Eugenia by Lorae Parry Directed by Sharren Read

“Eugenia” by Lorae Parry, Directed by Sharren Read

26th April – 6th May 2017

Set in 1916/17 and 2016, Eugenia tells the story of Eugenia Martelli, an Italian immigrant, who lives as a man and marries a woman without revealing his true gender.  Eugenia is a charmer, a con artist, a womaniser and an outsider, who lives life on a dangerous edge.  Eugenia is arrested – but is she a cold-blooded criminal or has she been put on trial as a gender offender?  100 years later a group of drama students, their teacher and Deputy Principal are working on a play based on a book about Eugenia.

The setting takes place in Nelson and Wellington in a brick factory, school hall, courtroom, boarding house, bedrooms, a flower shop and a police station.  The stage (St Benedicts Hall) is symbolic of both eras and all setting.

Cast:  Kijiana Pene (1916 Eugenia – 2016 Georgina Matheson – Deputy High School Principal); Helen Cloke (1916 Violet Donovan an Irish Housekeeper – 2016 Iris Robinson a High School Drama Teacher); Katherine Wolfe (1916 Rosa Bassani an Italian Landlady – 2016 Lily Thompson a High School student); Anna Phillips (1916 a Cockney Boarder – 2016 Victoria Stevens a High School student);  Nathan Eriwata (1916 Vincint Duggan A Cockney, Violet’s ex-lover – 2016 Cooper a High School student); Chris Allemann (1916 Finn a brick-hill foreman – 1916 Pub Joe a boarder – 1916 Wallace a Detective – 2016 Murray a High School Student)