The Turkish Dogs are Racist

We've got some exciting news. An amazing donor has pledged to MATCH every dollar over $6000, up to $8000!  

"If you open your heart to an animal, you'll never be lonely" ~ a Bulgarian dog trafficker 

Four years ago, Kiwi Barnaby Olson set out with his backpack on an adventure that took him to Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, around Europe and then, unexpectedly, to Turkey, which he called home for more than a year.

While there, he fell in love with and adopted an abused street dog, and when the time came for Barnaby to return to New Zealand he was faced with a difficult choice - whether or not to begin the long, fraught, and expensive process of trying to bring his new friend back home.

Fast-forward to 2018 and some of New Zealand's most innovative theatre-makers are staging a brand new theatrical retelling of what turned into the adventure of a lifetime.

Set in the Anatolian heartland, against the backdrop of one of humanity's oldest and richest oral storytelling traditions, this is a theatrical retelling of a simple story - one of friendship, loyalty, desperation, and truth. It's the story of a man and his dog. It's the story of a journey across continents. The story of a moonshine-making pirate, an immortal beggar, the mother of wolves, and the value of companionship. It's an exploration of the way in which we use the moments in our lives as strands that, when bound together, create legends, heroes, empires, and meaning.

The Turkish Dogs are Racist will be a diverse, fast-paced performance that relies on a variety of theatrical languages and forms to deliver a piece of work that is transportative and gripping.  It is presented by a line-up of experienced and award winning actors. Stevie Hancox-Monk, Barnaby Olson, Andrew Paterson, and Tess Sullivan will be charged with using all of their theatrical and storytelling ability to bring this epic saga to the stage.

With your help, we will debut this work in the Heyday Dome at BATS Theatre, Wellington on 20 November 2018 for ten shows, with the aim of touring throughout New Zealand in 2019 and 2020.

The Turkish Dogs are Racist is written by Barnaby Olson and the Company, directed by Jonathan Price, and produced by Nathalie Harrington. We are supported by the Wellington City Council via the Creative Communities Scheme, and by the Emerging Artists Trust.