by tashmcgill | Dec 5, 2013 | Church, Culture & Ideas, Spirituality
To anyone else watching that Saturday night, we were just two women, obviously friends, walking along a bridge – talking furiously, taking photos for tourists and watching the world go by.
But really, amongst the laughter and shared memories – we were clinging to one another. My dear friend and I are undesirably separated; first by an ocean and then by lives no longer conducive to near constant communication. So these moments together were precious, more precious than words can aptly describe or pictures display.
We’re both real women – one married, one not. Both in creative, unusual occupations, both smart, compassionate and both lonely for authentic expressions of womanhood in our everyday lives. Both leaning on each other to find a roadmap through this life and spirituality that honours our beliefs, our character and our relationship with God. Neither of us certain of where we fit or find a place in the Church as we know it, without having to compromise or apologise for something of our being.
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by tashmcgill | Oct 25, 2013 | Writing Work
I write on New Zealand made specialty spirits, craft beer, cider, wine and other elements of lifestyle that making living in New Zealand fantastic. You can read my work at the NZ Herald online.
If you would like to contact me regarding this column, you can reach me here.
by tashmcgill | Sep 24, 2013 | Girl About Town, Lifestyle
If you’ve ever
…. wondered about how the Wicked Witch of the West became so wicked, or if Glinda the Good was really … well, good….
…. felt like the odd one out in the crowd and struggled to find your place in the world….
…. experienced friendship that seemed against the odds and been changed for the better by knowing someone else….
…. and isn’t that everybody?
Then Wicked is the captivating, thrillifying musical you must experience during it’s all-star run at Auckland’s Civic Theatre. 
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by tashmcgill | Sep 24, 2013 | Church, Community, Culture & Ideas, Spirituality
“I want to see us become a family, the body of Christ become a home for the world.”
I’ve had a dream for my life as long as I can remember. Not a daydream or a wishful thinking kind of dream, but an actual dream that comes in the night, whether the darkness is quiet or full of storm.
It comes sometimes only once a year, sometimes every week. It is often inspired by absence as much as by presence.
In this dream, I live in a big house with wide windows that slide right open, just over from a large table and a big kitchen that opens to the whole living space. The table is surrounded by mismatched chairs and the light is warm, gentle. The room is full of life.
In that house, I am constantly talking, listening, laughing and cooking. I am endlessly wrestling with children’s happy embracing and high-pitched giggling. There is always someone just arriving to join the table. There is always someone being welcomed and I always wake, feeling that I have come home.
What can it mean, that after all these years, my dream is the same? (more…)
by tashmcgill | Aug 8, 2013 | Girl About Town, Lifestyle
Great shows are like beloved old friends – you can watch them over and over with fresh nuance and joy each time. This is exactly how I feel about Stomp!, which opened in Auckland on Tuesday for a short season (August 6th – 11th).
My love of this show knows no bounds, so it was a treat to catch opening night in the refurbished Aotea Centre (Yes, I know that the refurb was completed ages ago in theatre time). From the opening lone ranger on stage, breathtakingly barrel chested with personality oozing from his endearing face, to the could’ve-dropped-straight-from-Comic-Con long-haired pop punk and fiesty, pint sized wild woman – this is the show that proves, without instruments or words, that rhythm and music are the international language. These 8 performers also go a long way to proving that anyone can dance, make music or stomp. Audience participation is at a high.
Of course, I’m not sure I could achieve the rhythmic glory this cast does given just a paint can, dusty broom or trash can lid! But it’s refreshing to see dance theatre so brilliantly performed by a motley yet mesmerizing crew of short, tall, stocky, skinny, muscular and in-between characters that engage the audience from the opening broom to the closing applause of this almost 2 hour ride.
Photo: Ian Vincent (Stomp!) in Aotea Square. Photo by Oliver Rosser.
Here are the Top 5 reasons you should swoop up tickets for this weekend; whether you’ve seen the show 3 times or never!
- This edition of Stomp! is packed full of new rhythms, routines, tricks and interpretations of modern music with tonal and visual humour on full speed.
- It’s FUNNY. So funny. Laugh out loud in all the unexpected places, funny! The engagement of performers with audience is so genuine that on opening night even the lone heckler proved how unique each audience makes the show. Skip your ab workout, seriously.
- There’s another Kiwi in this edition. Last time, ex-Supergroove drummer Paully Russell made the hometown crowd proud. This time around, Ian Vincent, a drummer and dancer that hails from Te Awamutu, owns the stage with a hat-tip to Pacific Island dance and distinctive tattoos (on equally distinctive arms!).
- Sometimes the smallest and most everyday of objects makes for a wonder. 8 cigarette lighters making light and music in the darkened theatre is a spectacle.
- 22 years and 15 million audience members have seen the show so far – you don’t want to miss out.
Tickets are still available from The Edge Events Centre
