Silo Theatre is a theatre production company based in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, and was established in 1997.

Background

Silo Theatre started out as a 'boutique underground theatre' in a venue off Queen Street in central Auckland in 1997. Silo moved out in 2007 and this venue is now the home of

The Basement Theatre The Basement Theatre is an Auckland theatre founded by Charlie McDermott in 2008. The theatre focuses on providing a venue for young people in the performing arts to enter the industry. Their priorities are making theatre accessible for both ...

Shane Boscher Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a sur ...

was director from 2001 - 2013, while he was there he also directed over 12 productions. Some of the works programmed in this time include playwrights

Neil Labute Neil N. LaBute (born March 19, 1963) is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best-known for a play that he wrote and later adapted for film, ''In the Company of Men'' (1997), which won awards from the Sundance Fi ...

Caryl Churchill Caryl Lesley Churchill (born 3 September 1938) is a British playwright known for dramatising the abuses of power, for her use of non- naturalistic techniques, and for her exploration of sexual politics and feminist themes.

Patrick Marber Patrick Albert Crispin Marber (born 19 September 1964) is an English comedian, playwright, director, actor, and screenwriter. Early life Marber was born and raised in a middle-class Jewish family in Wimbledon, London, the son of Angela (Benjam ...

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic expe ...

, and New Zealand authors

Toa Fraser Toa Fraser (born 1975) is a New Zealand born playwright and film director, of Fijian heritage. His first feature film, '' No. 2'', starring Ruby Dee won the Audience Award (World Dramatic) at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. His second, ''Dean ...

, Jodie Molloy and

Jackie Van Beek Jackie van Beek (born 10 May 1976) is a New Zealand film and television director, writer and actress. Early life Van Beek was born and raised in Wellington and attended Onslow College. She studied contemporary dance at the Wellington Performi ...

. Whilst at Silo, Boscher was an 'Aucklander of 2005' and in 2007 included in the 'Most Influential People Under 40' list both by Auckland based ''Metro'' magazine.

Sophie Roberts Sophie is a version of the female given name Sophia, meaning "wise". People with the name Born in the Middle Ages * Sophie, Countess of Bar (c. 1004 or 1018–1093), sovereign Countess of Bar and lady of Mousson * Sophie of Thuringia, Duchess o ...

was appointed artistic director in 2014 and is still in the role in 2022. Staff have included Jessica Smith (Executive Director) and Ahi Karunaharan (Associate Artistic Director). Silo Theatre produces an annual season of local and international work their work is presented in venues and spaces across Auckland, New Zealand and sometimes overseas. Their purpose is stated to: * Encourage the pursuit of excellence in Aotearoa New Zealand’s arts practitioners and stage craft * Foster greater inclusion and representation in storytelling and invigorate diverse audiences * Contribute to, and develop, the arts and the culture landscape of Tāmaki Makaurau and Aotearoa

Programming

Some of the notable productions produced by Silo Theatre include ''Bare'' by Toa Fraser (1998) and ''Wild Dogs Under My Skirt'' by

Tusiata Avia Donna Tusiata Avia (born 1966) is a New Zealand poet and children's author. Background Avia was born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her father is Samoan and her mother is Palagi (New Zealand European). Avia graduated from the Univ ...

(2019), a co-production by Auckland Arts Festival. In 2021 part of their programme for

Matariki ), signalling the Māori new year., litcolor=, observedby=New Zealanders, nickname=, official_name=, alt=, image=M45 Pleiades Pbkwee (cropped to core 9 stars).jpg, relatedto=, date2022=24 June, date2023=14 July In Māori culture, Matariki is the ...

was a participatory audio play, ''Mauri Tau,'' written and directed by Scotty Cotter featuring Nicola Kāwana, Rachel House,

Tanea Heke Tanea Jane Heke is an actor, director and producer of theatre in New Zealand. In 2019 she was appointed as /Director of Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School. Career Heke is a 1997 graduate from Toi Whakaari: NZ Drama School and was appointed dire ...

and Te Kohe Tuhaka. This production came as a result of COVID 19 effects on creating live stage productions. Cotter collaborated with sound designers Fran Kora, Matt Eller, and Komako Silver for this streamed event. In 2015 Silo produced ''Hudson & Halls!'' a play about New Zealand TV cooks and personalities Peter Hudson and David Halls. It premiered at the Herald Theatre, Auckland and was directed by Kip Chapman starring Todd Emerson, Chris Parker and Jackie van Beek. ''Every Brilliant Thing'' by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe was a solo play in 2020 about suicide and mental health that had two leads that alternated each night,

Jason Te Kare Jason Te Kare is a New Zealand director, playwright and actor. Early life and education Te Kare graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 2001 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Acting). Work Te Kare played Ty in the prem ...

and Anapela Polata’ivao. Words from Pacific Island poets was curated into a Silo production called ''UPU'', created by Grace Iwashita-Taylor and directed by Fasitua Amosa. It premiered at the Auckland Arts Festival and then was presented at the Kia Mau Festival in Wellington in 2021. Other events that Silo host include talks such as the one off ''Once in a Black Moon'' in 2022 created in partnership with Black Creatives Aotearoa with panelists Adorate Mizero, Keagan Carr Fransch, Michelle Mascoll Michelle Mascoll and Vira Paky. This was to accompany the play ''seven methods of killing kylie jenner'' by of Jasmine Lee Jones at the Basement Theatre.

Development series

Silo has new work development series called Working Titles. In 2017 this included ''Modern Girls in Bed'' by Alex Lodge and Cherie Jacobson, ''The Defendant'' (by Dan Musgrove) and ''Burn Her'' by Sam Brooks.

References

{{authority control 1997 establishments in New Zealand Arts organizations established in 1997 Theatre companies in New Zealand