Once on Chunuk Bair by Maurice Shadbolt
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Pre dawn on August the 8th, 1915, the Wellington Regiment begins their offensive to seize Chunuk Bair - a strategic peak looking down over Gallipoli. The Regiment captures the high ground but their success is short lived when the Turks counter attack. This is the story of the courageous young Wellington men and their struggle to hold off the enemy.
Directed by Martin Howells, this epic World War One centenary production commemorates the incredible bravery and sacrifice of New Zealand soldiers during the Gallipoli offensive of 1915. |
By arrangement with Playmarket |
Actor Interviews
Once on Chunuk Bair is a masterful drama by renowned New Zealand writer Maurice Shadbolt. It depicts the camaraderie, courage, and heroism of New Zealand soldiers early in WWI on the Gallipoli Peninsula. It is based on the events over a few days during the botched campaign to take the hill of Chunuk Bair. The New Zealand soldiers of the Wellington regiment revealed themselves to be genuine heroes.
Dealing with malnutrition, water deprivation, injury, and zero support, they fought bravely and with defiant black humour. They showed themselves to be men of enormous strength and fortitude. Shadbolt interprets this episode of the war as a defining moment in the birth of New Zealand as a nation.
This production will inspire pride in our New Zealand heritage and serve as a challenge to live with courage and passion while remembering the past with a sense of awe and gratitude.
Dealing with malnutrition, water deprivation, injury, and zero support, they fought bravely and with defiant black humour. They showed themselves to be men of enormous strength and fortitude. Shadbolt interprets this episode of the war as a defining moment in the birth of New Zealand as a nation.
This production will inspire pride in our New Zealand heritage and serve as a challenge to live with courage and passion while remembering the past with a sense of awe and gratitude.
Special thanks to all our sponsors
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Patron of the Arts
Jilly Marshall |
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Produced by One Man Banned Productions in association with the Air Force Museum of New Zealand and supported by Imagine Charitable Trust.