Everybody fails, sometimes spectacularly. Few write a fearless book about it.
Brimming with daring intellect, humour, and slick visual and sound design; this savvy new play by the award-winning duo behind Body Double, Jane Doe and Yes Yes Yes is based on a work of thrilling autobiographical fiction by American writer Chris Kraus.
Before penning the cult feminist classic I Love Dick, Kraus shot an ill-fated film in Tāmaki Makaurau in the mid-90s, which she then chronicled in her book Aliens & Anorexia. Weaving in the writings of French philosopher Simone Weil alongside a free-wheeling retrospective of other ‘failed’ artists, her story traverses Berlin, Andy Warhol’s New York, Marseilles and Aotearoa, in a bid to understand what it means to not succeed.
Eleanor Bishop & Karin McCracken were awarded the Bruce Mason Playwriting Award 2022, the first time in the award’s 40-year history that it has been given to a creative duo. Gravity & Grace won the Dean Parker Adaptation Award at the Adam NZ Play Awards in 2022.
Post-show Artist Talk: Sunday 24 March 5:30PM
Directly after Sunday's performance, there will be a discussion with Eleanor Bishop (writer/director) and Karin McCracken (writer/performer).
This show is a part of Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2024. Click here to explore what else is on during the festival.
Presented by:
Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival
Creative Team:
WRITTEN BY Eleanor Bishop & Karin McCracken
ADAPTED FROM THE BOOK ALIENS & ANOREXIA BY Chris Kraus
DIRECTOR Eleanor Bishop
PERFORMANCE DESIGN Meg Rollandi
AV DESIGN Owen McCarthy
MUSIC & SOUND Emi 恵美 Pogoni
LIGHTING DESIGN Rob Larsen
Performers:
Nī Dekkers-Reihana
Simon Leary
Karin McCracken
Sam Snedden
Rongopai Tickell
Audience warnings:
Recommended for ages 13+. Contains mature themes, including sadomasochistic sex and eating disorders.
Supported by:
The development of Gravity & Grace was supported by Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival and Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. By arrangement with Playmarket. Supported by Creative New Zealand.
