Kicking Up a Storm

Name: Kicking Up a Storm
Price: 180 AUD
Availability: PreOrder
ISBN: 9781350569683

The Living Theatre Troupe in 1970s New Zealand

Ken Rea (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, UK)

$180

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English

Methuen Drama
02 April 2026

Theatre direction & production; Individual actors & performers

Series: Theatre Makers

With the right people around you following the same dream, can you

really change the world? The sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll frenzy of the

counterculture movement is brought vividly to life in this often hilarious,

uncensored account of a hippie theatre troupe in 1970s Aotearoa

New Zealand.

In their gaily painted old bus, the ‘troupies’ brought their disruptive,

sometimes scandalous, brand of performance to parks and theatres,

streets and beaches. The Living Theatre Troupe story, told by the people

who made it happen, embraces political satire, psychedelic rock circus,

nudity and an innocent optimism based on peace, love and flower power.

But it also shows how theatre, as part of the anti-war protest movement,

challenged social attitudes and helped change the politics of the time.

Drawing on diary excerpts and interviews, this inspirational book gives a

startling glimpse of Kiwi culture, ‘can do’ spirit and ancient Maori traditions

set against a backdrop of The Lord of the Rings landscapes. The bigger story

resonates beyond theatre. It concerns the importance of belonging; how

we build on what has gone before us and how we pass on a powerful

legacy to those who come after us – as captured in the Maori concept

of whakapapa (genealogy)

By: Ken Rea (Guildhall School of Music and Drama UK)
Imprint: Methuen Drama
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 154mm, Spine: 22mm
Weight: 560g
ISBN: 9781350569683
ISBN 10: 1350569682
Series: Theatre Makers
Pages: 272
Publication Date: 02 April 2026
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

List of Illustrations Preface: The Arrival PART ONE: Our World Chapter 1: The Beginnings Chapter 2: The Counterculture PART TWO: What We Did Chapter 3: Birth of the Troupe Chapter 4: Life Style Chapter 5: Tours and Shows Chapter 6: On the Road Chapter 7: Back on the Road Chapter 8: The Turning Point Chapter 9: Our Moment in the Sun PART THREE: What We’ve Become Chapter 10: What We Shared Chapter 11: Making Sense of It Chapter 12: The Departure Postscript Appendix 1: List of Shows Appendix 2: List of the Troupies Further Reading Index

Ken Rea, who was the Living Theatre Troupe’s director, is now an internationally renowned acting teacher and coach. As Professor of Theatre at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, he has trained some of Britain’s most exciting actors of stage and screen.

Reviews for Kicking Up a Storm: The Living Theatre Troupe in 1970s New Zealand

Kicking Up a Storm spins an exuberant tale of the most iconic theatre troupe in Aotearoa’s history, The Living Theatre Troupe. It brings the reader on the road with the troupies as they unleash radical theatre on an unsuspecting New Zealand public, vividly depicting the impact of the counterculture of the time on the establishment. It traces the lives of the key members of the group and evaluates the indelible legacy that these theatre makers have left for their descendants to carry forward. * Dr James McLaughlin, Senior Lecturer in Drama at the University of Greenwich, UK *