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12:15  A new broom at the Film Commission?

Annabelle Sheehan

Annabelle Sheehan Photo: supplied

Ever since the new CEO of the New Zealand Film Commission, Annabelle Sheehan, took over from Dave Gibson at the start of the year, she's been keeping rather a low profile.

The former CEO of South Australia Film Commission, Annabelle has a wide and varied background in film - as a sound editor on films like Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Dead Calm and The Piano, as a talent agent and manager of investment programmes.

In her first major media interview here, Annabelle Sheehan talks with Simon Morris about her own background, the challenges faced in the film industry as more audiences go on-line for their content, and where New Zealand films fit on the new cinematic landscape.

12:30  Confessions of a female bar pianist

Lisa Crawley

Lisa Crawley Photo: supplied

War-stories from late nights playing piano in dodgy hotel bars make up a new show by visiting Australian musician Lisa Crawley. 

These days Lisa's a respected singer/songwriter, with several albums and stage shows to her credit. But at the start of her career, she had to put up with all the drunken come-on's, hecklers and put-downs that most young singers face trying to make a living.

Lisa's put those experiences into a cabaret show which she performs as her alter ego, "Elizabeth ". Lynn Freeman talks to her about the show Elizabeth, co-created with New Zealand theatre company, Bullet Heart Club, which opens at Wellington's QT Museum on Tuesday as part of  the NZ Fringe Festival.

12:45 Jem Southam's abiding love with the English landscape

Since the 1970s British photographer Jem Southam has been witnessing and documenting dramatic changes in the English countryside he loves. Jem's a very patient man, observing changes at a single location over many months or years. As he tells Lynn Freeman, rural decay, mechanisaiton and urbanisation have hit many parts of the UK, as they have here.

When he's not out exploring the land, Jem's at Plymouth University where he's Professor of Photography, But right now, Jem Southam is in New Zealand to give the annual Peter Turner Memorial Lecture as part of Wellington's biennial festival, Photobook New Zealand, organised by Massey University and Te Papa.

 Jim Southam's lecture is on Saturday March 10th in the Soundings Theatre at Te Papa.

1:10 At The Movies

This week Simon Morris reviews three comedies - The party, Finding your feet and Game night

1:33  John Parker's love of puppets - and chickens!

Helping to creating a lifelike puppet chicken is the latest assignment for award-winning set designer, ceramic artist  and Arts Laureate, John Parker. It's much harder than it sounds by the way!

The puppet is just part of his overall set design for the premiere performance of a play called Still Life With Chickens, by David Mamea. The set not only has to look great, it has to be flexible and robust enough to go on tour.

John Parker tells Lynn Freeman he's loved puppets from childhood.  Still life with chickens premieres at the Māngere Arts Centre on Thursday before seasons at the ASB Waterfront Theatre, Palmerston North and Wellington.

1:50 Julianne Schultz

Julianne Schultz

Julianne Schultz Photo: supplied

Other than having the Queen as Head of State and being able to participate in the Commonweath Games, what does New Zealand get out of being part of the once much larger, more powerful and more collaborative gathering of countries that make up the Commonwealth?

New Zealand is being invited to join in a conversation about the Commonwealth now and in the future, as Brexit and other changes fracture relations.

Australia's Griffith Review, a quarterly journal that investigates Australian and New Zealand literature and current affairs, is encouraging this discussion by bringing authors from around the Commonwealth to various Writers Festivals, including the one in Wellington. The review's founding Editor is Professor Julianne Schultz, who's also written and edited more than 50 books.  Lynn Freeman speaks to Julianne before she chairs The Commonwealth Now in Wellington later this week

2:06 The Laugh Track - Ben Caldwell

Ben Caldwell

Ben Caldwell Photo: supplied

Comedian and entrepreneur, Ben Caldwell is the producer for Palmerston North's Comedy Hub, the organizers of the Palmy Raw Comedy Quest.  Ben's picks include  Reginald D Hunter, Li'i Alaimoana, Luisa Omielan and Billy Connolly.

2:25 Following in the footsteps of painter Gottfried Lindauer

Whangarei may have Hundertwasser's famous abstract toilets, but Woodville in the Tararua district is hoping its long association with painter Gottfried Lindauer will prove just as popular as a tourist attraction.

Lindauer settled in Woodville in 1890, painting many of his most famous Maori portraits in his studio there until his death. He remains better known here than in his hometown of Pilsen, now part of the Czech Republic, though an exhibition of his New Zealand paintings there a couple of years ago made his compatriots more aware of his work.

Now as part of forging closer relations with Pilson, the Woodville Lindauer Studio Group has set up a biennial artist residency, inviting artists from Pilson to create work in the town. This year's artist is painter and embroiderer Jana Hylmarová, and some of her work premieres at the Woodville Art Exhibition this Tuesday..

Lynn Freeman talks with Jana and also with Kevin McIntyre from the Lindauer Studio Group, about how it was that Lindauer came to set up shop in Woodville.

2:40 Elizabeth Thomson's Cellular Memory

Elizabeth Thomson is fascinated with the natural world, from cells through to oceans, and especially obscure scientific facts. An electron microscopic view of slime mould, inspired one of her best known works.

Elizabeth has also filled gallery walls with dozens of fish and white butterflies, and plunged us into the ocean around the distant Kermadec Islands.  She brought together works at Aratoi Gallery in the Wairarapa recently and now that collection has been gather together in a book - Cellular Memory - edited by her curator, Greg O'Brien.

Lynn Freeman talked with Elizabeth Thomson and Greg O'Brien on the eve of the launch of Cellular Memory as part of Writers and Readers week in Wellington.

 

2:49 Irene Gardiner's Screen Gems - food on the screen

Hudson and Halls

Hudson and Halls Photo: NZ On Screen

These days every second programme on TV is some sort of cooking show, but it's hardly a new thing.  There have been TV cooking shows as long as there's been TV. 

Irene talks to Lynn Freeman about some of the foodie pioneers - from Julia Child and the movie Chocolat to our own Hudson and Halls and Galloping Gourmet Graham Kerr.

 

 

3:06 Drama at 3 - The Human Engine by Philip Braithwaite.

This is a gritty play about Robbie Sinclair - covered in tats from head to toe, ex-convict, lover and father.

 

Music played in this show

Artist: Louis Jordan
Song: There ain't nobody here but us chickens
Composer:  Kramer-Whitney
Album:  Louis Jordan The Best Of
Label:  MCA
Played at:  12.16

Artist: Sophie Jamieson and Allman Brown
Song:  Fields of England
Composer: N/A
Album:  Ancient Light
Label: N/A
Played at: 12.45

Artist:  Amos Lilburn
Song:  Chicken Shack Boogie
Composer: Cullum-Milburn
Album:  The Chicken Shack Boogie man
Label:  Proper
Played at: 12.58

Artist:  Rufus Thomas
Song:  Do the funky chicken
Composer: Thomas
Album: Do the funky chicken
Label:  Stax
Played at:  1.08

Artist:  Chicken Shack
Song: I'd rather go blind
Composer: Foster-Jordan
Album:  24 Golden Hits - rediscover the 60s
Label:  Old Gold
Played at: 1.43

Artist: Missy Elliott (feat. Aaliyah)
Song: Stickin' chickens
Composer: Elliott
Album: Da Real World
Label: Elektra
Played at: 1.58

Artist:  Butthole Surfers
Song:  Eye of the chicken
Composer: Butthole Surfers
Album:  Psychic... Powerless... Another Man's Sac
Label:  Latino
Played at:  2.04

Artist:  Lonnie Mack
Song: Chicken pickin'
Composer: Mack
Album:  The Wham of the Memphis man
Label:  W & G
Played at: 2.33

Artist:  Carole King
Song:  Chicken soup with rice
Composer:  Sendak-King
Album:  Really Rosie
Label: Ode
Played at:  2.58

Artist: Little Feat
Song:  Dixie Chicken
Composer: George-Kibbee
Album:  Dixie Chicken
Label:  Warner
Played at:  3.04

Artist:  Headless Chickens
Song: Cruise control
Composer: Matthews-Lawrie
Album:  Body Blow
Label:  Flying Nun
Played at:  3.58

Artist:  The Wiggles
Song: Here come the chicken
Composer: The Wiggles
Album:  Hot potatoes!  The best of
Label: ABC
Played at:  Promo