A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR

Kia ora koutou,

Thank you for coming to this production of Solarise. This show is a celebration of the work and dedication that Ruby has put into the creation of this show over the past 6 years, as well as the work that the cast, crew, band and I have put into this production. I count myself lucky to have been trusted to help realise Ruby's vision on stage, alongside my amazing music team, Michael Stebbings and Stephen Clothier. 

To me this show poses a question of priorities. What is most important to you when the clock is ticking and difficult choices must be made? 

I hope audiences leave this show more open to that question than they were upon arrival. It's easy to pose hypotheticals in storytelling, and even easier to say that we would make the right choice in that scenario, but it's an entirely different thing to actually live through it. As a community who has survived a global pandemic and continues to navigate uncertainty of what the ‘new normal’ will be, or what the future will hold, this is something we can all relate to. So for tonight, I invite you to enjoy the show, and ask yourself; What do you do?

Ngā mihi nui,

Emily K Brown

AND the creator

Kia ora and welcome to Solarise, dear audience member!

The show you’re about to see has been woven through my life for the past several years, and I’m so grateful and delighted to share it with you. So many aspects of my life are sprinkled into this show, I could wax philosophical about it for pages and pages (if you’re curious, feel free to find me at front of house for a chat), but to keep this note brief, I just want to say thank you for sharing this experience with us. Every person that has seen this show, listened to the silly and the sad parts alike, has taken something entirely different from it – loved different songs, resonated with different characters, etc – and to create and share a show like that is really a dream for me. I hope you thoroughly enjoy yourself, get immersed in this not-so-fictional world we’ve created, and are likewise inspired to follow your passions wherever they lead you. 

Ruby

CAST

CREW