Florence Hartigan is an actor, writer and producer, who can most recently be found appearing as a core cast member in Madam, starring Rachel Griffiths and Martin Henderson.
Florence has worked in film, TV and on stage both in NZ and in the US, where a career highlight was starring in the 2017 feature Phoenix Forgotten, produced by Ridley Scott.
Other notable local screen appearances include roles in The Panthers, Kid Sister and Vanessa Alexander’s debut feature film Magik and Rose. Her US credits include Comedy Central’s Bro Dependent, IFC’s Entrance, and animated feature To Your Last Death, alongside William Shatner. Also whilst in LA, Florence trained and performed at comedy theatres The Upright Citizen’s Brigade and The Groundlings.
Florence’s recent writing credits include writing on staff at Shortland Street, and collaborating on the children's animated show Riddle Me This. In 2023 and 2024, she was a top 10 finalist in the New Zealand Writers’ Guild Kōpare Ake program, and was selected to participate in the 2023 Show Me Shorts short film lab.
As a producer, Florence has helmed two short films, Proof by Jonny Brugh, and Manny and Quinn, by Siobhan Marshall, which was programmed at the 2022 NZ International Film Festival, Austin Film Festival and Newport Beach Film festival, among others.
Florence is also a musician and was runner-up on TV2’s reality show Songstar. Her single Green was produced by Don McGlashan.
Organisation/Company
Name: Playfight Productions
Playfight Productions was founded in 2011 by Shoshana McCallum and Donna Brookbanks. We aim to produce a mixture of original and other playwrights' work to a high-quality standard of theatre in New Zealand.
Me, My Mother and Suzy Cato
Artform: Theatre/one-woman show/comedy
Development Status: Tour Ready
Pitch Video
Media Uploads
Synopsis
**Winner 'Best Performance by an Individual', Auckland Fringe Festival, 2024**
It's 1999, and for 17-year-old Rachel, the promise of ringing in the year 2000 on a beach with her friends/love interest is the one thing helping her avoid the fact that she’s terrified about the future. So when her mother insists she greet Y2K in an apocalypse bunker her father’s built in their front garden, Rachel turns to the only rational adult she can think of - beloved children’s entertainer Suzy Cato.
Written and performed by Florence Hartigan (Madam, Kid Sister) and directed by Chapman-Tripp award winner Renee Lyons (Nick - an Accidental Hero), this darkly goofy one-woman play is a nostalgic journey through the era of Britney Spears, cellphones the size of bricks, and jeans that only look good on people with the torso of a 12 year old boy.
Perfect for fans of Fleabag, Pen15, or for anyone who’s had parents, Me, My Mother and Suzy Cato tells the bittersweet tale of the family we need versus the family we get.
Creative Team and Crew
Actor/Writer. Florence Hartigan returned to NZ in 2020 after a decade in LA. Her acting credits include the Ridley Scott-produced film Phoenix Forgotten, Comedy Central’s Bro Dependent, local dramas Panthers and Kid Sister and upcoming comedic drama Madam, to be released this spring. As a writer, last year Florence was a top 11 Kōpare Ake finalist, a participant in the Show Me Shorts Screenwriting Lab and a recipient of a Click Foundation/Tukau Outrigger writer’s residency grant. She currently works as a staff writer for Shortland Street.
Director. Renee Lyons has worked in theatre, film and television for the last fifteen years. Most recently she’s acted in Rants in the Dark and Verbatim. Renee won the Chapman Tripp Theatre Award for Outstanding Performance in 2013, for her solo show Nick An Accidental Hero, which she took to Melbourne, and Edinburgh. Her directing credits include Tu Meke Tui, Dinner with the Devil, and Bitches Box - a series of theatre shows which have toured throughout NZ and sold out audiences at Edinburgh Fringe. Renee worked as a dramaturg on Shadon Meredith’s most recent production of Waiting.
Producer. Charlotte Minards-Black is an Auckland-based producer and marketer. She regularly works on projects with some of New Zealand’s top arts organisations, including Auckland Live, NZ International Comedy Festival, Auckland Fringe Festival, Q Theatre, Massive Company and Auckland Art Gallery. In 2022 she produced a sell-out Basement season of Erotica by the Fire for Playfight Productions.
Number of People in the Touring Party
1-3
Previous Seasons
At the time of PANNZ, the show will have had 2 runs -
Auckland Fringe Festival (September 10th - September 14th 2024)
Melbourne Fringe Festival (16th-20th October 2024)
Reviews and Quotes
🏆 Outstanding Performance by an Individual - Auckland Fringe Awards, 2024
“Look for this show if it ever comes to your town! So funny, so relatable, so gorgeous.” – Suzy Cato
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Hugging Comedians, Australia
“An impressive acting feat…she never misses a beat.” – Tinsel and Tap Shoes, Australia
“A hilariously sweet and surprisingly affecting journey of adolescence that sneaks up on you like Y2K itself. Highly original and funny as.” – Josh Thomson
