June 2017 Archives

We get our first video look at Lucy in the supernatural thriller “The Changeover” today – just a snippet. There is also a press release about the movie below

You can find out more about Lucy’s role in The Changeover by going  to the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless The Changeover subsite

First look at Lucy Lawless in The Changeover https://t.co/O2SQzYb9Y2 #TheChangeover #LucyLawless pic.twitter.com/vJOoUaXlxd

— AUSXIP Lucy Lawless (@lucylawlessnet) June 28, 2017

First Look at ‘the Changeover’ Revealed

First Look at ‘the Changeover’ Revealed

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

The spine-tingling debut trailer for the supernatural young adult film The Changeover has been released today as well as the confirmation the film will hit Kiwi cinemas on Sept 28th 2017.

Based on the timeless young adult novel penned by iconic Kiwi writer Margaret Mahy, The Changeover, which is set in post-earthquake Christchurch, tells the story of troubled teenage Laura Chant (Erana James) who must ‘change over’ and become a witch in order to save her little brother Jacko (Benji Purchase) from an evil ancient spirit (Timothy Spall).

Shot entirely on location in Christchurch, The Changeover brings together a world class cast including Timothy Spall (Mr Turner, Harry Potter), Melanie Lynskey (Two and a Half Men, Heavenly Creatures), Lucy Lawless (Xena, Ash vs Evil Dead) Nicholas Galitzine (Handsome Devil, High Strung) and Dame Kate Harcourt (Second Hand Wedding, Separation City) as well as newcomer Erana James (Ngati Whatau Orakei, Waikato Tainui) as the film’s lead Laura Chant and Benji Purchase (Ngati Tuwharetoa) as Jacko Chant. The film was directed by Stuart McKenzie & Miranda Harcourt with McKenzie also responsible for the film’s screenplay.

“It’s a thrill to finally be bringing The Changeover to cinemas,” say Harcourt and McKenzie. “We are so proud of the awesome performances by our cast from award-winning actor Timothy Spall from Harry Potter fame through to newcomer Erana James. The film is beautiful, intense, dreamy and emotional and we can’t wait for audiences to see it.”

The Changeover was produced by Emma Slade from Firefly Films with investment from the New Zealand Film Commission, private investors and the New Zealand Screen Production Grant. Financing has been in association with Fulcrum Media Finance. Production partners include Park Road Post Production, Pukeko Pictures and the Christchurch City Council. Vendetta Films will distribute the film across New Zealand and Australia.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/thechangeovermovie
TWITTER: @changeovermovie
INSTAGRAM: @TheChangeoverMovie
HASHTAG: #THECHANGEOVER

You can find out more about Lucy’s role in The Changeover by going  to the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless The Changeover subsite

Claire Regnault, Senior Curator New Zealand Culture and History, talks about the legacy of Xena: Warrior Princess and a new exhibition in Christchurch, We Could Be Heroes: The gods and heroes of the ancient Greeks and Romans, where her costume is currently starring until Oct 2017.

Xena’s costume is currently on display in We Could Be Heroes at the Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities in the Christchurch Arts Centre.

In 1995 a new heroine, tormented by a dark past and searching for redemption, flashed across our TV screens. She was Xena: Warrior Princess.

Xena began her screen life as bit-part in Hercules: the Legendary Journeys. But it quickly became clear that Xena had enough charisma and narrative scope to star in her own show.

Developed by the American company Pacific Renaissance Pictures, Xena: Warrior Princess was filmed in Auckland and starred Lucy Lawless in the title role.

Xena’s character

Of Xena’s character, the curators of We Could Be Heroes, Penny Minchin-Garvin and Terri Elderthe, write:

‘Set in ancient Greece, the plot drew on classical mythology and featured many gods and heroes from Greek and Roman traditions. Accompanied by her sidekick Gabrielle, Xena travelled the world destroying tyrants and monsters in an attempt to find atonement for her own bloody past. Possibly the offspring of a divine parent (Ares, god of war), Xena is in many respects like the heroes of ancient myth, but she is different in one fundamentally important way: she is a woman.

‘In Greek and Roman mythology, heroines were mothers, faithful wives or maidens awaiting rescue. They supported and encouraged the male hero but did not actively influence events. For contemporary audiences, however, Xena is an embodiment of an important change in western cultures, encapsulating the move towards equality between the sexes. Here is a powerful woman who, despite her faults, achieves great things in the defence of her community. Just like male heroes in contemporary comics and movies, Xena is a new spin on an ancient hero.’

Xena did indeed capture the public’s imagination, providing an alternative female role model to the passive female characters so often trotted out on screen.

In the below episode of Tales from Te Papa, Anna Greaves, a former Te Papa staffer and committed ‘Xenite’, discusses Xena a symbol of female friendship, strength, competence.

She also provides an insight into just why Xena appears to have such large feet – all the better for kicking butt with yes, but there is a bit more to it.

Xena’s costume

When Xena: Warrior Princess came to a close in 2001, the producers kindly gifted Xena’s signature costume to Te Papa, along with that worn by her side-kick, Gabrielle.

Xena’s costume was initially designed by Barbara Darragh, then reworked by Ngila Dickson. The weapons and other props were designed by Robert Gillies. Nglia Dickson has subsequently gone on to dress numerous heroes for the screen, including Frodo in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, Hal Jordon aka ‘The Green Lantern’ (2011), and Matilda from Mr Pip (2013).

The curators have positioned Xena’s costume in the ‘Monsters and Anti-heroes’ section of the exhibition. She is amongst some staunch female company, including an Amazon in the midst of battle (below).

In Greek mythology, the Amazons are a race of warrior women. In the 1940s, the myth gave rise to the comic book character Wonder Woman, who is currently gracing the big screen – and as Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) works as a curator of ancient weapons at the Lourve in Paris! – and certainly influenced the creation of Xena.

Girl power – the Amazons

As symbols of female empowerment, the Amazons have inspired generations of women.

In Te Papa’s collection, we have two uniforms named after mythological race – an ‘Amazon Corps’ uniform worn by a member of the Wellington Ladies’ Khaki Corps in 1901 (below) – the group was also known as ‘the Amazons’ – and a 1970s uniform worn by a member of the Amazons lesbian softball team.

Was there really a tribe of Amazons? Read Amanda Foreman’s article in the Smithsonian magazine.

Source

Lucy took part in the annual Bloomsday event in New Zealand. AUSXIP Reporter Martine De Grauw was at the event to cover it.

Video – Part 1

Video – Part 2

Images

NZ Herald: Lawless in Homage to Irish Writer 16 June 2017

It might be 16 years since Lucy Lawless hung up Xena Warrior Princess’s chakram, but still the last place some expect to find her is in an Auckland pub celebrating the life of an Irish literary star and one of his most memorable characters.

Now a UK crew wants footage of our Bloomsday commemoration, held annually to pay homage to author James Joyce, because Lawless is one of its stars. Organiser Dean Parker says they were stunned to hear the TV star makes time to participate.

In the novel Ulysses, a re-telling of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Joyce sends the main character, Leopold Bloom, on a walk around Dublin where he meets a range of intriguing characters.

Joyce set the story on June 16, 1904 because it was the day of his first date with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle. Every June 16, Joyce aficionados get together for Bloomsday celebrations.

In Auckland, it brings together performers like Michael Hurst, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, Lord of the Rings’ Bruce Hopkins, musicians Linn Lorkin and Hershal Hersher and The Jews Brothers Ban.

Now working on a new series, Lawless will come straight from the set to portray the character Stephen(anie) Dedalus, one of those befriended by Bloom in Ulysses.

Joyce, considered one of the 20th century’s greatest writers, has a family link to New Zealand. His eldest sister came here in 1909 and joined the Sisters of Mercy.

Bloomsday is on tonight at 7.30 at the Thirsty Dog in Karangahape Rd, Auckland.

This is cute. Lucy looks like her mum as she takes a stroll down memory lane about a little show called Xena Warrior Princess. Lucy posted this on her facebook page.

Lucy has confirmed she will be attending the NZ Nuclear Free Zone 30th Anniversary on 11 June in the Auckland Domain.

New Zealand Nuclear-Free Zone 30th Anniversary Celebration – Sun 11 June 2017.

Nuclear Free NZ Celebration – Human Peace Symbol and Peace Plaque Ceremony in Auckland Domain

Date : 11th June 2017

Time: 12 – 2pm

Venue: Auckland Domain

The public celebration of Nuclear Free NZ30th anniversary is 12:00 Sat. 11th June at Auckland Domain behind the Museum.

Hundreds of people will create a giant human Peace symbol to convey a message of support for the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty at the UN.
There will be a plaque unveiling ceremony beside the Peace Pohtukawa tree with Auckland Mayor for Peace -Phil Goff, City Councillors, MPs, musicians and peace leaders. From Nuclear Free NZ to a Nuclear Free world!

Auckland central’s annual Bloomsday show is on again this month, one night only and Lucy will be reprising her role of Gerty MacDowell (see the video/audio of her 2016 performance of Gerty MacDowell here).

Other performers include: Jennifer Ward-Lealand reading from Molly Bloom’s notorious monologue, Michael Hurst as a British squaddie (and singing Finnegan’s Wake) and Lord of the Rings' Bruce Hopkins as a transvestite dominatrix.

When:  Fri 16 Jun 2017, 7:30pm–10:30pm

Where: The Thirsty Dog, 469 Karangahape Rd, Newton, Auckland

WHAT IS BLOOMSDAY?

Bloomsday is the recreation of that single day in 1904 in which Irish writer James Joyce set his 20th-century comic masterpiece, Ulysses. On that long, lingering, legendary date, Leopold Bloom, wandering Jew and melancholic hero of Joyce’s book, set about a droll odyssey around Dublin. In Dublin-Paris-Rome-Trieste, in London-New York-Beijing-Sydney, there’ll be readings and chamber music remembering the fictional event.

In Auckland, a bawdy Bloomsday vaudeville has been celebrated every year on June 16 to packed houses at the Thirsty Dog Tavern, Karangahape Rd. This year’s show will feature Irish ballads, Jewish klezmer, Catholic hymns, Leon Redbone, Guiseppe Verdi, Tinpan Alley, Brecht/Weill, Leon Redone, and Edith Piaf. And The Supremes. And boisterous dramatisations from Ulysses.

When it first appeared in 1922, Joyce’s 900-page whopper had a bit of a mixed reception. In his home town, the Dublin Sunday Express boldly pronounced: “The obscenity of Rabelais is innocent compared with the leprous and scabrous horrors of Joyce’s book… All the secret sewers of vice are canalised in its flood of unimaginable thoughts, images and pornographic words.”

Ably assisted by this sort of promotion, its fame spread.  A signed first edition will now set you back half-a-million dollars.

Image courtesy of Thirsty Dog Tavern & Cafe

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