Hells Teeth

Hell's Teeth is a post-apocalyptic multimedia performance set ninety years in the future.

Aotearoa New Zealand has been blighted with an epidemic of unknown origin and is isolated from the rest of the world. The only hint of outside communication is the signal broadcasting across all devices: parallel 38. With this their only clue, a group of desperate survivors traverse their once idyllic country to the signal's origin: Kaitaia. Upon their arrival, nothing is what they expect. It is here, at the limits of their endurance and courage, joined by the metaphysical presence of their homeland, and haunted by the memories of the ghosts they've left behind, that we join the survivors for the unforgettable climax of their story.

Whetungarongaro te tangata toi tu whenua.

As man disappears from sight, the land remains.

Four years ago, the Out Loud Theatre Company devised the play "After, We Will�" This brave piece of theatre was born out of the turmoil occurring overseas and in our own backyard. Epidemics such as Bird Flu and SARS posed challenging questions to society, and in the face of such hardship, terrible tales of cruelty emerged. However, there were also beautiful tales of incredible courage and humanity, showing the remarkable range of human emotion in the face of adversity.  Out Loud Theatre Company sought to examine these common human responses through a distinctly New Zealand filter, and the play was created.  The story, with its important themes and ideas, stayed with the actors, and in the beginning of 2012 we approached acting tutor, writer and director Ros Gardner to develop the story to its full potential. As a result, "After, We Will�" was revisited, revised, and reworked to become "Hell's Teeth" and Tell Tale Theatre Company was born.

In Hell's Teeth we combine innovative use of technology- live and recorded film, special FX and lighting with hard-hitting live performance. It will take the audience on an emotional and intellectually engaging ride. We believe absolutely in this work- we have filmed and rehearsed across the country in order to fulfil the huge vision of the piece. This project has been built with love, energy, and a passionate commitment to excellence, and we are excited to take audiences with us.

Tell Tale Theatre Company want to tell this epic tale in a truly intimate way -to achieve this we have woven a web around the characters and the audience, interposing individual stories with the events that triggered New Zealand's devastation. We juxtapose real-time theatre with recorded fragmentations of memory. The filmic element serves as an edgy, exciting, sometimes funny, and sometimes sad subtext to the greater narrative. Ironically, only the audience knows the full extent of Dark Cloud and the reasons for the disaster, thus, they become keepers of the secrets. By confronting the audience with this disaster borne out of technology, we aim to encourage introspection and evaluation of not just the world of the play, but also the world they currently inhabit.

We are thrilled to be staging Hell's Teeth at the unique and beautiful treasure- Crystal Palace Theatre, Mt Eden Rd in the second half of July. We aspire that Hell's Teeth is just the beginning of a long journey of evolution and growth for Tell Tale Theatre Company. 

We need your help to make this a reality.

Hell's Teeth is an exciting and ambitious multimedia project from a group of passionate and electric creators, and we would love for you to be involved in its inception.

To see this show come to life, please join us for the first ever season of Hell's Teeth at the Crystal Palace Theatre, Mt Eden, 18-27th of July. For more information please go here.