Tauranga actress takes on Edinburgh

Right in the heart of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the platform for the world’s most impressive artists, are the roaring sounds of chainsaws and the screams of possessed zombies hunting down audience members through a container yard at Assembly George Square Theatre.

A lieutenant, played by Tauranga actress Bree Peters, is screaming orders but it’s too late, lurking zombies have appeared behind a quivering audience and begin to gnaw at their legs.

Tackling, name calling, screaming and hugging are just a portion of the impulsive audience reactions to New Zealand theatrical group, The Generation of Z.

It is the most hyped up performance at the Scottish festival, making The Scotsman’s top 1% of acts to see.

It appears the festival attendees love the adrenalin of being frightened so much, that with one week to go at the festival, The Generation of Z has sold out completely.

Their entire first week at the festival, which started on August 1, was also a sell out. They have crammed in an extra five shows and some nights they perform three shows in a row.

Peters describes it as “a bit of a marathon”.

“A 1-2am finish for us goes with the territory. The lemon honey and ginger will be in full effect I’m sure.”

She adds that once, truly feeling the pressure, someone wet their pants.

“Shocking, I know, but audiences come for an experience and in that case they got one.”

The ex-Otumoetai College student plays a lieutenant and a medic called Frosty, sent to investigate an abandoned facility.

She is a part of a team of eight performers (plus 30 zombies) acting out the fantasy of a deadly virus ruining the country, turning ordinary people into murderous zombies.

The setting is a grim military facility. Hanging on the walls are photos of the missing, having either been killed by zombies or transformed into them through a single bite. David Van Horn, Ben Farry, Simon London and Charlie McDermott are the key creatives of the show by Royale Productions.

With four million people attending the international festival, it gives the New Zealand crew an opportunity to be noticed on a global scale.

Before their rise to fame, The Flight of the Conchords performed in 2002 and 2003 and credit the festival for raising their profile. Their act was rare, as is The Generation of Z, so this year the group hopes to make a statement just as big.

The audience is a vital piece of this unique zombie experience – unique in the way that they have just as much power over the show as the actors. They are the only survivors, thrust into the middle of the action and forced to make key decisions.

They are either following the armed squad around the premise as they check to see if it is safe, or are being tracked down by an aggressive zombie.

It is common for the audience to momentarily forget they are a part of a fantasy. A group of girls link arms as they find a safe place to hide. You can’t blame them for being a little alarmed.

Peters summarises the success behind the show, saying it lies in the fact there is no fourth wall. The seats, stage and setting found at a typical show, reminding spectators that they are just that – observers, are no more. Those walls are gone.

“I can see you. And you can see me. If I want something from you I will walk straight up to you and tell you what I need.”

No one is bored, no one is quickly hopping on Facebook – the audience is completely there.

Peters says she was lucky enough to receive funding from Manukau Urban Maori Authority and Te Puni Kokiri. Back in New Zealand she is also a producer for Shortland Street and she praises the show for giving her the time off to travel over to Scotland.

“I am lucky enough to be able to work at Shortland Street with a fabulous crew and boss and still be able to come away to act myself. It’s a luxury I know I will not always have.”

After all, she knows firsthand the instability of working as an actress, saying it is “by no means a breeze”.

“You may work six months of the year as an actor, and if you do then good lord you are doing well. But then how do you fill the other six months? You nanny, waitress, sell wine over the phone, drive smart cars for advertising agencies, make cocktails. Actors, especially in New Zealand, must have a range of skills to keep themselves a float.”

Earlier this year Peters ran a screen acting audition workshop in Tauranga to give kids opportunities she didn’t have when she was young.

“Don’t get me wrong – I had great drama teachers in school (such as Ian McGregor) who fostered my love of performance. I just wanted to give kids a taste of something new.”

Back in Edinburgh, the fans have taken to Twitter to share their experiences. “I screamed like a little girl,” said one. “We’ve never ran so fast in our lives” said another.

If escaping the fantasy and running as fast as possible from the hungry zombies is a relief for audience members, the show is well on its way to exceeding its hype.