Workmates

Lucy is the co-manager of the struggling, structurally unsound Crystal Ballroom (the Basement Theatre, playing itself especially well). Essentially penniless and living in a semi-permanent state of arrested development in the upstairs of the theatre, a gentle, unfulfilled longing bubbles between her and co-manager Tom (Matt Whelan), despite him being in a committed relationship.

The energetic, lively push-pull of this more-than-friendship is rendered vividly in Workmates, drawing on the experiences of Sophie Henderson herself (here serving as star and writer, with husband Curtis Vowell in the director’s chair) in the vibrant, ever-precarious theatre scene. At the centre is Henderson’s exceptional performance – her Lucy is a relatable, frustrating, funny and compellingly human mess.

Along the way, Workmates becomes an essential ode to invaluable theatres of Tāmaki Makaurau: from the humble Basement to the cavernous Aotea Centre, to the dormant ruin of the Saint James. “What emerges is a coming of age, just a little late, and nestled in the trappings of a romcom – one that is sure to provide pangs of recognition for, and remembrance of, the incalculable value arts communities in Aotearoa foster.” — Tom Augustine