Everything After, the new play by prolific theatre maker Shane Bosher, makes its long-awaited debut at Q Theatre from 2 – 18 July 2021. With a star-studded cast and an award-winning script this premiere production tells an adrenaline-charged story of the generation of New Zealanders that survived the HIV/AIDS pandemic and everything that happened after.
Nick is charismatic. He’s generous. He’s searingly smart. He also throws his toys a bit and who could blame him? Nick is one of our heroes, having spent his entire life fighting for other people’s futures. Today, while reaching for happiness, he’s being forced to reconcile a progressive present with the shadows of his own past. So he’s doing the dance of human resilience.
Everything After comes to the stage following 2018’s Adam NZ Play Award win for Best New Zealand Play. Inspired by the documentaries How to Survive a Plague and We Were Here, Bosher examines the human desire to survive and thrive; to explore how we evolve in our later years to find love, contentment and ultimately fulfil a life well lived.
“I’ve always noticed how our storytelling focuses almost exclusively on youth. We don’t talk about ageing, we don’t talk about invisibility, we don’t talk about legacy and cultural transmission. And so I’ve chosen to celebrate the queer champions of our past: the people that experienced extraordinary stigma but still fought to activate change.”
– Shane Bosher, Playwright & Director
Whilst the play beautifully presents the love and vulnerabilities that make up the complexities of contemporary relationships, it also paints a landscape that is fraught with the escapes of today. The stark realism of the meth scene in New Zealand and unresolved trauma, collide to jeopardise well being and derail the hero’s path to happiness.
“During my research I discovered a very strong link between what has come to be known as ‘the AIDS generation’ and PTSD. Having eluded death, most survivors have reported a period of acting out in their late 40s or early 50s as they’ve begun to confront the physical and psychological realities of middle age. Many turn to the limitless power and sexual escape promised by methamphetamine. Most bounce back, but others never return,” says Bosher.
Under the direction of Shane Bosher, the cast of Everything After boasts the talents of Simon Prast (The Gulf and founder of Auckland Theatre Company), Alison Bruce (The Gulf, One Lane Bridge), Matt Minto (The Bad Seed, Angels in America), Arlo Green (Rūrangi, Homos), Stephen Lovatt (The Brokenwood Mysteries, Angels in America) and Simon Leary (Filthy Business, The Kick.)
This production continues a long-standing collaboration between Bosher and Alison Bruce. The pair recently worked on productions of Holding the Man and Angels in America, which also gave voice to the experience of the HIV/AIDS crisis. The role of Mary, a nurse who helped countless men through the crisis, was written especially for her and makes use of the tremendous grace and gravitas that she’s brought to our stages and screens for decades.
NOTE – copy for this article provided by Elephant Publicity.
EVERYTHING AFTER plays:
Friday 2 – Sunday 18 July 2021
Rangatira, Q Theatre
305 Queen Street
Tuesdays & Wednesdays, 7 PM
Thursdays – Saturdays, 8 PM
Sundays, 4 PM
Tickets: $25* – $55*
Available via qtheatre.co.nz
*booking fees apply