9 July 2026
Button up your cardigan, Dave Armstrong’s brand new play Local Library has its world premiere at Circa Theatre this month.
An affectionate comedy about libraries, loneliness, local bodies and busy-bodies, Local Library reunites well-known Wellington actors Peter Hambleton and Jude Gibson. We caught up with the pair to talk about friendship, theatre, libraries and books.
Peter and Jude have worked together for more than 25 years and are enjoying being back on stage together in Local Library – the first time they have performed in a Dave Armstrong play.
“We are firm friends and we’re having a great laugh in the rehearsal room,” Jude says.
“It’s wonderful working with Dave, director Conrad Newport, and such a great young production team. Local Library is such a delightful comedy and really showcases Dave’s wonderful sharp witty writing.”
Local Library takes place in a local New Zealand library which Helen (played by Jude) rules “with an iron fist”.
Peter plays Paul Homewood who is grumpy, opinionated and has broken the ‘rules’ at the library and Helen is not at all pleased.
“The conflict between the two emerges immediately and the sparring continues throughout the play.”
Peter and Jude share a love of books, and both have fond memories of their local libraries.
“Libraries are such a hub of the community and are so precious,” Jude says. “One of my earliest memories as a kid was going to the Leys Institute Library in Auckland and seeing all the shelves and shelves of books and being able to take piles of books home.
“I’ve been a library user all my life and especially as a young actor when libraries really were the only place to do research and I have popped in to my local library in Miramar to research my character a bit.”
Peter recalls childhood visits to the Lower Hutt War Memorial Library where he would track down books by his favourite authors. “We’ve now got two grandchildren and enjoy rediscovering the children’s books at the library.”
And as for favourite books and recommendations: Peter confesses he especially loves books about Shakespeare and enjoys reading history, “although most of my reading lately has been scripts,” while Jude has just started reading RF Kuang’s Yellowface and says she is drawn to reading more South Asian writers.
Local Library is at Circa Theatre from 25 July to 22 August. Tickets are available HERE.
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