On the Upside Down of the World

ON THE UPSIDE DOWN OF THE WORLD by Arthur Meek

New Zealand. 1841. A savage, unknown land filled with savage, unpredictable people. Or so thought Lady Mary Ann Martin, wife of the first NZ Chief Justice, as she sailed here with her husband over a century ago. When she arrived, however, rather than 'civilising the natives' she found herself learning from them and caring for them, while discovering the key to her own liberation in the process.

ON THE UPSIDE DOWN OF THE WORLD is the story of a remarkable woman and the remarkable journey she embarked upon as one of the first settlers in our country. Based on the memoirs of Lady Mary Anne Martin entitled, 'Our Maoris,' ON THE UPSIDE DOWN OF THE WORLD is a truly New Zealand story set to dazzle New Zealand audiences at The Edinburgh Arts Festival this August.

Laurel Devenie stars as the crippled yet intrepid and intelligent Lady Martin in this powerhouse solo performance, seamlessly sweeping audiences into her strange new world as she learns Te Reo, adopts a local Maori boy, and sets up a makeshift hospital for Maori on the beach at Judges Bay.

Under the guidance of Auckland Theatre Company's own Artistic Director, Colin McColl, ON THE UPSIDE DOWN OF THE WORLD has toured extensively throughout New Zealand since the Company first commissioned it in 2010. Last year, it made its New Zealand debut at the New York United Solo Festival so the obvious next step for us is to take it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and share this charming, revealing, unique piece of our history with the rest of the world.

Unsurprisingly, sharing this New Zealand treasure is proving to be an extremely expensive undertaking as we look to cover the travel, accommodation, production, marketing and operating costs involved - which is where you lovely people come in�

As playwright Arthur Meek explains, "it's not a history play, it's a play about who we are and how we've come to be like we are," and we believe that's a story worth telling. So please, dig deep into your pockets, piggybanks and purses and help us take ON THE UPSIDE DOWN OF THE WORLD, to the other side of the world.

To note: In preparation for the Edinburgh Festival Laurel will be performing a show case of ON THE UPSIDE DOWN OF THE WORLD at the ATC Studios on Monday 14 July and we would love for you to attend this intimate performance. More details will be announced soon.