Overview

With the right people around you following the same dream, can you really change the world? The sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll frenzy of the counterculture movement is brought vividly to life in this often hilarious, uncensored account of a hippie theatre troupe in 1970s Aotearoa New Zealand. In their gaily painted old bus, the ‘troupies’ brought their disruptive, sometimes scandalous, brand of performance to parks and theatres, streets and beaches. The Living Theatre Troupe story, told by the people who made it happen, embraces political satire, psychedelic rock circus, nudity and an innocent optimism based on peace, love and flower power. But it also shows how theatre, as part of the anti-war protest movement, challenged social attitudes and helped change the politics of the time. Drawing on diary excerpts and interviews, this inspirational book gives a startling glimpse of Kiwi culture, ‘can do’ spirit and ancient Maori traditions set against a backdrop of The Lord of the Rings landscapes. The bigger story resonates beyond theatre. It concerns the importance of belonging; how we build on what has gone before us and how we pass on a powerful legacy to those who come after us – as captured in the Maori concept of whakapapa (genealogy)

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9781350569683

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Reviews

Kicking Up a Storm spins an exuberant tale of the most iconic theatre troupe in Aotearoa’s history, The Living Theatre Troupe. It brings the reader on the road with the troupies as they unleash radical theatre on an unsuspecting New Zealand public, vividly depicting the impact of the counterculture of the time on the establishment. It traces the lives of the key members of the group and evaluates the indelible legacy that these theatre makers have left for their descendants to carry forward. * Dr James McLaughlin, Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Greenwich, UK *

Author Information

Ken Rea, who was the Living Theatre Troupe’s director, is now an internationally renowned acting teacher and coach. As Professor of Theatre at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, he has trained some of Britain’s most exciting actors of stage and screen.

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