Once Upon a Planet one of the highlights of the recent Auckland Festival opens on Tuesday June 6th at Downstage.

Created by Theatre Action the French-trained theatre group that presented Gawayne and other Things at Downstage earlier this year Once Upon a Planet was described as "brilliant" and as "one of the cleverest and most adroit theatrical productions for many a year" by Auckland theatre critics.

The six members of Theatre Action have collectively produced Once Upon a Planet which tells of five clowns who decide one day to say farewell to this worn out planet and search for a new and untouched world, if such a place exists, and who, when they believe they have found it, try to start life anew.

Once Upon a Planet is having a limited season at Downstage which must end on June l7th.

The Coffee Powered Freak Show examines prejudice of all kinds, examines New Zealand attitudes to sport and racism, and shows some facets of life in South Africa.

Politics and sport? Sport and politics? These are familiar topics in New Zealand at the present time. Normally discussion of the relationship between New Zealand's national game and her international image takes the form of t.v. debates and protest meetings. Now Downstage will try to put attitudes into a theatrical perspective in The Coffee Powered Freak Show which opens a series of late night performances on June 11th.

In a series of sketches, some, debates, and plays The Coffee Powered Freak Show sheds new light on familiar themes. Donna Akersten, John Banas, Russell Duncan, Janice Finn and John Reid are the actors appearing in the show. They are assisted by Wellington singer and song-writer Val Murphy.

The Coffee Powered Freak Show has been devised by the cast with Sunny Amey, Robert Lord, Nonnita Mann, Phillip Mann, Richard Rothrock, Raymond Simenauer, and Chris Wainwright.

The first performance of the show will be on Sunday June 11th at 9pm. The show will be presented again every night from Monday June 12th to Friday June 16th at 11pm.