NZ Opera asks ‘who was truly unruly’ in newly launched campaign via FEDERATION

Very rarely does the venom that spills from the mouths of New Zealanders ever make the headlines of a campaign. But that’s exactly what FEDERATION chose to do, to promote The Unruly Tourists, an original and thought-provoking piece by NZ Opera, which has already been called ‘a piece of genius’ by local media.

The unruly tourists came, got under our skin and left. But not before creating chaos across New Zealand with anti-social behaviour that made them famous, resulting in global news headlines and even social media petitions to have them thrown out of the country. Could there be a better subject for an Opera with a major twist?

To promote this intriguing contemporary production, FEDERATION shone a spotlight on the loathing and despair aired by New Zealanders. In confronting out of home and social campaigns, the outspoken opinions of Kiwis and the Unruly Tourists were revealed.

Says Tony Clewett, FEDERATION: “Suddenly, everyone from your average Joe to government officials had an ugly view and a potty mouth. And this led us to the inevitable question ‘Who was truly unruly?”

Says Sophie Morris, marketing manager at NZ Opera: “The events surrounding the ‘unruly’ visit said as much about the traits of this rowdy bunch of foreigners as it did our own prejudices. With The Unruly Tourists campaign, we wanted to position The Unruly Tourists as a contemporary culture satire – one that proudly sits within the NZ Opera season.”

Says Elizabeth Beatty, managing partner at FEDERATION: “The Unruly Tourists production has provoked a lot reaction and a lot of media coverage. And we’re leveraging that to convert opera outsiders to insiders, exposing fresh new audiences to the visceral power of opera.”

The Unruly Tourists runs from the 22nd to the 26th of March at the Bruce Mason Centre , Takapuna, Tamaki Makaurau.