Phobia

Were the creaks around the house always that loud?

There’s something eerie going on in Valerie and Henry’s backwater Oregon town. As Valerie combs through her increasingly erratic ex-boyfriend Henry's studies into fears and phobias, she begins to uncover secrets and horrors that should have stayed in his records. But as nightmares get worse, the shadows get closer as Henry begins to slip. Backdropped by the 1970’s, Valerie begins to question everything she’s known about her home and what it means to be afraid.

Nailbiter, Phobia is premiring in the 2026 NZ Fringe Festival and is a theatrical ode to horror and true crime related terrors, exploring fear and the supernatural goings on in the dark corners of obsession. 

We have a strong team of emerging art practitioners backing Phobia on the stage and behind it.

About the Writer

Sophie Jackson (she/they) is an actor, writer and costumer with a passion for spooks and exploring darker parts of the world through live arts. Currently, Sophie is about to enter her third year at Victoria University where she is building on several years experience in costume creation and acting. Combining these passions, she is the writer of Phobia and will be playing the role of Valerie.

About the Director

Tiaki Sharp (Kahungunu, Tūhoe) is a Wellington based actor and creative. He has recently completed his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Te Reo Māori and is beginning anew in the professional scene. He is the director of Phobia and will be working hard to create characters and atmosphere in production that will provide the uncanny, uneasy feeling this show requires. 

Tiaki has previously performed in Fringe 2025 in Whanake and Return of the Dragon Smashers, which he also directed. As an actor he enjoys classical and character driven pieces but when producing his own work he prefers a more zany and unique direction.

Cast and Crew Credits

Alexi Halikias as Henry/Hal

Laura Foster is the Head Scenographer, Props and Lighting Designer

Axel Wentworth is the Producer/Production Manager

 Rebecca Stirling is the Stage Manager

 Sienna Rodgers is Mānuka Thistle's Marketing Manager

Bryce Blackmore is the Fight Choreographer

Big thank you to WWC and NZ Fringe as we gained Kānako Funding allowing us to pay our cast and crew. Our boosted campaign ask of $1700 will allow us to bring the world of Phobia to life on stage and cover all the additional costs of premiering a show.

Your Donation Will Directly Fund:

• Set; Build and Purchase to Create Valeire’s Bedroom
• Props; Tapes, Rat Traps and various other spooky surprises (No spoilers)
• Production Fees and Consumables
• Venue Hire @ The Paramount Gods Theatre
• Our Marketing Campaign

Debuting at the Paramount Gods Theatre as part of the NZ Fringe Festival 2026,  Mānuka Thistle's Phobia promises an intimate experience witnessing the downward spiral into the nature of fear, using lighting and sound design to guide the journey. Phobia runs for a three night season, February 19th-21st 2026, is written by Sophie Jackson and directed by Tiaki Sharp.

Taking inspiration from psychological horror, true crime and the Magnus Archives, Phobia is set in a backcountry Oregon town in the late 1970’s explores the power hidden in our fear through the lens of exes Valerie and Henry. Taking on almost found footage style, the supernatural elements are slowly uncovered as the hour ticks by. 
 

Phobia gains its narrative power from technical elements, such as lighting and sound to create an atmosphere of eeriness. Our designers, Laura Foster and Charlie Morse will be working closely with director Tiaki Sharp aiming to let design lead this process as they are essential in creating the overall atmosphere of the work.

At its heart, Phobia is a passion project brought to life allowing emerging creatives to explore the mystery of fear and the whole team's deep love of horror. The team all shares a passion for the scarier side of the action and are excited to share this labour of love with you. It’s our opinion that fear is oftentimes an underrepresented and confronting concept to put on the stage. With such a strong team and support from our amazing community, we’ll all be taking that dive off the deep end and come up soaring. 
 

Our crowd funding aims to cover primary production costs such as, costume, set, props, marketing and our fight choreographer’s fees to bring the world and characters of Phobia to life on stage safely.

By supporting Phobia, your donation becomes a key part in helping emerging Pōneke creatives and practitioners hone their skills and truly explore the limits.

It’s a story of scares, horror and the fear that hides the everyday and how we can overcome or become controlled by it.

More importantly, this work gives a diverse group of emerging artists a chance to test and let their skills shine. It also lets them take control of a genre defined by any “different” folks, be they women, queer, neurodiverse or otherwise, dying first and say we’ll take it from here. 

Bound to give audiences a night of spooks and intrigue, we ask you once more, were the creeks around your house always that loud?

Ngā mihi maioha!