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Plays & Stories
Featured stories for Plays & Stories
All the world's a stage - especially when you're a living exhibit
Ambitious young Hemi Poneke plays the part of the savage in a living exhibition
Tina Makereti's tale of a young Māori in Victorian London is a compelling and timely reminder of the complexities of colonial contact.
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More than mere memoir
15 Feb 2019Renée is a hugely influential force in New Zealand theatre, feminism and social justice. In this, her 90th year she records some selections from her patchwork memoir.
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Billy Bird lands in the Listen Anytime Library
29 Nov 2018"Emma Neale's Billy Bird is a magnificent book. It’s sad, and happy, and funny, and brutal ... there were so many times when I thought ‘Exactly!’ and ‘How can I explain what this writing does to you?’ ... Writing this wonderful is unusual and rare, though it sometimes happens when poets turn to prose." - Sarah Foster
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A stunning tale of a boy and a whale
1 Oct 2018Will Jackson is hiding out, a city boy reluctantly staying with his uncle in small town New Zealand. He finds young abandoned orca and his life is further thrown into chaos, when he rallies to help protect it against hostile, threatening interests.
Series & Collections
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Short Stories
Single short stories and multi-episode stories from freelance writers and published collections.
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Go Ahead Caller
It's Ken Oath, the voice of reason - cutting the crap with a heart of gold
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Short-Episode Drama Series
Dramatic plays in short-episode form.
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Comedy and Satire
Current and past funny stuff - short series.
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The Listen Anytime Library
Adapted novels, biographies, travelogues as well as quick links to other story collections
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Major Plays
Full-length audio plays - drama and comedy
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The Reading
New Zealand novels, short stories and short dramas adapted by RNZ. Broadcast every weekday around 10:45am on Nine to Noon.
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Not For Children
Young Adult books and stories – parental guidance advised.
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New Shorts
Short plays by emerging writers and writers new to audio drama.
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Encore - the Story of New Zealand theatre
The past, present and future of theatre in Aotearoa.
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Grimm's Fairy Tales
Kind, cruel, occasionally shocking and often just absurd.
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Goodie, Goodie! Python, Python! The Cambridge Circus tapes
Before 'Monty Python's Flying Circus' and 'Goodies', there was 'The Cambridge Circus'. Hear the tapes recorded when John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor toured New…
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Comedian Hannah Gadsby on her new Netflix special
25 May 2020Nanette gave Australian stand up comedian Hannah Gadsby stardom and star power. She talks to Jesse about her second Netflix comedy special, Douglas. Video, Audio
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The Laugh Track - Paul Yates
24 May 2020TV producer and actor Paul Yates is rearing to get back into the editing suite tomorrow, after weeks of enforced time away from it. He's one of the creatives behind the homegrown TV comedy Wellington… Audio
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The week that was with Te Radar and Melanie Bracewell
22 May 2020Our comedians Te Radar and Melanie Bracewell have a feast of funnies, including the tale of the Sydney man accused on breaking into Australia's oldest museum to snap selfies with the dinosaur exhibit.
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Alan Zweibel - born to make funny people funnier
19 May 2020Alan Zweibel was a writer in the early days of Saturday Night Live, It's Garry Shandling's Show and Curb Your Enthusiasm. He details a life in comedy in his new memoir, Laugh Lines: My Life Helping… Audio
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Remembering comedy star Fred Willard
18 May 2020The American comedy star Fred Willard died on Saturday, at the age of 86 years old. Audio
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Hamish Blake from Lego Masters
15 May 2020Joining us today is Australian comedian and entertainer Hamish Blake. Audio
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The week that was with Te Radar and Elisabeth Easther
15 May 2020Our comedians Te Radar and Elisabeth some humour to round off the week - the grazing goats causing havoc in a California neighbourhood and the robot 'dog' Singapore using to enforce social distancing.
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Can Comedy Survive Corona?
13 May 2020Comedians have generously helped to keep our spirits up during the last few weeks of enforced lockdown. But now it's crunch time - we're on the cusp of going into Pandemic Alert Level 2, but it's… Audio
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The week that was with te Radar & Irene Pink
24 Apr 2020Te Radar & Irene Pink discuss the lighter side of the Covid-19 shutdown like the Formula E teams turning to marble racing! Audio
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Neil Gaiman happily stuck in New Zealand due to Covid-19
19 Apr 2020Author Neil Gaiman has been coming to NZ for appearances for years now, but he never envisaged he'd be locked down here for the better part of a month along with his wife, musician Amanda Palmer and… Audio
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The week that was
17 Apr 2020Our comedians Te Radar and Elisabeth Easther with the story of a pensioner who lived to tell the tale after he was thrown from fighter jet after accidentally grabbing ejector seat handle. Audio
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The week that was
9 Apr 2020Our comedians Te Radar and Michele A'Court cast a comical eye over some of the wry stories of the week. Audio
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The week that was - Welsh goats refuse to be locked down
3 Apr 2020Comedians Pinky Agnew and James Elliott look for humour over the past week, including the meandering goats which have taken over the Welsh town of Llandudno, during Covid-19 lockdown. Audio
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Bees, poo and parasites
Welcome to the weird and wonderful comedy of Melbourne's Atlanta Colley, public health nerd, science communicator, and keeper of bees. Her comedy is always crammed packed with fun facts and cool… Audio
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Sports Commentating Daily Life
27 Mar 2020Nick Heath, is a sports broadcaster who is passing his time commentating on everyday life. Audio
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The Week That Was With Te Radar And Michele A'court
27 Mar 2020Our comedians bring some levity to what has been a very serious week. Audio
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Comedy Duo On Spending Time With Nearest And Dearest
27 Mar 2020Most of us will be spending a fair bit of time with our whanau over the next four weeks. Courtney and Heta Dawson are daughter and father comedians from Auckland who know a thing or two about the… Audio
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The sports commentator doing a play-by-play of everyday life
24 Mar 2020As sports events get cancelled, British rugby commentator Nick Heath is delivering some much-needed laughs with his #LifeCommentary videos. Video, Audio
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The week that was with Irene Pink and James Elliot
20 Mar 2020Why it's now more important than ever to have a sense of humour. Audio
