Swapping the theatre-stage for the backroom, Sam Brooks’ latest play, Wine Lips, kicks off tonight.
Set in Auckland’s The Basement’s Green Room, Wine Lips explores the less-than-glamourous beast that lives beyond the bright lights on stage.
“I really want to expose the industry for what it is – a construct that sets up a dream that everybody wants but nobody ever really gets to; there’s no end point, it’s a constant grind,” says 23-year-old Brooks.
“The Basement Green Room is a great place to explore this idea because it’s a place that means so many different things to people at different stages in their career; it could be a stepping stone, a home, a crossroads, or in a worst case scenario, a dead end.”
The play takes place backstage at Scotty (Nic Sampson’s) new show. He invites actor and ex-girlfriend Brit (Chelsea McEwan Millar) to share a bottle of wine.
This results in quarter-life crises and awkward memories abetted by booze in a performance that mirrors the reality of being a theatre performer.
For ex-Shortland Street star 18-year-old Geordie Holibar (he played Chris Warner’s son Phoenix) his role as Max is his theatre debut.
“Since I’m in my first year of drama school I’m at the other end of the spectrum in that I’m kind of diving into that world.
“I represent that young, enthusiastic and na
