Lake Wanaka - World's First Lifestyle Reserve

A 'Hip, funny and moving' play about two slackers Eli and Jack that mostly hang out in Eli's bedroom. The death of a friend sparks a North Island road trip that becomes a highway to Kiwi manhood

Audiences first viewed The Intricate Art of Actually Caring in playwright Eli Kent’s bedroom. Eli and friend Jack Shadbolt were the two actors in the show, performed to an audience of just 15.
The intimacy of that first production, which won Best Theatre and enjoyed a three week sellout season at the 2009 Fringe Awards, has carried over into the theatre version, which Arts On Tour NZ is proud to tour nationally in June (see itinerary below).
Eli and Jack spend their days hanging out in Eli’s bedroom until the death of a mate sparks a spiritual journey .Fact and fiction blur when Eli’s bedroom becomes a car, leading the two young men to poet James K Baxter’s grave in remote Hiruharama (Jerusalem).
Described as ‘a comedy about apathy’, The Intricate Art of Actually Caring’s fresh energy and bitingly honest dialogue gives insight into the issues and ideas affecting young people today. It is also very entertaining.
“…There is barely a concern or issue of human existence that The Intimate Art of Actually Caring does not touch upon and yet it never feels earnest or didactic. Nor is it trivial, not in the least….Don’t miss it.”
John Smythe –Theatreview