LAUGHING MATTERS

Vulnerable, powerful and a whole lot of fun, Riley Brebner’s brand of entertainment both tickles the funny bone and tugs at the heartstrings.

WORDS MONIQUE BALVERT O’CONNOR

Former Aquinas College student Riley Brebner used to get in trouble now and then for laughing and talking too much at school. Imagine turning that into the foundation of a career.

Riley’s done just that, and the theatre-maker will soon be on stage to deliver a smash-hit, debut solo show as part of the upcoming Tauranga Arts Festival – at which laughing will be fully encouraged. UNO’s thrilled to sponsor this home-grown talent.

Riley learnt about the power of laughter at an early age. It turned out to be an invaluable tool when it came to dodging detention and fitting in.

“I could diffuse a situation by making my teachers laugh, and I got into the popular group because I was funny,” they say. “I think I laugh more than many people. Humour’s a big thing for me – it’s how I connect with people. I’d never survive in a serious job.”

Instead, 25-year-old Riley has a job that’s designed to make you chuckle. Their hour-long solo comedy show Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat, which Tauranga festivalgoers will soon get to enjoy, was a sell-out success in Auckland recently. It also won Riley the Most Promising Emerging Artist award and the Dunedin Fringe Tour Ready award at the NZ Fringe Awards in Wellington.

In a mockumentary format, the show follows four students (all played by Riley) rehearsing for a Stage Challenge performance. It’s written from the teenager’s perspective as they endeavour to win the nationals, and tracks the rehearsal process – in which lots of things go wrong and relationships form.

Speaking from their parents Megan and Mark’s Tauranga home, Riley says, “I describe it as a love letter to the arts. Think of the number of hours you put into preparing for a performance like Stage Challenge, and at a time when your understanding of the world is so funny. It’s when you learn about bigger things, form opinions and your own identity, feel vulnerable, have crushes, discover where your passion lies. As a teenager, I remember thinking, ‘This is my whole world’.

“It’s so fun to perform and play these teenagers, who are based on people I went to school or drama school with – and I reckon I’m a little bit of all of them. It’s nostalgic in terms of overall high school experiences.”

Speech and drama and a good dose of acting were all part of Riley’s school years. They enjoyed performing in Tauranga Musical Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz and The Little Mermaid, then directed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang during a gap year before heading off to study at the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art in Christchurch. They graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Performing Arts and the realisation that acting and creating work was a passion – as well as the way to be seen and get work in Aotearoa’s performing arts world.

Riley says their favourite thing about theatre is how impactful it can be. Educational work to benefit young people was an early post-graduate focus, via school tours of performances including Crash Bash, about safe driving, and Sex Wise, on sexuality, consent and online safety. Then came a successful audition for TV show, Camp Be Better, which spurred a move to Auckland.

Riley loves that their adopted city has a fabulous improv scene and a group called Bull Rush that puts its hilarious, fast and fearless acting on show every Friday at Basement Theatre. “That’s been my launch into the Auckland theatre scene... how I got seen and got to meet the right people and set up important connections,” says Riley, citing comedian Tom Sainsbury as a mentor.

Performing with Bull Rush, touring Eat, Sleep, Dance, Repeat, writing a TV show, creating a play, working to pay the bills, and studying towards a post-graduate qualification in teaching all keep Riley happy and busy. Becoming a drama teacher one day could be on the cards.

“I have a passion for working with teenagers. It’s the seed from which a lot of my work inspiration comes from. Teenagers need stories in which they can see themselves.

“My favourite theatre is vulnerable comedy – it comes from people living in their truth. ‘Tickle the ribs, then stab the heart’ is a quote I really love. You’re allowing your audience to feel safe, connect with you and let you in, and at the same time you’re talking about really important things. These are the shows that affect me and inspire my own work.

“Oh, and it’s great to have people laughing.”

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A Canadian acrobatic troupe, singing sensation Macy Gray, local legends Hittmen Bucket Drummers, bilingual theatre, cult cabaret, music shows, classical piano, a pocket orchestra, a light installation, a poetry slam, a zinefest, a literary programme, an interactive gaming event, comedic performances and more – Tauranga Arts Festival 2026 is set to deliver big time.

Eleven days and nights will be jam-packed with fun from October 22 to November 1.

Visit TAURANGAFESTIVAL.CO.NZ for information and tickets. Tickets are also available from Baycourt and Eventfinda.

Beyond the surface

Artist Jacki Barklie fuses emotion and bold experimentation to create striking, unconventional works.

For over three decades, Jacki Barklie has explored the delicate interplay between human connection and identity through both her creative professions, first as a hairdresser and now as a multi-disciplinary artist.

With roots in Africa and a passion for the psyche, her work delves into themes of fragility and desire, often expressed through mixed media, printmaking, textiles and photography.

After completing a Bachelor Degree in Creative Industries, Jacki embraced experimentation and introspection, creating art that pushes boundaries and celebrates the unconventional. Here she shares insights into her process, and the emotional resonance behind her evocative works.

UNO: How did your creative background in hairdressing shape your approach to art today? Jacki: Hairdressing trained my eye for form, texture and design. It was sculpture in motion. I treated hair like fabric, shaping and layering with intention. Competing creatively honed my skills, but it was always about the human connection. Listening to people and understanding their emotional relationship with aesthetics now flows into how I create and share my art.

You were brought up in Africa. Can you share a specific memory or cultural influence that continues to inspire your art? Africa lives in my bones. There, creativity comes from what’s at hand, such as clay, dyes, dust, fabric. That bold innovation still inspires me. I remember painting with earth and watching patterns emerge from chance. Sometimes, I feel you can almost smell African dust in my work. Its textures, warmth and raw energy continue to guide my hands.

What was the turning point that led you to pursue a Bachelor Degree in Creative Industries later in life? After 37 years in hairdressing and countless night art classes, I craved full immersion. I didn’t want a traditional fine art degree. I needed one that embraced creative risk. The Creative Industries degree was a perfect fit for me. I’m a multimedia artist whose work evolves from one material to the next.

How do you decide which medium, whether acrylics, textiles, printmaking or photography, best suits the idea or emotion you’re trying to express? It starts with a feeling or story. From there, I follow the materials that speak to that idea. I explore the tension between materiality, light and shadow, stillness and movement. Whether I choose textiles or ink, the medium must hold that emotional vibration. It’s instinctive, process driven and always rooted in intention.

What role does experimentation play in your creative practice? Experimentation is everything. I’m a curious artist drawn to risk and discovery. I often research ancient methods and remix them with contemporary techniques. I love when the unexpected happens, like when a material surprises me. That’s where the magic is. Every piece starts as a question, and sometimes the answer comes through failure.

How do you think our environments shape our emotional or psychological states? We’re deeply shaped by our surroundings. My art often reflects the fractured rhythms of the world and offers a kind of stillness in return. I explore contrasts in form, reflection, old and new, raw and refined. Within these tensions, I find beauty. My work invites presence, asking viewers not just to look, but to feel.

As someone who celebrates the unusual, what draws you to the unconventional or unexpected? The unexpected excites me – it’s alive and full of truth. While I admire tradition, I often find it too familiar. The unconventional feels raw and present. It’s not trying to be anything but itself. That honesty inspires me. It challenges the rules, breaks them if needed and that’s where true innovation begins.

How do you stay true to your raw, emotionally-driven approach? I know my “why.” I show up in the studio daily and follow what feeds my soul. I let the process guide me, not trends. I create art that moves me first, trusting that it will resonate with someone else. If I had to make formulaic work, I’d lose the heartbeat. Emotion keeps it alive.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to explore their creative side later in life? Start now. But take it seriously. Don’t shrink yourself to ‘just crafting.’ Be brave, be messy, try everything. Follow what excites you. Let failure be part of the fun. You’re never too old to become who you are creatively meant to be. The second half of life is the perfect time to rediscover yourself.

How long have you been in the Bay and what do you love about it? We’ve been in the Bay for 27 years. It has been our longest home since emigrating twice. The weather drew us in, but our friends and pace kept us. My husband is my rock, and our home is a sanctuary. Our grown kids are flying, and I’m living the dream with my studio, surrounded by light, love and space to create.

Jackie is holding a solo exhibition titled ’SURFACE TENSION' from October 24 to November 2, celebrating her new body of work.

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Change of art

Tauranga Arts Festival is renowned for bringing the world to the city’s doorstep but for this year’s October 19-29 extravaganza, the new team at the festival’s helm are embracing the moment.

Words Sandra Simpson

The Up-Doos - He’s a Rebel

Taking on the mammoth project that is the Tauranga Arts Festival is beyond exciting for the new festival organisers.

“In building this year's programme, we're reflecting a need to provoke joy and belonging for our audiences – as well as undertaking necessary conversations with the vital voices of Aotearoa,” says artistic director Shane Bosher. “We'll be staging some out-of-the-box experiences, including an interactive work for families, which we are super excited about.”

The superb travelling venue, the Carrus Crystal Palace, will be at the southern end of The Strand waterfront for music, a night of comedy and all the fun of a poetry slam, with other performances and events unrolling throughout the city.

Our place on the planet is Oceania, borderless and vast, ranging from the fiery volcanoes of O'ahu to the wild tides of Rakiura. It’s a place rich with story that UPU brings to roaring theatrical life with an all-star line-up of Māori and Pasifika performers who will invigorate the words of Oceanic icons as well as writers transforming Aotearoa today, including Maualaivao Albert Wendt, Briar Grace-Smith, Apirana Taylor, Tayi Tibble,
Selina Tusitala Marsh and Hone Tūwhare. 

UPU

Tusiata Avia, whose work features in UPU and is the author of a previous festival hit, Wild Dogs Under My Skirt, is the first female Pasifika poet to win the Ockham Award for poetry. The festival is delighted to feature the ferocious stage adaptation of that award-winning 2021 collection, The Savage Coloniser. Avia’s unapologetic examination of race and racism is full of bold humour and lacerating truths. “This is a red-hot festival ticket that audiences should fear missing out on,” Shane says.

The Haka Party Incident brings the events of a more-recent history – the “last New Zealand war” in 1979 – to the stage in an award-winning production. Resurrected is the eventful day when a group of Auckland University engineering students rehearsing their annual tradition of a mock haka are confronted by the activist group, He Taua. Provocative, resonant and unforgettable, this is a not-to-be-missed theatre event from writer and director Katie Wolfe.

The Haka Party

Laughter is an important component of any Tauranga Arts Festival and, thanks to an evening exploring questionable dating choices and romantic misadventures with Mr Wrong, the Carrus Crystal Palace will be a rollicking place to be. He’s a Rebel is a playful cabaret performed by The Up-Doos, actress-singers Liv Tennet, Esther Stephens and Aria Jones, who feature the music of Dionne Warwick, Shangri-Las and The Chiffons, among others. 

Meanwhile, in her new solo show Mean Mums, actress Morgana O’Reilly wants to tell you Stories about my Body, some not-so-funny, but some definitely funny, and with the healthy reminder to be more gentle and kinder to ourselves. Warning: There will be nudity (and you will love it!).

Do you love to sing, but only when no one’s listening? Two of Aotearoa’s musical heavyweights – award-winning musical director Jason Te Mete
and Rutene Spooner, a member of the Modern Māori Quartet – will tempt out your inner star and let you enjoy the thrill of a collective performance. In Battle Chorus, the maestros divvy up their audience and fight it out in a social singalong. With a complimentary drink to loosen the vocal cords, audience members will learn harmonies to great Kiwi hits, then join forces in a fun sing-off.

Tusiata Avia

A rising star with a voice born in the rushing mountain streams and placid green bush of Te Wai Pounamu is singer-songwriter Jenny Mitchell, who blends folk, alt-country and Americana into her own captivating style. Just as her songs speak to the family ties that bind, so too does her backing band that includes her identical twin sisters, Maegan and Nicola, accomplished performers in their own right.

Festivals encourage innovative art and Kiwi singer/songwriter Finn Andrews, lead singer of the rock band The Veils, does just that by joining forces with the luscious sounds of violin, cello and piano of NZTrio’s contemporary classical musicians Amalia Hall, Ashley Brown and Somi Kim to perform songs from One Piece at a Time, Andrews' first solo album and previously unreleased material.

Finn Andrews, Amalia Hall, Ashley Brown and Somi Kim

As well as top home-grown talent, the festival is thrilled to welcome Gráda, a five-piece Irish folk band (albeit one with a Kiwi member) that has reunited in 2023 especially for a New Zealand tour. Said to be to its genre what Arcade Fire are to indie (a big compliment), Gráda has appeared multiple times in Ireland’s top 10 music charts. 

Thought-provoking conversations are guaranteed with a Speaker Programme that includes novelist Emily Perkins, Jared Savage (Gangland), writer and director Katie Wolfe, comedian and writer Michele A’Court, children’s author Dame Lynley Dodd, and while playwright Nathan Joe, who also performs his Scenes from a Yellow Peril as a spoken-word event.

Another high-impact performer sharing stories from a life that straddles two cultures is Sameena Zehra, an award-winning performer, writer, director and blues singer-songwriter. Before moving to Aotearoa, Sameena lived in Britain where she performed at the National Theatre and toured internationally with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her show, Tea with the Terrorists, confronts everything, whether sombre or silly, with a light and insightful touch. 

Jenny Mitchell

A Seat at the Table is one of the visual art installations in the central city during the festival. Attempting to rebalance the voices at the table of contemporary fine art, this intriguing work asks spectators to move around a large dinner table, with each place occupied by work from a diverse point of view. Pull up a seat and taste a more balanced contemporary art diet. Like the festival itself, everyone’s invited to this party!  

Tickets from ticketek.co.nz or the Baycourt box office in Tauranga. See the full Tauranga Arts Festival programme at taurangafestival.co.nz