In Blind Faith
Written by Cadence Chung
Not all that glitters is gold - a fact Edith Waterford soon learns when she goes out to make her fortune in the Otago goldfields. After arriving in the new town, she soon meets Augustus, a charming dandy who seems to know everything about the world. Soon afterwards she meets Helen, who convinces her of her own desires, and eventually, Sybil, who tries to convince her to hate the world. Finding herself allured by the various ideologies presented to her, Edith soon finds herself living a life of Hedonism and excess, despite her love for the simple gold miner Penny. But soon, Edith's indulgences start to catch up to her, and she learns the true price of following blindly.
This musical is entirely run by young creatives, written and composed by poet Cadence Chung and co-directed with university students Lewis Thomson and Hazel Perigo-Blackburn. It was first put on at Wellington High School in August 2021. In Blind Faith not only provides philosophical insights into the journey we all make as we try to reach our goals, but also provides a fresh diverse representation of colonial New Zealand, with a particular emphasis on Asian and queer representation. It features 14 original songs that showcase a range of genres, from ballads to bangers. Thought-provoking, fresh, and humourous, the show will take you on a wild new ride through an age-old story, and perhaps you'll learn something along the way.
Creative Team/Company info
Hazel Perigo-Blackburn
Hazel Perigo-Blackburn is an eighteen-year-old actor, director, and scriptwriter. She has been involved in acting clubs and drama classes her whole life and is currently in her first year of a double degree of Film and English Literature at Victoria University. Last year her film Marum Chechil made it into the top 5 Secondary Schools in Wellington in the 48 Hour. Along with Cadence Chung and Iris Broadley, Hazel co-directed Wellington High School’s production of In Blind Faith, as the ‘drama expert/consultant’.
Cadence Chung
Cadence Chung is an eighteen-year-old poet and musician from Wellington, currently studying Classical Performance at the New Zealand School of Music. Her poetry and short stories have been widely published, and her debut poetry book anomalia came out in April 2022 with We Are Babies Press. She is classically trained in both voice and piano, and wrote the musical In Blind Faith during her last year of high school.
Lewis Thomson
Lewis Thomson is an eighteen-year-old actor and director, currently in his first year of a BA. He acted in a piece in the SGCNZ Sheila Winn festival nationals which won three awards, and has participated in the Wellington Young Actors' programme. In March 2022, Lewis entered the Fringe Festival with his emerging theatre group 'you be good i love you', debuting their show Tigers Can't Change Their Stripes. He also played Percy/Penny in the Wellington High School production of In Blind Faith.
