The Last Straight Man on Earth

Set in the distant future of 2030, Wellington has been overtaken by the Woke Mind Virus, first appearing as a humble vaccine, its sinister nature was revealed when the innocent citizens of Wellington started transforming into woke zombies. All hope seems lost. That is, until Josh Franken, the last straight man remaining, has a chance encounter with the last uninfected woman. Together, the two of them must venture to the heart of Big Woke and stop Mama Woke and her fearsome wokies before they take over all of New Zealand. The Last Straight Man on Earth is a show for queer people by queer people. We aim to make fun of bigoted right-wing ideology in the gayest way possible - by making a musical out of it.

The show is running from the 24th to the 28th of February at BATS Theatre as a part of the 2026 Wellington Fringe Festival. We are asking for funding to help bring The Last Straight Man on Earth to the stage in its full insanity.

The Last Straight Man on Earth is written by Corrie Milne (she/he/they) and Ashton Church (he/him). The idea came from a tweet that Ashton saw screenshotted on Instagram, and that really is gay culture if you think about it. The show is deeply entrenched in online pop culture, which is a fancy way of saying we spend too much time online. 

Corrie is also acting as the Director of this piece. This is now his second year of creating shows that are featured in the Wellington Fringe, with her show Murder On The Dance Floor having a sold-out season. Corrie is so excited to bring this show to BATs and can't wait for everyone to see just how funny this brilliant cast is.

Ashton Church is playing the fearsome Dr. Fierce P.H.D. as well as helping out with directing where he can. Ashton also featured in Murder on the Dance Floor and is currently studying Musical Theatre at Te Whaea. If you've ever matched with a faceless profile on Grindr or related a little too much to a boygenius song, then this show is for you. Baby, cause if you're not watching The Last Straight Man On Earth, then you're only getting half the story.  

The rest of the cast includes: 

-Josh Franken as Josh Franken - The last straight man 

-Keira Hikuroa as Haighleigh - The last straight woman 

-Jody McCartney as the domineering Mama Woke

-Ethan Rogacion as Ethan Rogacion - Josh's best friend before the outbreak

 -Sadie Mcloughlin as everyone else

Fringe shows are deceptively expensive. Any money we receive would go towards paying for:

-Microphone hire

 -Rehearsal venue costs

-APRA music licensing

-Set and props

-Marketing and posters

The funding that we receive from Boosted helps guarantee that our wonderful cast gets paid what they deserve. The more money we have left after the season, the more we can split between them.

The Last Straight Man on Earth is truly our love letter to gay culture. Or specifically, all the niche weird gay shit we see on the internet. The show is best described as insanity with the occasional loose political commentary. Through the eyes of this conservative man, we get to explore all of the things we love about being gay in a very tongue-in-cheek way. We love how loud and unapologetic queer people are, we love the stupid Twitter references you need a 15-hour screentime to even begin to understand, we love the pop songs you'd hear blasted at Ivy, we love the stupid rainbow pins and the different flags and the communities around them. It's nice to be a part of something, to feel like you belong after years of feeling different or wrong. Yes, we're poking fun at it, but it's teasing that comes from a place of love. 

There has been a massive shift in culture and specifically pop culture towards a more conservative mindset. It exists in the politics in America, and the cult of personality behind their president. But it also exists here, in New Zealand. With National winning the last election, and the backlash against the Hīkoi mō te Tiriti, the casual bigotry I have seen from my fellow Kiwis has been disheartening. The Last Straight Man on Earth was written specifically to make fun of right-wing ideology, to make people realise just how stupid this hate is, and how stupid it makes them. The show is lighthearted in tone, but it has a firm message about how pointless bigotry is. 

The Last Straight Man on Earth hopes to find an audience among both queer people and allies alike. The show preaches acceptance, and we want TLSMOE to feel like something you can watch to find some much-needed levity.