Two Kiwi guys meet two Aussie girls... the rest is history.

Anzac Eve is an exciting new play about a group of ‘twenty-somethings’ on their big OE, who happen upon each other the night before dawn commemorations at Gallipoli.

National pride and personal issues stir up strong feelings as tempers flare, romance sparks and ghosts are uncovered. Each of them sees historical events through their own lens, but are they really there to solemnly commemorate the occasion or to party until the early hours?

Directed by Jamie McCaskill and written by award-winning playwright Dave Armstrong (Niu Sila, Le Sud, The Motor Camp), Anzac Eve is highly entertaining and honest, taking an unflinching look at the modern day ANZAC experience.

A fresh and contemporary take on a significant time in our nation’s history, Anzac Eve is a must-see for every New Zealander.

 

It was not only first class entertainment but a chance to obtain a new understanding of what really happened a century ago. Prejudices are aired, myths bust, and parallels drawn between then and now

- Theatreview

Anzac Eve in the news:

Theatreview called the production "a profoundly enriching experience" in its review of the Wellington season and "a triumph of script, performance, direction and design" in its review of the Hamilton season.

The Stuff review called the show "entertaining, often witty, sometimes scurrilously funny...The four members of the cast delivered with immaculate timing, incredible pace, audible delivery, and a fine sense of situation and occasion."

Read the New Zealand Listener interview with the playwright, Dave Armstrong.

Dave Armstrong shares with Stuff how writing content for Te Papa's Gallipoli exhibition inspired this play.

Teachers can download the education pack here. 

Contains some coarse language.

Commissioned by the Festival of Colour and funded by NZ WW1 Centenary Fund. 

Thanks to the support of: