Hagley Theatre Company (HTC) does not shy away from the big subjects.

Duck Duck Goose is their first major production of 2022. It is a New Zealand premiere and it asks some very serious questions about the way sexual assault accusations are dealt with by those standing on the periphery. Playwright, Caitríona Daly, like most of Ireland at the time, was heavily invested in the Belfast rape trial proceedings of 2018. She says that “...the guy who stuck with me the most... was the guy who deleted the text messages... how do you live with yourself after that?” Duck Duck Goose does not tell this particular story but is very much influenced by it. Caitríona started writing this play the day the verdict was announced. Her play was picked up by Fishamble, a company dedicated to developing important work, and crafted in conjunction with them over a two year period.

Cameron Mattox has been the Artistic Director of HTC for more than 30 years. He has a particular talent for sleuthing out the very best that contemporary theatre has to offer. Duck Duck Goose premiered at the Dublin Theatre Festival in 2021. It is fresh and it is, unfortunately, all too relevant in an NZ context. The $20 tickets are selling quickly, with local school groups seeing the value in opening this discussion with their students. Grab yours today by emailing Cameron on mx@staff.hagley.school.nz. Check out HTC online at www.hagleytheatreco.co.nz.