New recipe for 'Stir Fried'

Now in its eighth season, the University of Auckland's Drama Club’s production of Stir Fried Plays will open at GalatosLive in central Auckland in early May.

After the closure of the university’s Maidment Theatre due to renovations last year, there was uncertainty about whether Stir Fried would return.

Over the past eight years, Stir Fried, an eclectic collection of plays from young playwrights, has graced the stage of the Maidment’s Musgrove Studio.

The closure of the Maidment meant co-producers Caleb Wells and Carmela Hughes could no longer use the Musgrove to stage their show.

“It was a huge step back logistically,” Ms Hughes said.

Finding a new venue was challenging because no one outside the university knew what Stir Fried was.

However, the change in venue inspired the framework of this year’s show.

“As soon as I walked into Galatos, I was like, ‘This looks like a school hall’,” Ms Hughes said.

The producers then decided to conceive the production as a primary school talent show.

A trio of 'hosts' (played by Bennett Conran, Jake Love and Rebekah Philson) will appear throughout the show, playing members of staff who try to keep the school production on track.

The hosts are staying mum on exactly what the overriding story will involve and the content of the wraparound story is still being planned.

“I think if things go wrong, we’ll just wing it,” said Mr Love.

The producers say past productions have been more eclectic, but this year the emphasis will be on comedy.

And while the individual vignettes are funny, the show will appeal to a variety of comic palates - there will be “at least four deaths”, Mr Wells said.

“The good thing about this sort of format is there are 10 plays, so if you’re sitting there and you’re loving one, it’s awesome, or if you’re sitting there thinking, ‘This is not for me’, there’s another one in a minute or two,” Mr Wells said.

As for future plans, the drama club has not let the Maidment’s closure get in the way. After Stir Fried, the club has more productions to fill the year, including one Elizabethan play.

“We’re getting more ambitious and we want to put more on,” Mr Wells said.

The Club will have another main bill production before the end of the year, but will need to find another venue to stage it.

Stir Fried VIII will be on at GalatosLive from May 4 to 7. Ticket bookings can be made at Eventbrite.