Hate waiting on hold? Perfect. Spend an hour doing just that. In the multi-award winning solo-show The Sensemaker, a woman battles an automated voice in a darkly comic bureaucratic dystopia.

"An episode of 'Black Mirror' live on stage." ★★★★★ West End Penguins

Have you ever waited on the phone for way too long, with a repetitive muzak playing on a loop and an irritating robotic voice telling you endlessly that your request is being processed?

Yes, you have... and so does the protagonist of The Sensemaker until she is gradually stretched beyond her limits. With its razor-sharp sense of humour and its unclassifiable genre, The Sensemaker has been praised by international audiences and critics worldwide — now returning to New Zealand after a highly successful 2023 tour.

Elsa Couvreur is presenting two shows at Nelson Fringe — The Sensemaker and Embarrassed Naked Female — as companion pieces. See either one, or for the full story, we recommend seeing both shows.

"Fascinatingly unpredictable — a one in a thousand performance. I cannot praise this piece of theatre highly enough." — Theatreview (NZ)

"A performer who just looks into the auditorium and holds an audience spellbound" ★★★★★ SeeSaw Mag (Australia)

"An astonishing, disturbing shapeshifting sliver of genius." FringeReview (UK)

"An unclassifiable, vertiginous, and profoundly contemporary work." ManiThea (France)

Keywords: theatre, physical, international