Katikati Theatre's 'The Longest Journey' Brings Settlers to the Present Day

Katikati Theatre is staging a brand-new play to mark the town's 150th anniversary, blending history, humour and a time-travelling plot. 'The Longest Journey', written by Julie Thomas, Di Logan and Francis Young, opens at the Arts Junction on Friday 19 September at 7pm and runs for six performances through to 27 September.

The story follows seven Ulster Irish settlers — including George Vesey Stewart, Adela Stewart, Sam Middlebrook, William Gray, Grace Fletcher and the partly fictional Mary Bell — who step out of a time machine and find themselves in present-day Katikati. An Australian tourist called Muriel from Woolloomooloo happens to be looking at the town's murals when the settlers arrive, astonished by everything from traffic lights and trucks to iPhones. The settlers also attempt to sort out the town's current-day transport problems, with bright orange road cones making a pointed appearance alongside the historical narrative.

Costume designer Annamarie Dixon worked hard to dress the cast accurately, noting that Katikati's settler women wore practical clothes brought from home rather than fashionable styles — clothing that ran up to the neck and down to the ground, regardless of the New Zealand heat and mud. Thomas and Logan will give the town a preview through a skit at the Settlers' Dance on Saturday evening. Tickets for the main run are on sale now.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).