WHO WE ARE
We are like-minded creatives who feel the need to constantly create new and exciting creative work in the performing arts.
Charlotte Graf and Margaret O'Hanlon are the masterminds behind the now very successful Tiny Room Concerts. This was a solution to a small room situation and introduced the idea of a short themed story & music music event. Unlike a "tribute band" we aim to find the unusual story behind the music and artists we love, or we aim to find the soundtrack to our own real-life experience.
We live in a tourist resort area which manages to attract extraordinarily talented musicians bringing with them a wealth of expertise and experience. Tiny Room Concerts allow them the opportunity to showcase their pick in music.
We have partnered with Rosa Good Music (www.rosagood.com) to create the "Uncovered - Original Music Showcase" series. This original artist concert platform has allowed original artists to present their own work in an otherwise commercially driven live music market.
We partner with Kay Turner Maker to tie in the Visual Arts and costume/art design of any project.
We are part of Creative Queenstown, Queenstown Performing Arts Centre Trust and a resident of Te Atamira, Frankton.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Moving from New York City to a small tourist town in the South Island of New Zealand, might be considered a slow creative death for the founder and Producer/Writer/Director of Whirlwind, Margaret O'Hanlon - but the truth of the matter is that Queenstown is an international community full of ex-pat entertainers and artists who are drawn to the inspirational natural beauty of this unique landscape. Within this environmental 'freedom from mental noise' we have time and space to create.
So in 2010, over a plate of Eggs Benedict in a small cafe, we thought up a tribute show named "Tom Waits For No Man" using some of the most talented performers in the district to perform songs wrtiten by Mr Waits. The joy of seeing such a "loose" idea come to life inspired us to pull together a lifelong dream; creating a rock-opera using the compositions of David Bowie. That production was "Rock and Roll Suicide", and gaining the rights to do this show is a highlight of our portfolio. From there we continued to choose topics of social significance and curiosity, exploring themes of mental illness, tragedy in friendship, the fall of local radio, changing society in Britain, the social upheaval of 1969, and the age-old artistic dilemma of choosing commercial success vs. your creative expression. We enjoy exploring these topics We live in a community without an actual theatre to work within, so we constantly have to re-invent our spaces to accommodate for theatre production.