23 April 2025 - The Private War of Corporal Cooper - written by John Broughton

This  short powerful  one act play,directed by Heather Graham, is set in New Zealand during World War 1. We meet Sister Mary Bartholomew, a  Dominican Nun, who is a teacher at St Joseph's Convent in Dunedin.  She is busy knitting socks for the war effort and decides to put her name in one of them.

When Corporal Johnny Cooper, a soldier with the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force in France receives a pair her socks in a Red Cross parcel, he finds her name on a note inside.  Unaware she is a nun, he writes back and a friendship is struck up. 

Poignant, spiritual and dramatic, a lovely play for the Easter/Anzac time of the year.

 Limited tickets available.    On stage from 23 to 26 April 2025.  Four performances only  

Tickets available now from iTicket:   http://www.iticket.co.nz/events/2025/apr/corporal-cooper

Meet our fabulous young cast and crew 

Our director, Heather, is delighted to collaborate with this talented young cast and crew, who bring innovative ideas, enthusiasm, and energy to the production. She is gaining valuable insights and new ideas from them and hopes they are equally benefiting from our collective knowledge of theatre.

Norma, a student at Bethlehem College, plays the role of the nun. Last year, she had a non-speaking part in "Nell Gynn," and it is inspiring to observe Norma skillfully working on her dialogue, while we imagine the life of a nun in 1917 and bring this delightful character to life. 

Andre, who previously performed in the comedy "Noises Off,"  at 16th Ave Theatre, is adeptly embracing his role as a young Kiwi soldier on the Front Line in France. He will take the audience on an emotional journey of anger, fear, and hope.

The stage management is being expertly handled by Xavier, a student from Boys College, who developed a passion for backstage work last year as the Props Manager for "Nell Gwynn." In addition to being the Stage Manager for "The Private War of Corporal Cooper," Xavier is also managing props and assisting Heather in training three young students from Girls College. These students are working towards NCEA credits for the 'Behind the Scenes' module of their drama studies.

Lucille and Eilidh are learning about prop creation and sourcing, as well as backstage operations, while Anisha is focusing on stage make-up.

Adding to our team are two young technicians, Lyla and Dylan, from the Wright Rohde Academy of Performing Arts.

Together, we have achieved a unique presentation of this 22-page, one-act play, despite the crew outnumbering the cast. The experience has been both educational and enjoyable, particularly all the research and learning about World War I, while sitting round the director's table sampling boiled sweets, Trench cake and Anzac biscuits. 

We look forward to welcoming you to the theatre between Easter and Anzac weekends. Book your tickets now and support the next generation of theatre producers, while enjoying a cuppa and an Anzac biscuit or two. 

A bit about the playwright 

John Broughton (Ngati Kahungunu, Nga Tahu) was born in Hastings.
After graduating BSc from Massey, he trained in Dentistry. He now works as a lecturer in Maori Health at the University of Otago Medical School.

In 1988 he joined Roger Hall's Playwriting Course at Otago University and has since written a number of plays. In 1990 he was awarded the Dominion Sunday Times Bruce Mason Award. John was awarded companion for the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016.  Some of his plays listed in Playmarket include:  1981; ANZAC; Nga Puke (The Hills) and Michael James Manaia.