Directed and Designed by Andrew Foster

“Witty, wry and compelling”

Weaving contemporary themes local and international, The Body Politic explores the collapse of democracy around the world in a satirical examination of lives in a Wellington apartment complex.

Residents of ‘Green Meadows’ find themselves at loggerheads over matters of culture, race, religion, and power-sharing. Is it to be a democracy or a dictatorship? Will the latest arrival, a Samoan lawyer with a troubled past, be accepted at the vetting meeting? And will Miriam, the single mother, stay loyal to Clarice, who controls the Body Corps?

Sandys’ wry observations capture the vibrancy and diversity of our capital in the age of disruption, shining a light on the power struggles and personality clashes that are an inevitable part of living in an inner-city apartment, where the running of even a mini democracy can lead to intimidation and threats of legal action.

Elspeth Sandys has published nine novels, two collections of short stories, two memoirs and a non-fiction work centred on her cousin Rewi Alley of China. She has written extensively for the BBC and RNZ. Her stage plays have been performed in the UK and NZ.

REVIEWS

‘Sandys has been an observer or participant in some of the most significant moments and movements of New Zealand writing. She’s recorded our culture, aspirations and identity’. – NZ Herald

“Elspeth Sandys’ The Body Politic is an ingenious allegory for a political phenomenon that we have mostly observed from afar and which could keep happening. It is even possible on a national scale right here in Aotearoa NZ … So good.” – Theatreview 

“An excellent piece of theatre … I highly recommend you go to see The Body Politic” – Art Murmurs

24 Aug – 21 Sep
Circa Two
Tues – Sat 7.30pm, Sun 4.30pm
Choose Your Price Night: Tuesday 27^th August
Q&A: Tuesday 27^th August
$30–$55
Show runtime: 1hr 20 mins

Supported by:
The Hon Robert Smellie, KC
and