C-Zone with Simon Howard

14/09/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Acting legend Mark Hadlow is back in town with GOMIL (Grumpy Old Man in Lycra) at the Opera House this Friday. A sequel to the huge hit MAMIL (Middle Aged Man in Lycra), Mark's on the line from 5.05pm to let us know what we can expect.

TAHI Festival continues this week with an array of exciting solo performances.
Over and Out sees Jackson Burling present a rare look into the life of a truck driver. Jackson is here from 5.20pm to discuss his verbatim piece at BATS from Wednesday, one that brings a real interview, a big character and even bigger questions to the stage.

HATCH is TAHI's showcase of our next generation of solo performers. In partnership with Te Auaha, Toi Whakaari and Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University, six students take to the stage at BATS from Wednesday. Aroha Morrison and George Long are here from 5.35pm to tell me about their bold new pieces.

07/09/2025

Coming up from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

TAHI Festival starts this week, and I’ve got interviews with three artists bringing their solo shows to our stages.

Manage Your Expectations is a masterful blend of dance, theatre, live film, clowning and absurd philosophising, helping us to see the limits of our communication and our failures to say what we mean. Eliza Sanders from House Of Sand is here at 5.05pm to discuss the return of this award-winning show at Circa Theatre next week.

Chloe's Revenge is a musical theatre-inspired show at BATS Theatre this week, pulling back the curtain on the pro-am musical theatre "industry" in Aotearoa. With biting wit, Chloe lays bare the heartbreak of rejection from the world she adores, and turns that pain into power. Chloe joins me from 5.20pm.

Grass Roots is a heartfelt and charming musical by Raureti Ormond about the colossal culture of rugby. From club fields to Eden Park, a q***r boy embarks on an epic odyssey exploring themes of takatapuitanga, masculinity, fatherhood, and what it means to grow up in Aotearoa. Raureti tells me more after 5.35pm. He’s also at BATS this week.

01/09/2025

Coming up from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

2:22 A Ghost Story opens at Circa Theatre next weekend. Director Peter Feeney joins me from 5.10 to discuss Danny Robin's spooky West End smash hit ahead of its New Zealand premiere.

The Monster in the Maze is a unique community opera taking place at the St James next weekend. Reimagining the ancient Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, this Australasian premiere from New Zealand Opera pays homage to our rich Pasifika heritage. Acclaimed UK-based mezzo-soprano Sarah Castle takes on the role of Mother, and she tells me more from 5.30.

Finally I'll bring you a full round-up of what's on our stages this week from 5.45.

18/08/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

The Wellington Raw Comedy Quest 2025 is heating up, with one semi-final down and another this week before the grand final next Friday at the Hannah Playhouse. Elliott Lam and Emma Ranson are both through to the final and join me from 5.20pm.

Declarations of Love (And Other Useless Things) is a fast-paced sketch rom-com opening at BATS Theatre next week. Emma Maguire and Hamish Boyle are here from 5.35pm to discuss the 15+ sketches they've created about love, s*x, q***rness and more.

12/08/2025

Tune in now! Or check out the podcast at your leisure here: https://accessradio.org.nz/shows-podcasts/c-zone-with-simon-howard/ #

Coming up from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Mamma Mia! opens this Wednesday, bringing the glittering world of ABBA, Greek island weddings and musical theatre joy to the St James. Director Maya Handa Naff and Rachel McSweeney, who plays Sophie join me from 5.10 to discuss this smash-hit musical.

TAHI Festival returns next month with a brand-new format, expanded partnerships and double the programme compared to 2023. From poetic cabaret to political theatre, and even a party van on the street - festival director Sally Richards is here at 5.25 to talk all things solo performance.

Hihi & The Stitchbirds are a vibrant five-piece folk band gearing up to launch their debut EP Release, On a Good Day at MOON on Saturday. Elena Saunders and Chris Goldsbury tell me about the EP's creation and its themes of love, loss and everything in between from 5.40. Listen out for a couple of songs from the EP as well!

10/08/2025

Coming up from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Mamma Mia! opens this Wednesday, bringing the glittering world of ABBA, Greek island weddings and musical theatre joy to the St James. Director Maya Handa Naff and Rachel McSweeney, who plays Sophie join me from 5.10 to discuss this smash-hit musical.

TAHI Festival returns next month with a brand-new format, expanded partnerships and double the programme compared to 2023. From poetic cabaret to political theatre, and even a party van on the street - festival director Sally Richards is here at 5.25 to talk all things solo performance.

Hihi & The Stitchbirds are a vibrant five-piece folk band gearing up to launch their debut EP Release, On a Good Day at MOON on Saturday. Elena Saunders and Chris Goldsbury tell me about the EP's creation and its themes of love, loss and everything in between from 5.40. Listen out for a couple of songs from the EP as well!

04/08/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Wellington Opera return with Verdi's A Masked Ball for three performances only this Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Based on the true story of the assassination of the Swedish King Gustavo III, a ruler plagued by his conscience, director Jacqui Coats is here to tell me what to expect from 5.10pm.

ration the Queen's veges shares the remarkable story of Te Wehi Ratana's 48 hours in Rimutaka Prison after an act of protest at Te Papa in December 2023. Opening at Circa Theatre next week, director and co-writer Tainui Tukiwaho joins me from 5.30pm to discuss this uplifting one-man play that's part courtroom drama, part prison diary and part absurdist kōrero.

27/07/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Cringeworthy: The 90's brings the nostalgia to Circa Theatre next week, as Beatgirls Productions take us on a musical journey into a decade that still resonates today. Writer and performer Andrea Sanders joins me from 5.10pm to discuss all things 90's.

Flaming Star brings together eight contemporary artists from Aotearoa to flip, q***r, and reclaim cowboy culture at The Dowse Art Museum. Curator Milly Mitchell-Anyon is here at 5.35pm to discuss this bold and provocative show that's on until November in Lower Hutt (with free entry!)

21/07/2025

The Royal New Zealand Ballet are back at the St James this week and we’ve got a double pass to giveaway to their opening night! ✨

Also don’t miss out on $30 tickets if you’re under 30 - what a deal! 🎟️

Competition Time!

We’ve got two tickets to give away to the opening night of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s landmark triple bill Home, Land and Sea this Thursday – and you could be going! 💃🩰

In collaboration with the New Zealand Dance Company, this powerful evening features:
✨ Home, Land & Sea – exploring our identity and whenua, choreographed by Moss Te Ururangi Patterson with music by Shayne P Carter
🦋 Chrysalis – a world premiere by Shaun James Kelly with stunning costumes by Rory Docherty
💔 The Way Alone – an emotional, personal piece by Stephen Baynes

🌟 PLUS: RNZB is offering $30 tickets for anyone under 30 – huge savings if you don’t win but still want in!

TO ENTER:
1️⃣ Like this post
2️⃣ Tag who you’d take with you
3️⃣ Make sure you're following us!

Winner announced Wednesday 12pm. Good luck! 🎟️💕

14/07/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Anthony Street Illusionist returns to Wellington this Sunday with his most ambitious show to date. The creator of hit shows Celtic Illusion and Ballroom Blitz joins me on the line from 5.30pm to discuss shining a spotlight not just on magic, but the man behind it.

Before then I'll bring you all the latest news and events in the Wellington stage scene, as well as a look ahead and my top picks for this year's Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival ahead of tickets going on sale later this week.

30/06/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

The Sound Inside is a gripping new play from Pulitzer Prize finalist Adam Rapp that received six Tony Award nominations on Broadway. Opening at Circa this weekend for its Aotearoa premiere, Dulcie Smart returns after more than 30 years in Berlin to play Ivy League professor Bella Baird. Kieran Charnock plays Christopher, her talented yet mysterious student. Dulcie and Kieran join me from 5.10pm to tell me more.

All The Things I Wish I Could Be is a joyful and high-energy celebration of imagination and friendship at Circa this school holidays. A wild musical ride with two lovable dads, Tom Knowles and Jed Parsons aka Jeff Parsnips are here to discuss this brand new Aotearoa-made adventure packed with playful chaos and catchy original tunes from 5.25pm.

Finally from 5.40pm I'm joined by the two stars of The Ballad of Briar Grant, Phoebe Caldeiro and Anna Barker. In the latest play by Squash Co.'s Jack McGee, two divas play out decades old conflicts amongst the apple trees that have nothing and everything to do with each other. The show embarks on a national tour at BATS next week.

22/06/2025

Coming up live from 5pm tonight on Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM and www.accessradio.org.nz :

Improv takes over BATS Theatre and the Circus Bar this week, with Austin Harrison at the heart of several exciting shows! Austin joins me from 5.10pm to discuss Wannabe Academy, a popstar survival parody, June Duets, a showcase of the city's funniest and most creative comedy duos and Pudgy Mediocre White Men, an improvised self-satire by Austin and Dylan Hutton.

The Home Inside is a new work for the July school holidays by Wonderlight Theatre Aotearoa, opening at BATS Theatre on Thursday. Performer and writer Emma Rattenbury is in the studio at 5.25pm to tell me more about this heartwarming tale of emotional growth and self-discovery, ideal for ages 4-8.