Michael Hurst Now.com

This website was created to showcase the post-Hercules career of New Zealand actor and director, Michael Hurst.  We will also announce the professional activities of Michael's wife, Jennifer Ward-Lealand . . . More


HOMEPAGE INDEX
(click a title below for more info)

* AUCKLAND DAZE

* FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

* MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
* SPARTACUS
* THE LAST FIVE YEARS

* XENA CONVENTION


ARCHIVE INDEX
See our new ALPHABETICAL INDEX to quickly find information, pictures, programs, etc. for Michael's earlier projects.

WHAT'S AVAILABLE ON DVD?


See articles on this page for current news, or
click the links below to explore Michael's career:

Recent Projects
Future Projects


  

WHAT'S NEW ON THE SITE?


Michael and Jennifer at the
2011 Xena convention in Los Angeles
(thanks to Janet Sella for the pic)



FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!
Get all of your Michael and Jennifer news on our Twitter feed.  See our most recent Tweets below:


WHAT'S NEW ON THE SITE
Click links below to access respective pages.

21 January  Added The Last Five Years, Much Ado About Nothing, new Spartacus video and date for episode 2.6, and FAQ at Q Theatre to homepage

30 December  Added year-end kudos to homepage

23 December  Added ep. 6 title for Spartacus to homepage; added expanded description and performances in Canberrra to Frequently Asked Questions on homepage and Future Projects

16 December  Created The Waste Land page; added Auckland Daze cast photo on homepage

4 December  Added Michael guest starring in Auckland Daze, pic of Jennifer as Wanda, and name of first ep of Startacus: Vengeance to homepage

12 November  Added 2012 Xena convention, season 3 Spartacus announcement, and Frequently Asked Questions to homepage

6 November  Added Frequently Asked Questions to Future Projects

29 October  Added Would I Lie to You? to Future Projects

22 October  Added Auckland Daze description to homepage; created True Stores Out Loud page

13 October  Created Macbeth lecture page

12 October  Created Open Dialogue page

4 October  Added Almighty Johnsons to Future Projects

3 October  Created Bare for Christchurch page

2 October  Created Radio Interviews page containing five interviews from 2008-2010

26 September  Created Hidden Apartheid page

25 September  Created Red pageVenus Is page, and Six Degrees of Separation page

11 September  Created 'Sundays at Four' page

10 September  Created page for tv shows from the 80's (Casualties of Peace, Daphne & Chloe, Heroes) now available on NZ On Screen; inc. screen captures, synopses, and links to watch online

8 September  Added Auckland Daze to homepage

23 July  Added casting news and link to a trailer and interviews for Spartacus: Vengeance to homepage

21 July  Added Michael and Jennifer (and Widow Twanky) at 2012 Xena con to Future Projects

18 July  Added pic of Liam McIntyre as Spartacus to homepage

28 April  Added announcement of new Naevia on Spartacus to homepage

20 April  Created "Best Theatre Guy" page

18 April  Created Michael and Jennifer named as Q Theatre patrons page

31 March  Created Happy Days page

27 March  Created The Jono Project page (from 2010), with video captures, dialogue excerpts, etc.

23 March  Created Hamlet Goes Shopping video page

20 March  Added Spartacus episodes that Michael is directing to homepage

18 March  Created Richard III page

2 March  Created Q Theatre brand launch page

9 February  Added Spartacus season 2 and pic from Xena con to homepage

 

 

 



CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE, DETAILED SITE HISTORY


This is not an official site, but we will keep it current with news of Michael's professional activities, as well as an archive of his projects.  We will also announce the professional activities of Michael's wife, Jennifer Ward-Lealand; see her official site for more on her career.

See also:  Michael's curriculum vitae on his official website: www.michaelhurst.co.nz and his listing on IMDB.  Michael is represented by Johnson & Laird Management.

 


MICHAEL DIRECTED SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE EP. 1 'FUGITIVUS'
PREMIERING 27 JANUARY 2012 ON STARZ


Michael directed 'Fugitivus', the first episode of Spartacus: Vengeance, which will premiere on Starz on 27 January 2012.  However, Starz has made the episode available online now; click here to watch (U.S. only).

Episode description:  "Spartacus discovers the grave responsibilities and costs involved in his new role as a leader of freed slaves.  Claudius Glaber’s arrival in Capua forces Spartacus to keep his rebellious band intact". 

Michael also directed episode 6, 'Chosen Path' (which will be shown on  6 March) and is a producer for the season.   On 7 November, Starz announced that season 3 of Spartacus will begin filming in New Zealand early in 2012.

Michael talks about 'The Hunt for Spartacus' in the video below:

 


Spartacus: Vengeance
stars Liam McIntyre in the role of Spartacus, following Andy Whitfield's withdrawal from the series due to cancer and his subsequent death.  Click here to see Liam and head writerSteven DeKnight talk about Liam being cast in the role, and click here to watch an interview with Liam at Comic Con.

It was announced on 28 April that Cynthia Addai-Robinson has been cast in the role of Naevia, replacing Leslie-Ann Brandt who left the series.  See the announcement, with picture, here.

On 22 July, it was announced that Ellen Hollman has joined the cast as warrior Saxa; see the announcement here, or go to her website here.

Michael previously directed Spartacus: Blood and Sand episodes 5 'Shadow Games', 9 'Whore', and 12 'Revelations', and Spartacus: Gods of the Arena episode 3 'Paterfamilias'. 


Liam McIntyre as Spartacus

MICHAEL AND JENNIFER TO BE CELEBRITY GUESTS AND CABARET ARTISTS AT THE FINAL OFFICIAL XENA CONVENTION

Michael and Jennifer will be celebrity guests at Creation Entertainment's 2012 Official Xena Convention "The Final Journey" at the Marriott Burbank Airport Hotel.  They will star in the cabaret on Friday 27 January followed by a Q&A on Saturday.  The Widow Twanky will also be doing her own Q&A, and they will do photos and autographs.  Creation has announced that this will be the last official Xena convention. 

Click here for more information and to book.


MICHAEL PREMIERES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AT THE NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, THEN TAKES IT TO AUCKLAND AND CANBERRA

The world premiere of Michael's Shakespearean solo show, Frequently Asked Questions, will be presented at the New Zealand International Festival in Wellington, 2-11 March 2012, then at Q Theatre, Auckland, 28 March-13 April (dates TBC).  It will also be presented at The Street Theatre, Canberra (Australia) on 10-21 July 2012.

For more information and to book:  Click here for the International Festival, and here for The Street Theatre.

An insomniac called Hamlet discovers a script documenting the end of his life, and begins some serious late-night soul-searching: 'What a piece of work is a man?'; 'To be, or not to be?'  These are his FAQs.  And Hamlet can't sleep until he knows.

Developed in collaboration with writers Natalie Medlock and Dan Musgrove, this semi-autobiiographical work promises to deliver a thrilling fusion of youthful inspiration with virtuosic skill and experience.



Hurst melds his mastery of the Shakesearean form with an irreverent comic edge, darting back and forth between classical poetry and self-effacing banter with startling sleight of hand.  One moment Hamlet questions his existence over a box of noodles; the next he is in conversarion with himself as Macbeth, Othello, and King Lear invade his room and relive their own death scenes in front of him.  All of this builds to an unforgettable battle sequence in which Hurst unleashes 30 years of stage combat experience . . . on himself.


JENNIFER TO DIRECT THE LAST FIVE YEARS

Jennifer will direct Tyran Parke and Cherie Moore in Jason Robert Brown's contemporary song cycle The Last Five Years for Last Tapes Theatre Company at the Herald Theatre, 1-17 March 2012.  Click here to book.

This thought-provoking show tells the story of Jamie, a promising young writer in New York, and Cathy, an actress waiting for her big break.  The Last Five Years sees them share the story of their relationship--Jamie starting from the moment they first meet, and Cathy beginning her story at the end of their five years together.  Their storytelling is powerfully honest, funny, and at times heartbreaking.


AUSA OUTDOOR SHAKESPEARE TRUST PRESENTS MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING

Michael is Trustee of the AUSA Outdoor Shakespeare Trust, which will present Much Ado About Nothing at the University Clocktower Lawn, 3-24 March 2012.  Michael will serve as Production Advisor to director Sam Pascoe.  Starring Jess Bates, Chris Bryan, Alex MacDonald, Natalie Braid, Craig Serventy, and Luck Thornborough. 

Much Ado About Nothing is a light-hearted romp that follows the fortunes of two pairs of lovers: Beatrice and Benedick, staunch advocates of singledom, and their comrades Claudio and Hero, whose sweet and innocent love for each other renders them virtually speechless. Much mirth, mayhem and mischief inevitably ensue . . .

Click here for more info and to book.


YEAR-END KUDOS

Michael and Jennifer both have had their work in theatre recognized this year:

Theatre Scenes:   " . . . plays that dealt intelligently and engrossingly about art and artists.  Michael Hurst was first in Auckland Theatre Company’s Red, shaving off his hair to play Mark Rothko . . . His wife Jennifer Ward-Lealand then got her chance to play with the paints as NZ icon Rita Angus in Rita and Douglas, Dave Armstrong adapting the artist’s letters to one time lover Douglas Lilburn for the stage".

"There was many a bravura acting moment throughout the year.   . . . Michael Hurst in Red, . . . Jennifer Ward-Lealand in Rita and Douglas".

"The Wasteland, the debut performance from [ATC's] Participate program is the most exciting development from the company.  Director Michael Hurst and his company of 34 65+ year olds was a profound theatrical event".

New Zealand Herald:  "For those who love the theatre of ideas, Red offered a brilliant exploration of the clash between modernist idealism and post-modern irony.  In a similar vein, Rita and Douglas saw Jennifer Ward-Lealand and Michael Houstoun giving a sharp reminder of the passionate intensity that pervaded New Zealand's beleaguered art scene in the 1940s".

Metro:  "Director Michael Hurst's production of T.S. Eliot's poem The Waste Land in the ATC studio put on stage 34 actors, all over 65 years of age, along with an assortment of elegant chairs, tables, lamps and the odd musical instrument (under the care of John Gibson).  It was exquisite, profoundly creative, joyful, tragic and remarkably skilled.  A national tour should be organised forthwith".


MICHAEL GUEST STARRED IN EPISODE 6 OF AUCKLAND DAZE

Jennifer played Parnell real estate agent Wanda in the online comedy series Auckland Daze.  It is available on TVNZ On Demand

Auckland Daze stars Millen Baird, Jimmy James, Glen Levy, and Fasitua Amosa as four hapless wannabes - a model, a stuntman, a dwarf entertainer and a stand-up comedian who are all chasing fame in Auckland's ridiculously small entertainment industry. 

Michael played a fictionalized version of himself in episode 6--watch it here


 

 

 

 Recent Projects    Future Projects
 
Note: We try to ensure that everything here is correct, but mistakes do happen,
and things can change, so please contact the venues directly for verification.

This site is non-commercial and no money is being made from it. No copyright infringement
is intended. All copyrighted materials remain the property of the original copyright holder.
We believe that everything on this web site falls within the legal description of "fair use".
The site has no formal affiliation with Michael Hurst.

For site update history, click here (latest update 21 January 2012).

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