Three Siblings and the Toy Boy
The New Zealand Premiere of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is right around the corner! This amazing comedy nominated for six Tony Awards®is one of the most lauded and beloved Broadway plays of recent years.
RIVALRY, REGRET, REVENGE, LUST – Just another family reunion in Bucks County!!!
Vanya played by Gavin Rutherford
Gavin was most recently seen as Diego Rivera in Circa’s La Casa Azul. Other theatre credits include Uncle Vanya (Winner – Chapman Tripp Best Supporting Actor), Joyful and Triumphant and King Lear. He is well known for his comic and dramatic roles and has played the role of the Dame in the Circa pantomime for the last six years. Last year he won The Chapman Tripp/Grant Tilly Actor of the Year Award Theatre kindly sponsored by ECaster and Proactors for his portrayal of Eddie Carbone in Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge.
Sonia Played by Rachel Henry
Rachel was one of the first graduates from the Master of Theatre Arts from Toi Whakaari; NZ Drama School in 2001. Some of her personal highlights are The Graduate for the Fortune Theatre in Dunedin, Under Milkwood at Downstage, and the two Summer Shakespeares she directed with Jacquie Coates. Rachel is very involved with the Globe Centre NZ as a director, lecturer and assessor. Her last acting role was as Louise Nicholas’s mother in the movie Consent, but looking after her son Gus has been her main role of late.
Masha Played by Emma Kinane
Emma graduated from The New Zealand Drama School in 1988 and her theatre roles have been many and varied. They include: Kate – All My Sons, Gail – Turbine, Helen – Fat Pig, Maggie – Dancing at Lughnasa, and roles in musicals such as Lonely Heart, Troy, Monarchy, Rome and The Nero Show.
She received the Evening Standard Best Actress of 1990 Award for Ruth in Blithe Spirit and since then has been nominated for ‘Best Actress’ Chapman Tripp Awards for Fat Pig, Call Me Al, and Tribes.
Spike Played by Simon Leary
This will be Simon’s ninth play with Circa Theatre, following his current role in Stage Kiss. Playing the title character in Robin Hood marked his third summer pantomime for Circa. Simon was nominated for ‘Most Outstanding Performance’ at the 2015 Wellington Theatre Awards for his portrayal of Truffaldino in A Servant to Two Masters.
These four title characters are joined by Cassandra and Nina
Cassandra Played by Erina Daniels.
Erina has previously performed at Circa in “Tu” (Tawata Productions, 2013) & has enjoyed many Matariki Development Festivals (Tawata) in the building also.
Erina completed a MA in Directing in 2011 – premiering her devised show ‘Party with the Aunties’ in a garage in Paekakariki – this show has since toured Aotearoa to various festivals and has most recently returned from representing New Zealand in the Festival of Pacific Arts in Guam 2016. She has recently collaborated with Rob Mokaraka to bring his solo work into the light – ‘Shot Bro – Confessions of a Depressed Bullet’ which recently premiered at Bats Theatre as part of the Kia Mau Festival.
Nina played by Harriet Prebble
Harriet was most recently seen in Circa’s production of Stage Kiss, and her Circa debut in 2015, as Janet Frame in Gifted.
In 2015 he was nominated for ‘Most Promising Female Newcomer’ and ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the Wellington Theatre Awards and Best Actress at the 48HOURS Film Festival. She is looking forward to working on the Wellington premiere of Dave Armstrong’s play Central directed by Conrad Newport in October.
