The Star: May 16, 2019

The Star Thursday May 16 2019
news online at www.star.kiwi
THEATRE/ARTS 21
Lyttelton actor takes play to England
• By Georgia O’Connor-
Harding
“LET’S GET the bugger over
there and see what can happen.”
That was the plan behind
a fundraising effort that has
gone into getting Lytteltonbased
performer Tom Trevella
to England to work under
established actor and director
Adrian Rawlins.
At the end of the month, the
long-standing Lyttelton Arts
Factory actor will fly to the town
of Beverley, near Hull, to star in
a contemporary murder mystery
play named Chippy, which will
premiere at the East Riding
Theatre.
He will be working under the
direction of Rawlins, who is best
known for his role of James Potter
in the Harry Potter films and
Arthur Kidd in the 1989 horror
film The Woman in Black.
More than $3500 was raised
at a quiz night on Saturday held
at the theatre company to help
cover Trevella’s travel costs –
including airfares, train tickets,
insurance and visas.
Trevella said it was really
“humbling” to see the Lyttelton
community turn out to support
his trip overseas and was looking
forward to being able to give
back next year.
Chippy is earmarked to be
MURDER MYSTERY: Lyttelton Arts Factory actor Tom Trevella and Hester Ullyart will perform at
the East Riding Theatre in an original play by Joe Bennett, named Chippy. The show will come to
Lyttelton next year. ​
performed in the LAF next
year.
“It is a chance for me to broaden
my horizon and get to work
in a different environment,”
Trevella said.
Trevella described Rawlins
as an “actor’s director” and was
most looking forward to taking
advantage of his knowledge and
experience.
“Just working with a professional,
he has been working in
the industry for so many years
He is going to have a lot to pass
on,” Trevella said.
The opportunity for Trevella
to travel overseas is born out
of the strong professional relationship
between LAF
creative director Mike Friend
and Rawlins.
The relationship between the
two theatre companies has led
to the formation of an artist
exchange programme which has
given actors the opportunity to
travel between England and New
Zealand.
In the past four years, the theatre
companies have collaborated
on a range of projects. It has seen
English actresses Annie Kirkman
and Hester Ullyart travel to
the city to perform in The Butler
Dresses Again at LAF.
Ullyart also returned to LAF
this year to be mentored by
Friend to direct the show of Our
Town.
The show will see Trevella
perform alongside Ullyart,
who has worked at a range of
theatre companies including
Northern Broadsides, West
Yorkshire Playhouse and
Sheffield Theatres.
Trevella said the beauty of having
worked with Ullyart before is
already having a rapport which
makes it easier because there
is only two weeks to rehearse
together.
As well as heading to England,
he has numerous projects on
the go including television pilot
Don’t Be Frank produced by Nick
Mclean and Motion and Light
Video Production.
He will also perform in The
Wind in the Willows at The
Court Theatre at the end of the
year.
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