The Goodmans

"A cult classic" - The Goodmans is a brand new jukebox musical black comedy set in the contagious nostalgia of the 1970s, written and directed by emerging practitioners, Lily Tyler Moore and Christopher Matatahi Horne. 

"We're the Goodmans, the family behind the country's most beloved sitcom. As our live studio audience, you'll get to see what it's like to be family both on- and off-screen! The antics, the upsets, the dramas, the delights, it's always a good day here in sunny Georgeville, Georgia, and it's always time for dinner!”

This boosted campaign allows us to support and compensate the village that it takes to put on a new piece of theatre. It also allows you to contribute to a sinister and exciting new work, filled with camp horror, irresistible musical numbers, and audience participation. 

The Goodmans is on at BATS Theatre from the 24th - 28th February as part of the 2026 Wellington Fringe Festival 

Ticket link: https://bats.co.nz/whats-on/the-goodmans/

The Happy Accident Collective is a new production company founded by Te Auaha graduates Lily Tyler Moore, Christopher Matatahi Horne, and Ace Dalziel, with the aim of creating a space in which new practitioners and their work are uplifted and exhibited. 

THE TEAM:

Writers/directors - Lily Tyler Moore, Christopher Matatahi Horne

Production manager/producer - Ace Dalziel 

Stage management - Paige Johns 

Sound design - Christopher Matatahi Horne / Caleb O'Halloran

Lighting design - Alex Dickson 

Sound operator - Caleb O'Halloran 

Lighting operator -  Cael Hikuroa 

PERFORMERS/ COLLABORATORS

Marija Stanisic

Charley Milner

Lily Tyler Moore

Christopher Matatahi Horne

Ashton Church 

Ethan Guest

Keira Hikuroa 

Jenna Otway

For our friends and whānau who are unfamiliar with how funding a theatre show works: 

Already, countless hours of unpaid collaboration and work have been put into developing this piece, including but not limited to:

•  Script writing and editing
• Production meetings and administering this project.
• Designing the world, sound and look of the piece.
• Rehearsing our actors.

A successful boosted campaign ensures that we can bring forth the best possible version of this show, as well as fairly financially recognise the hard work and passion from everyone involved. 

The money raised from this campaign will go towards: 

• Paying our cast and crew
• Hiring costs of our rehearsal space
• Our marketing campaign
• Technical elements
• Production costs
• Fringe registration costs 

THE STORY:

We're The Goodmans, America's favourite family! And you're invited to the season finale taping of everyone's favourite family sitcom. When new neighbours Hannah and Barnaby arrive for dinner, it's up to the family to make a strong first impression, get Noble a date for the prom, and round everything out with good old-fashioned American family values. At 'The Goodmans', every story has a lesson! And we're all family here!

1977, Georgetown, USA. 'The Goodmans' offers a peek behind the scenes of America's favourite primetime sitcom. Featuring the infectious nostalgia of 1970s music and aesthetics, and intertwining horror, comedy and musical theatre. Two brand new neighbours arrive at The Goodmans' humble abode for dinner, and hijinks ensue as the Goodmans put out fires to ensure a pleasant dining experience. The question on the newcomer's mind: is this picture of a perfect family too good to be true, or is there something more sinister lurking behind the TV camera? Inspired by classic sitcoms such as 'Full House', 'Happy Days' and 'All In The Family'. Get ready to be transported, excited and disquieted; featuring irrisistable musical numbers, and audience participation, with comedy, suspense and surprise at every corner. So if you're in Wellington this February, why not come over and grab a plate; it's always time for dinner!

THE INSPIRATION:

‘The Goodmans’ exhibits what darkness can lurk beneath a shiny picture picture-perfect facade. Inspired by the occult, the dangers of organised religion, and the infectious music and aesthetic of the 1970s. Influenced by the era of free love, hippie counterculture, and the “new left” religious movement of the early 70s that became increasingly sinister. This piece takes stimulus and pays homage to the cultural zeitgeist of the Manson Family murders, Children of God, Heavensgate and the Jonestown massacre. Our aim is to transport, excite, and disquiet our audiences.

Our creative team, cast and crew is almost entirely made up of Te Auaha graduates and current students.

Following the devastating news of the course and the building's closure,  supporting the boosted campaign of 'The Goodmans' is a wonderful way to support emerging and upcoming practitioners, and particularly to support Te Auaha and the wonderful network and lineage of artists who have passed through that institution. 

It's also worth note that this show began as a Te Auaha / schoolwork project, the development season of 'The Goodmans' premiered in the 2024 E/Merge Festival - A festival for students of Te Auaha from all disciplines to showcase and debut their own work. 

We want to debut this work as our first professional foray in the Fringe festival to show that in the face of adversity, we can still perform and create.  The closure of the Te Auaha building has devastated the Te Auaha community. Current students, staff and graduates are all losing their creative home. With redundancy, the huge loss of two fully functioning theatres, and the loss of a course that was crucial to the creative development of rangatahi in Pōneke, we’ve been left feeling hopeless. This work is representative of the collective spirit of the ingenuity and creativity that is distinctively unique to Te Auaha.

The Goodmans addresses issues such as propaganda through media and the alarming rise of fascism, which is especially relevant in today’s social and political landscape.