suitcase show (NZ)

Small objects. Vast worlds. Stories that come alive.

A traveller arrives at a border carrying a stack of worn suitcases. But this isn’t just luggage — it’s entire worlds waiting to unfold.

In Suitcase Show, Trick of the Light Theatre conjures a universe from what they carry: absurd, dark, and darkly funny tales of climate, love, death, journeys — and everything we try to pack away.

A fallen autocrat is hunted by his own shadow. An astronaut turns their gaze back home. Even Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl appears — reimagined and transformed.

From a pile of battered suitcases, whole worlds emerge.

Strange and shadowy stories of life, death, and travel take shape through lo-fi puppetry, projection, and simple theatrical magic. Small objects become epic narratives. A performance that grows before your eyes.

Everything springs from the suitcases: shadow play, flickering projections, hands in motion — and an old stereo case that transforms into stage, machine, and illusion.

Trick of the Light is known for its dark humour, ingenuity, and sustainable touring theatre.