Q&A: Eleanor and Karin

Karin and Eleanor
Photo credit: Andi Crown

Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken are award winning theatre makers from Wellington.

Eleanor is a director/writer and Karin is a writer/performer. Together they make socially engaged contemporary performance. Their previous works include Jane Doe & Body Double. Their latest work Yes Yes Yes, all about consent for teenagers (and their caregivers), plays Circa Theatre 26-27 March.

We caught up with them to talk .

What’s your go-to takeaways order? Or your favourite dining out dish?
Karin: My ultimate order for a late dinner after performing is the lamb shawarma from Camel Grill on Dixon Street. A++ in taste, value, and convenience.
Eleanor: I love Kilim (Turkish food on Manners St) – chicken Iskender and then a baklava.

If you could change one thing about Wellington what would that be?
Karin: It’s too predictable to say the weather, so I’ll go with a first cousin of that sentiment – I’d erase that big old fault line that the region is sitting on…

What are you watching, reading, or listening to at the moment?
Karin: Currently reading Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan.
Eleanor: I am enjoying the pleasures of both UK and US Drag Race.

Who is your favourite fictional character?
Eleanor: Elizabeth Bennett from Pride & Prejudice cos she is a stone cold bad ass and full of so much sass.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Karin: Fortune favours the brave.

What’s the best local purchase you’ve made this year?
Eleanor: Over the summer I got really into puzzles. I did a puzzle of Moscow’s Red Square that I bought from Whitcoulls on Cuba Street and it bought me a lot of joy.

What’s your favourite place in the wider Wellington region?
Karin: Over the last year, it would have to be Red Rocks. It’s alien beautiful and a great place to get my head back on straight. When I do the walk with someone else, the conversation feels especially intimate and reflective; the place is witchy!
Eleanor: I really love driving round the bays – from my house in Brooklyn through Owhiro Bay, Houghton Bay, Lyall Bay and then to the airport. I like it because it reminds me of when I used to travel a lot (pre-pandemic) and every time I’d come home from the airport I’d do this drive and be reminded how beautiful Wellington is.

Why should Wellingtonians come to Yes Yes Yes?

Karin: Yes Yes Yes is a chance for people to think about consent and supporting friends in a pretty fun and safe way. The show is funny and warm and emotional and you get to see excellent young people talk about their lives in a candid way. Young Wellingtonians, old Wellingtonians, all Wellingtonians would benefit from coming along. 

Read more Q&As here.

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