not even my last name! Well legally that’s my name, because I was signing a lot of contracts and changing my name again legally would have been a nightmare. But that contract is done and I re-sold my last name to Game Kings who make Kiwis Versus Morality. So I go by Snap Versus Morality now. That contract is up though so if you know anyone... What’s the short version of your comedy story? I actually started out in radio as the drive announcer on Pulzar FM. I decided to try my hand at...

Cityscape talks to Leigh Pickering for a brief history of her business, Happy To Sit On Your Face. Funky, bold, well priced. That’s Leigh’s philosophy for sunglasses. A few years ago, she spotted a gap in the market for some facial fashion that made a statement, and her brand has been growing ever since. Her Christchurch sunglasses label Happy To Sit On Your Face has gone from strength to strength, and is now stocked across New Zealand and Australia, including at high-end fashion stores like Trelise Cooper. Leigh’s been in the fashion industry for about 30 years, selling everything from Ray-Ban to Christian Dior and beyond. About five years ago she stopped working, when her father was sick with motor neurone disease. Around this time, she slowly began building Happy To Sit On Your Face. “I saw my father dying and I wanted to bring some happiness into the world,” Leigh...

Stand-up comedy doesn’t have to be all heckling and being mean. Ray Shipley tells Cityscape about putting on an accessible and welcoming show with plenty of laughs. Tell us about the Cosy Comedy show you’re putting on at Little Andromeda – how did that come about? Cosy Comedy is a gentle comedy show for nice people. We’ve got two rules: comedians can’t pick on the audience and the audience can’t pick on the comedians. Emma and Brendon came up with the idea a few years ago to offer an alternative to the ‘absolutely anything goes’ flavour of stand-up shows – that can be a lot of fun, but there’s a bunch of folks that could feel a bit put off by that. Is cosy wear encouraged? It’s the start of winter, so cosy wear is certainly encouraged from a health and safety perspective if nothing else. Cosy Comedy hasn’t got a...

The Marriage of Figaro's scenographer, Tracy Grant Lord, tells Cityscape a bit about the aesthetic of this production, and how the themes of revolution can be conveyed through design. What makes a good scenographer? I think you need a good understanding of scale so you can imagine people and objects in space and a broad-ranging vision for storytelling. Also, an awareness of harmony. The craft of scenography is about creating a complete world with all its intrinsic dimensions on stage, and harmony is about allowing provision for that world to then sing. How does set and costume design help tell a story? Good design will honour the intention of the originators of a story – even when re-interpreting a story. If the spirit or essence that initially created the story is served honourably in design then you are helping to tell it. Research around why and when the story was told...

Cityscape caught up with director Lindy Hume to talk about love, the revolution, and the NZ Opera season of The Marriage of Figaro. Have you directed The Marriage of Figaro before? I have not. And so it's nice to be doing it for the first time, at this advanced age! Can you tell us a little bit about the opera without giving too much away? The whole thing is set in one single day of madness. It’s an intertwining plot of love, scheming and deception. Figaro is to marry a Countess’s maid, Susanna, who the Count is planning to bed, as he believes it’s his right. The young couple set about exposing the older man’s lechery, and he in turn sets about revenge. Is it a love story or something more? It's much more than a love story. I mean, it is a love story in that there is a lot...

Eleanor Bishop is the assistant director of the New Zealand Opera production of The Marriage of Figaro. It's a radical tale with strong feminist underpinnings, which suits Eleanor's political sensibilities rather well. Cityscape sat down with her to discuss her favourite character, guilty pleasures, and the opera's messages. You’re known for directing political productions – can you tell us about the motivations for your work? Ever since I was young I have found inner strength and power in female-driven stories – as an artist and an audience member. I make theatre because throughout history the stage has always been a revolutionary place. It’s a way to take apart the world as it stands and to imagine a new world. Does The Marriage of Figaro tick the right political boxes for you? I think artistic work doesn’t have to tick boxes but I’m always excited when I see groups of women work...

Conducting the New Zealand Opera production of The Marriage of Figaro is Zoe Zeniodi, 'ingenious Greek maestro' and lifelong lover of La Traviata. She spoke to Cityscape about piano playing, Carnegie Hall, and eating bananas. How did you get into opera? When I was little, at home, unattended, as things used to be back then, I remember coming back from kindergarten and putting on a video tape that I had found on a shelf which showed a lady being in agony for a long time and dying on her couch. I loved ‘dying’ with her every day on my couch after school. It was a daily ritual for me. I had never realised what I was watching, until much later, in my 30s, I found that old tape again and decided to watch it. It was La Traviata by Verdi. I had been watching the complete La Traviata daily throughout my...

Cityscape and the Cinema Italiano Festival take you on a journey through Italy in film. We begin our trip on the far northwest, at the village of Castel Vittorio near the French border. Io Sono L’Amore / I Am Love was shot in this mountainous town, as well as just down the road in coastal Sanremo and in the northern city of Milan. The film centres on a wealthy Milanese family and the heir’s Russian wife, Emma Recchi (Tilda Swinton) who appears to be a static part of the family’s ‘collection’, but awakens herself through a developing relationship with a talented chef. The film contains magnificent demonstrations of Milanese architecture, including the Villa Necchi Campiglio, designed by celebrated architect Piero Portaluppi. Heading south, we hit the tourist hotspot of Tuscany – heart of the Renaissance and home to unending beauty in its cities, landscapes dotted with vineyards and olive groves, and...

Paul Roper-Gee from Canopy Landscape Architects has some practical tips for creating a garden that looks great all year round. Winter can be a quieter time in our gardens but that provides an opportunity to plan ahead and think about how the garden can look good in all four seasons. In garden design, as well as three-dimensional space, we can also play with the fourth dimension of time. In the winter months the ‘bones’ of the garden become obvious. Hard landscape elements including paths, pergolas, walls and boundaries provide structure that remains important throughout the year. Evergreen plants including New Zealand natives provide strong form and texture that give a garden weight and provide a backdrop to set other ‘flashier’ plants against. The winter skeletons of trees, ornamental grasses and selected perennials can also provide ‘good bones’. Gardens need not be static but can change and flex through the seasons, taking...

Anna Dick from Anna Margaret Interiors talks deluxe home décor and how to get that luxury retreat feel in your own home. Everyone deserves to have elements of luxury in their home every day. And yes, it is attainable. First of all, you need to work out what luxury means to you. It might mean having a matching set of hand soap and moisturiser in your bathroom or that wine fridge you have been longing for, a beautiful view from your kitchen window, or the softest curtains you pull at the end of the day. It can cost the earth, or be modest, because you define what luxury means for you. Luxury is when you like what you see, smell, feel, touch and taste. Luxury is when all your senses feel loved and catered to. A warm blanket or a smooth bench; scented candle or your fave wine; a beautiful view...

Comedian, actor, director and reluctant writer Dan Bain talks theatre, standup and the concept of octopus strangling. What have been some highlights of learning to wing it professionally? I made my living as an improviser for 20 years, which is more than half of my life and it’s all a bit of a blur. But a moment that I found truly wonderful was in rehearsal for a play, backstage with Judy Douglas in her final show at the Court Theatre. She leant over to me and said “I’m never worried in the scenes with you, because you are an improviser and if I make a mistake I know you’ll fix it.” I never had to fix anything, because even at seventy-something she was a total professional, but that still sticks with me. I was terrified because I had to remember to say the same things every night. She was terrified she’d...

Arts crowdfunding platform Boosted has just launched a spate of one-month fundraising drives for awesome Christchurch art projects. Cityscape takes a gander. Rātā Foundation has given each of these projects $3000 of matched funding to get them on their way to their targets. Each needs to hit its target by the end of June to keep the donations. Check out the pitches and donate online – every little bit helps! SCAPE Public Art is permanently relocating the Conduct Cumulus public sculpture by Seung Yul Oh from its temporary home at The Arts Centre to Hillmorton Hospital grounds. Target: $6000. Donate here Royal New Zealand Ballet is purchasing a sprung floor for Isaac Theatre Royal so dancers can give their all at this beautiful venue without risk of injury. Target: $10,000. Donate here Movement Art Practice is fitting out the new home of MAP – a studio in Hawdon Street where the...

Before sharing his expertise at Winetopia in July, Master of Wine Bob Campbell sat down with Cityscape to talk favourite fizz, top shelf wines and the best budget drops. Can you tell us about a lesser-known wine region that’s captured your heart? Waitaki. It's a small, wonderfully scenic region on the border of Otago and Canterbury, and it’s capable of producing great wines given the right vintage conditions. What interesting things are coming out of the big-hitting regions this year? Expect top Chardonnay and Syrah from Hawke's Bay, intensely flavoured Sauvignon from Marlborough and high quality Pinot Noir from Otago. What’s exciting you in the world of Canterbury wine at the moment? Cabernet Franc. It makes amazingly ripe, intense wines, but there is not much of it so keep an eye out. How much do you need to spend for a bottle of New Zealand méthode traditionelle that goes toe-to-toe with a French...

Master of Wine Emma Jenkins is presenting at Winetopia this winter, and she sat down with Cityscape to talk grapes, wine regions and excellent bubbles. Can you tell us about a lesser-known wine region that’s captured your heart? Well, I kind of hope there are no lesser known wine regions in New Zealand these days! But if I had to nominate somewhere that people often overlook, it’s the sub-region of Alexandra, in Central Otago. It’s a little bit further-flung and there aren’t as many well-known names as its mostly very very small producers, but the unique and sometimes extreme conditions can produce some of the region’s most expressive fruit. Worth having on your radar, plus it’s a lovely place to visit. What interesting things are coming out of the big-hitting regions this year? We’ve just had two fantastic vintages, so both 2020 and 2021 will deliver some excellent wines to the...

The Glow Show artistic director Sarah Burren talks to Cityscape about the value of teamwork, and keeping the attention of toddlers. So you’re the Glow Show puppet master? Well, there’s a huge team of people who make this happen. I came up with the idea of The Glow Show, and I make the puppets myself. Tell us a bit about the show. It’s been a five-year project getting this far, and this is the fourth year doing the show. Matariki 2017 was the first year. It’s ultraviolet puppetry with blue sky thinking. The show is very mesmerising for children, they think “How do they do that, how do they make it happen?” This year’s show is very loosely themed on wonderland. It’s wacky as, and very uplifting. What’s the highlight this year? The eight-metre caterpillar. And the music is going to be epic. How did you come to this idea? I...