How To Build a Gate - NZ Fringe

How to Build a Gate by New York-based playwright Electra Artemis, is a witty comedy that explores the perils of creation without caution. The play was developed by the emerging production company Resident Dilettante. We are thrilled to be bringing this work to NZ Fringe 2026!

Originally performed as a one woman show for a short NZ South Island tour in 2024, How to Build a Gate has continued its life and growth since then. In 2025, it featured in the Spark Emerging Artist Festival and went on to be one of only six finalists in the Soho Playhouse Festival, a prestigious playwriting competition in New York. 

The show features two characters, Liza (played by Kate Low) and Hal, her wonderful AI creation. In the original iteration and in true one woman show form, Kate played both characters, having pre-recorded Hal's lines. Kate’s long-time friend and talented techie, Benjamin Donaldson, then pressed over 350 cues to have Liza in conversation with Hal. This was no mean feat and required expert precision from Ben offstage.

An exciting development to the show for the Spark Emerging Artist Festival and The Soho Lighthouse Series, was introducing actor Megan Piggott to play Hal. Stationed off stage, Megan puppeteers and voices Hal (the AI) throughout the show. This gave both actors lots of space to play with their dialogue, and added further depth to the relationship between the two characters. 

Since the addition of Megan into the team it's impossible to imagine the show without them, so it went without question that we had to get them to Aotearoa for this season. It is incredibly exciting to bring them over from New York for NZ Fringe, and continue Resident Dilettante's MO of international collaboration. 

Upon returning to New Zealand, Kate who is now based in Tāmaki Makaurau, was extremely keen to bring this piece back to its home turf, and  Fringe felt like a natural fit. The team were ecstatic to book a five night season at the iconic BATS Theatre and will be staging the show from the 17th to the 21st of February.

The 2026 Fringe season of How to Build a Gate consists of members from New York, Pōneke and Tāmaki Makaurau, all coming together for the first time the week before our season.  Kate and Megan will reunite for an intensive rehearsal period, and the team will configure the show into the BATS stage.

This Boosted campaign aims to cover the cost of stipends for all of our hardworking team and to support the cost of bringing Megan over from New York, and Kate down from Auckland.  We also hope it can support the cost of accommodating Kate and Megan in Pōneke for the rehearsal and show period.

It would lighten the cost of the rehearsal space we have booked for the week, and with that, limit the personal expenses for the whole team during the preparation and execution of this fantastic piece of theatre, as we deliver it to the fabulous Fringe audiences that Wellington has.