Little Black Bastard, Noel Tovey's one man show based on his autobiography of the same name, is in the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre May 2-7 as part of STAMP at THE EDGE ®.

Tovey will give a talk titled The Lad in London at the Auckland Art Gallery on May 6 as part of its Art & the 60s from Tate Britain exhibition.Little Black Bastard, Noel Tovey's one man show based on his autobiography of the same name, is in the Herald Theatre, Aotea Centre May 2-7 as part of STAMP at THE EDGE ®.

Tovey will give a talk titled The Lad in London at the Auckland Art Gallery on May 6 as part of its Art & the 60s from Tate Britain exhibition.As an Aboriginal street kid growing up in the slums of Melbourne in the 1940s and 1950s, Tovey experienced homelessness, neglect and sexual abuse. With an alcoholic mother and father in prison, Tovey was working as a rent-boy by the age of 12 and was arrested at 17 and jailed.

Following prison, Tovey set sail for London, arriving there in 1960 with less than one pound in his pocket. He landed TV work as a dancer and singer and in 1961 became a principal dancer with the esteemed Sadler's Wells Company and from there, his career steadily gathered momentum.

As an actor he has shared the stage with Vera Lynn, Judy Garland and Steven Berkoff, while later he taught movement at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Over his 50 year career, he has directed and choreographed in Australia, Great Britain, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland, France and Germany.

Selected to do the original choreography for the West End musical, The Boyfriend, Tovey's research into the 1920s opened more doors and he became a consultant on films such as The Great Gadsby and Murder On the Orient Express. His career includes numerous star-studded anecdotes such as teaching Kenneth Branagh to tap dance!

Tovey then used his specialist knowledge of the period to open a decorative art gallery in Fulham, heralding the beginning of a successful art career. (Tovey will give a talk titled 'The Lad in London' at the Auckland Art Gallery on May 6 as part of its Art & the 60s from Tate Britain exhibition.)

Following the death of his long-term partner in 1986, Tovey began to acknowledge his indigenous roots. He returned to Australia in 1991 where he has become an activist for indigenous rights, including meeting young offenders and speaking in prisons to give hope to Aboriginal youths. Little Black Bastard focuses on his tough formative years, the title a phrase Tovey recalls hearing too often as a child.

In tracing his roots (Narrenjerrie Aboriginal on his mother's side and African-Creole on his father's side) 72-year-old Tovey discovered a New Zealand connection: his maternal great-grandfather was one of the Plymouth Brethren that arrived in Lyttleton aboard the Sarah Jane. There is a Tovey Street in Christchurch.

Since returning to Australia, Tovey has been heavily involved in the development of indigenous theatre, dance and art and has designed and directed ceremonial events for the Sydney Olympics, Mardi Gras and the Adelaide Festival.

THE EDGE ® Performing Arts Director, Robbie Macrae, said Little Black Bastard promises to be one of the year's theatrical highlights.

"Noel Tovey's life story is a remarkable testament to the power of the human spirit and to have Tovey himself perform this inspiring piece of theatre is sure to be one of the highlights of the STAMP season," said Mr Macrae.

Tickets from Ticektek.