Cheerleading for R16s
“It’s gone completely in the other direction; very dark and twisted,” she laughs, “We made the mistake of telling the director that we wanted the script to be darker and we certainly got it.”
The story follows Jessica, Lucy and Dakota, who win the chance to cheer for the All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup in Dubai. After a night of debauchery, they wake to find that All Black golden boy Tane has disappeared.
“We get up to outrageous mischief,” says van Beek, chuckling, “When you put three girls into skimpy outfits it’s not hard to get an audience. There’s a lot of skin,” she explains.
A high-energy soundtrack complements the cheerleading, which in New Zealand is more like dancing, and less like the acrobatic cheers showcased in the USA. Van Beek and her two co-stars went on a cheerleading boot camp with real cheerleaders in preparation for the show and they also went to big sports games to watch cheer in action. Van Beek also admits to jogging a lot to get her body in better shape.
“You want to look authentic on stage,” she laughs.
Death by Cheerleader features “don’t-give-up-just-give-it-a-go energy,” but it’s definitely not family-friendly cheer, says van Beek, laughing. Be sure to leave the kids at home.
Death by Cheerleader, Bats Theatre, September 20-24.










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