‘And he's coming in with the steel chair!’ From award-winning writer and performer Nick Tipa (Kāi Tahu), and with dramaturgy by Late Bloomers co-founder Bronwyn Wallace comes Babyface, a solo play about big-time wrestling and small-town Aotearoa.
Whiplash is a professional wrestler and the heavyweight champion of the world. Kahu is a 10-year-old boy and has just moved with his parents to a new town. What do they have in common? They are the same person. Directed by Sara Georgie, and with music and sound design by Zac Nicholls (Koizilla, Space Bats, Attack!), Babyface explores one boy's experience of growing up, fitting in and landing a suplex in rural Aotearoa.
Part stage play / part wrestling show, Babyface, debuted to a sold-out season at Dunedin’s New Athenaeum Theatre as part of the 2025 Dunedin Fringe Festival. Following this, the play took home numerous awards at the Fringe awards night, before also taking the Best Production award at the 2025 Dunedin Theatre Awards.
Awards and nominations:
- Winner: Best production - 2025 Dunedin Theatre Awards
- Winner: Best concept / script - 2025 Dunedin Theatre Awards
- Finalist: Best in Fringe - 2025 Dunedin Fringe Awards
- Winner: Unesco City of Literature ‘Beyond Words’ - 2025 Dunedin Fringe Awards
- Winner: Theatre Award - 2025 Dunedin Fringe Awards
- Winner: Most promising Māori artist (Nick Tipa) - 2025 Dunedin Fringe Awards
"With this solo play, Tipa offers a performance that can’t be missed - his enraptured audience teetering between uproarious laughter and breathless awe at his many comedic and athletic feats." - Ellen Murray, Theatreview
"All in all, Babyface is a fantastic, high energy, very funny show, with a loveable character at its heart." - Brenda Harwood, Otago Daily Times
So paint your signs, put on your favourite wrestling t-shirt, and let's get ready to rrrrrumble!