WEiRdO

BATS Theatre, 2017
Basement Theatre 2018

Bogged down with policies, procedures and pointless tasks, Richard and Waylon are jostling for a promotion in their roles at D.O.L.E. (the Department of Lifestyle Encouragement). Working 9-5 in the grey office cubicles of local government, when Waylon is promoted from desk drone to upper management, Richard suspects that his Māori heritage might have something to do with it.

A dark comedy in a classic Kiwi style (think Flight of the Conchords meets Boy meets The Office). Featuring original music, WEiRdO playfully reveals much deeper truths about racial identity in Aotearoa New Zealand.

The title WEiRdO is derived from the challenge (WERO) to find your identity (id). As Richard and Waylon compete for the promotion, the action and music take the audience on a roller coaster journey of emotions, providing key moments for audiences to ask: Who am I? Where do I come from? What does it mean to be a New Zealander?

New Zealand has a long and fraught colonial history. WEiRdO investigates and challenges the consequences of this history: we think that we are a progressive and politically aware nation, but we’re not. Using music and comedy, WEiRdO pushes audiences into uncomfortable, icky, and awkward places.

“I sometimes feel like a fly caught in a colonial spider’s web – the spider might be dead but the web is still there, catching people and leaving them covered in sticky stuff. This show explores that uncomfortable stickiness. We want to empower people who feel like outsiders to laugh at themselves, each other, and make up for lost time” - Waylon Edwards.

Created by Waylon Edwards,
William Duignan & Jane Yonge
Produced by DoubleU DoubleU Productions
Performed by Waylon Edwards &
William Duignan
Directed by Jane Yonge
Music by Waylon Edwards &
William Duignan
Show Design by Emily Hartley-Skudder
Lighting design by Jason Longstaff

Video of WEiRdO at BATS Theatre, Wellington, New Zealand. November 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIPRkqjzsEQ&feature=youtu.be

Interview with Jane on PSA, 1 July 2018: https://www.psa.org.nz/media/news/wl-july2018-6/

Interview with Dionne Christian for NZ Herald, 18 April 2018: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/musical-comedy-treads-serious-line-in-race-debate/6EKANOS4AQBGV7YG43VRSKGEPI/

Review from The Pantograph Punch by Matt Loveranes, 4 November 2017: http://pantograph-punch.com/post/review-weirdo

Facebook: @DoubleUDoubleUProds or https://www.facebook.com/DoubleUDoubleUProds/