Once on Chunuk Bair

Once on Chunuk Bair by Maurice Shadbolt. Directed by Karl Buckley

This play tells the story of a group of New Zealand soldiers at Gallipoli. They take the strategically vital hilltop of Chunuk Bair from the Turks.

The promised British support does not come and the handful of 'Fernleaves' hold the top of the hill despite strong fighting from the Turks. The heavy losses they sustain are compounded when British artillery mistakenly bombards the Kiwi positions.

When they are finally releaved, the initial group of 700 soldiers barely musters 40 men. This is the story of New Zealand's emergence as a nation.

This is a powerful New Zealand play, full of humour, drama and tragedy.

Performances: Thursday 22 April to Saturday 1 May 2004 at TheatreWorks (formerly the Little Theatre), Recreation Drive, Birkenhead, North Shore.

Tickets are $15.

Cast

Gareth Davis, Chris Chambers, Simon Cook and Jonathan Hope

Donovan Scott	Frank Wienmann, Simon Cook and Jonathan Hope

Chris Chambers and Jason Taylor

Mairangi Players, PO Box 34-455, Birkenhead, North Shore, Auckland

TheatreWorks, Recreation Drive, Birkenhead, North Shore

Phone our theatre on 09-419-0415