Here's Hilda!
13–18 February 2007
Jan Bolwell's grandmother was Hilda Blair Gardiner, 'the terror of the Taieri', and lived as she drove - in the fast lane! In a beautifully structured journey through 20th century Otago history, Bolwell's new play - a 2006 Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards nominee - compresses Hilda's remarkable life into seventy poignant minutes.
Glorious, outrageous and indomitable, Hilda was truly larger than life. As a wondrously opinionated blue ribbon battler for good causes she was largely a law unto herself.
Memorable aspects of the matriarch's life include a hilarious depiction of the 1953 Royal Visit to Dunedin, a hair-raising driving test, the Tokarahi Collie Dog Club 50th anniversary banquet, a feisty battle with Jan over national politics and Hilda’s role as a volunteer driver in the 1918 Flu Epidemic.
Re-enacted anecdotes involve a rich range of classic Kiwi characters, and very specific and idiosyncratic stories blend with iconic moments in history to engage both the heads and hearts of the audience.
