New Zealand’s Flaxworks theatre company bring the world premiere of their new comedy Carol & Nev to The Basement theatre in Auckland from Monday June 15 - 20, 2009.

Phil Ormsby and Alex Ellis founders of Flaxworks and New Zealand director Anna Marbrook are working together for the first time to bring Carol & Nev to the stage.

“Carol & Nev is our third original show and we are very excited to work with someone as experienced as Anna who has been part of so many successful New Zealand theatre, film and television productions,” says Phil.  “Having Anna help develop Carol & Nev and now direct has been the icing on the cake.”

Flaxworks, who have spent much of 2007 and 2008 performing sell out shows of Murder by Chocolate around New Zealand and more recently garnering excellent reviews and delighting audiences at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2009, say they are looking forward to getting Carol & Nev up and running.

“It is an amazing opportunity for us to perform our third show as part of the STAMP programme at THE EDGE after Biscuit & Coffee and Murder by Chocolate but also to give Auckland the first peek at Carol & Nev,” says Alex. “We have never performed at The Basement before and are very excited about it.”

It’s the great kiwi road trip. Straight down the Island, cross Cook Strait and on to the Bach. Five toilet stops, lunch on the road, sleep on the Ferry and straight on till morning.

Carol & Nev are on the road, taking the family campervan to their daughters wedding at the bay. Only catch is Carol died in 1984.

Nev is comfortable, middle aged and has been resigned to ‘getting on with the business of life’ alone - until now. Has Carol returned from beyond the grave to haunt him for the journey? Or could Nev just be having a nervous breakdown on the eve of the wedding? Is this the beginning or the end? Whatever it is, he has 24 hours to get to his daughters wedding in the family campervan with the ghost of his dead wife trapped inside.

From the creators of Biscuit & Coffee and Murder by Chocolate comes the hilarious road trip of a life time.  Set in a van it’s a unique perspective of recent New Zealand history, a tale about the damage time wreaks on youthful ideals and the difference between growing up and giving up.

“It has been a challenge to create a play set in such close quarters,” says Alex. “But from our own experience touring and spending so much time driving, that is often the time when the most enlightening, scary and hilarious conversations take place, when there’s nowhere to hide and no escape!’.

‘Nev! It doesn’t matter! My dream, your nervous breakdown, it’s all the same. Wherever you’re going, I’ll be going with you.’

"This show is about life," says Phil. "So many of us are concerned with ‘the business of life’ we forget to live. This play is about remembering to enjoy it."

Carol & Nev is the journey of a life time. He must convince her she’s dead, she must convince him he’s alive!
Carol & Nev plays at The Basement, Lower Grey’s Ave, Auckland CBD from Monday 15 - Saturday 20 June at 8pm. Tickets available through THE EDGE Ticketing Service (09)3573355 or www.the-edge.co.nz

Flaxworks

Flaxworks is the creative partnership of Alex Ellis and Phil Ormsby, and is a theatre company committed to produce an extensive portfolio of New Zealand works over the coming years. Accessible theatre, with a distinctive kiwi flavour, that can be toured to both rural centres and cities. Flaxworks is a professional theatre company committed to producing new and original New Zealand work and to develop this reputation both nationally and internationally.
Formed in 2005, to produce and tour their solo comedy Biscuit & Coffee, Flaxworks has since toured their two original productions Biscuit & Coffee and Murder by Chocolate through New Zealand and Australia to over 50 different venues with over 150 performances.

As well as performing on stage, Phil in Murder by Chocolate and Alex in both Biscuit & Coffee and Murder by Chocolate they are also responsible for all production aspects of Flaxworks. Phil has written Biscuit & Coffee, Murder by Chocolate and Carol & Nev and is also responsible for the technical and construction aspects of Flaxworks productions. Alex is producer and publicist, organising and publicising both National tours as well as one off performances and seasons in New Zealand and Australia.

‘Alex Ellis and Phil Ormsby have talent to burn’ - Lumiere

Anna Marbrook

Anna Marbrook has directed professionally in New Zealand and Australia since 1989. Anna was Co-Artistic Director of Theatre at Large, directing and co-writing an extensive repertoire of works including Manawa Taua Savage Hearts, Henry 8, The Butcher’s Wife and adaptations of classics such as Cyrano de Bergerac (Wellington and Perth International Festivals, Adelaide World Theatre Series), King Lear with Ian Mune, and Romeo and Juliet.
Over Anna’s career she has continuously worked in television and film as a director.  Anna’s directing for screen includes A little love story for TV3, Table Plays for Maori television (four half hour dramas with new writers) and over 150 episodes of Shortland Street. Anna also produced the short film Jumbo which screened at the Auckland, Melbourne and Clairmont Ferrand festivals and was winner of best cinematography at the NZ Screen awards.
More recently her theatre work includes directing and storylining Ship Songs for the Auckland Theatre Company (currently touring festivals nationally), Midsummer Nights Dream in Southland and C a new musical she is creating with John Gibson and John Rosser.